Yorkshire and the Humber · Metropolitan borough
Rotherham motoring statistics
How many cars and electric cars are registered in Rotherham, which fuels they use, how many public chargers there are and how Rotherham compares with the Yorkshire and the Humber. From DVLA licensing records, DfT charger statistics and ONS population estimates.
- Licensed cars 135,409 +1.6% on a year earlier
- Private cars per 1,000 people 465 UK 441
- Battery electric cars 4,819 3.6% of cars (UK 5.4%)
- Electric share of private cars 2.9% 156th highest of 361 councils
- Public chargers 364 132 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
- Company-registered cars 5.0% UK 9.9%
How many cars are there in Rotherham?
There were 135,409 licensed cars in Rotherham at the end of March 2026, and 160,502 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 22.5% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 465 for every 1,000 residents, 138th lowest of 361 councils (UK 441).
Licensed vehicles in Rotherham
Counts at the end of March each year, 2010 to 2026.
| Year | All vehicles | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 129,400 | 110,508 |
| 2011 | 130,591 | 111,308 |
| 2012 | 131,142 | 111,974 |
| 2013 | 131,765 | 112,823 |
| 2014 | 133,991 | 115,002 |
| 2015 | 136,360 | 116,956 |
| 2016 | 138,818 | 118,899 |
| 2017 | 141,568 | 120,952 |
| 2018 | 142,677 | 122,170 |
| 2019 | 144,839 | 123,838 |
| 2020 | 146,943 | 125,953 |
| 2021 | 147,941 | 125,974 |
| 2022 | 149,916 | 127,165 |
| 2023 | 151,617 | 128,406 |
| 2024 | 154,578 | 130,924 |
| 2025 | 157,619 | 133,235 |
| 2026 | 160,502 | 135,409 |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated
Licensed vehicles by type
Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated
Cars per 1,000 residents
All licensed cars at the end of June, divided by the ONS mid-year population. Company fleets registered locally push this up.
| Year | Rotherham | Yorkshire and the Humber | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 433 | 427 | – |
| 2012 | 435 | 427 | – |
| 2013 | 439 | 429 | – |
| 2014 | 445 | 429 | – |
| 2015 | 448 | 433 | 473 |
| 2016 | 453 | 442 | 480 |
| 2017 | 460 | 450 | 488 |
| 2018 | 464 | 456 | 490 |
| 2019 | 469 | 464 | 493 |
| 2020 | 470 | 463 | 489 |
| 2021 | 479 | 470 | 493 |
| 2022 | 475 | 469 | 489 |
| 2023 | 474 | 469 | 489 |
| 2024 | 477 | 472 | 490 |
Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated
Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Rotherham
49.3% of cars in Rotherham run on petrol and 37.8% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 45.3% in 2021. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 7.3%, and cars that plug in 5.3%.
Cars by fuel type
Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated
Fuel mix over time
Share of licensed cars at the end of March each year.
| Year | Petrol | Diesel | Hybrid | Battery electric | Plug-in hybrid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 70.9% | 28.8% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2011 | 68.6% | 31.0% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2012 | 66.4% | 33.2% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2013 | 64.3% | 35.2% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2014 | 62.1% | 37.3% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2015 | 60.2% | 39.1% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2016 | 58.3% | 40.9% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| 2017 | 56.6% | 42.5% | 0.7% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 55.2% | 43.7% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 54.2% | 44.4% | 1.0% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 53.4% | 44.9% | 1.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2021 | 52.4% | 45.3% | 1.6% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| 2022 | 51.6% | 45.0% | 2.3% | 0.5% | 0.4% |
| 2023 | 51.3% | 43.9% | 3.1% | 0.9% | 0.6% |
| 2024 | 51.0% | 42.3% | 4.2% | 1.4% | 0.8% |
| 2025 | 50.3% | 40.2% | 5.7% | 2.3% | 1.2% |
| 2026 | 49.3% | 37.8% | 7.3% | 3.6% | 1.7% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated
Electric cars in Rotherham
4,819 battery electric cars were licensed in Rotherham at the end of March 2026, 3.6% of all cars, 165th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 7,116 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 3,082.
Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.9% are battery electric (3,667 cars), 5th highest of 15 councils in the Yorkshire and the Humber. Companies keep 23.9% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 5.0% of its cars overall. There are also 94 battery electric vans.
Battery electric share of licensed cars
End of March each year. Fleet re-registrations can move a single area’s line sharply.
| Year | Rotherham | Yorkshire and the Humber | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| 2021 | 0.2% | 0.6% | 0.7% |
| 2022 | 0.5% | 1.3% | 1.3% |
| 2023 | 0.9% | 2.0% | 2.1% |
| 2024 | 1.4% | 2.8% | 3.0% |
| 2025 | 2.3% | 3.9% | 4.1% |
| 2026 | 3.6% | 5.0% | 5.4% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated
Public EV chargers in Rotherham
There were 364 public chargers in Rotherham on 1 July 2026, 144 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 132 for every 100,000 residents, 159th lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 8.3% from 1 January 2026.
For every public charger there are 17.0 privately kept plug-in cars in Rotherham (UK 11.9), 161st most of 361 councils. A higher number means more competition for each public charger, though many drivers charge at home.
Public chargers
| Date | All public chargers | 50kW and above |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2026 | 336 | 120 |
| Apr 2026 | 333 | 128 |
| Jul 2026 | 364 | 144 |
Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated
Chargers per 100,000 residents
| Area | All chargers | 50kW and above |
|---|---|---|
| Rotherham | 132 | 52 |
| South Yorkshire | 99 | 37 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 111 | 37 |
| England | 173 | 41 |
| UK | 175 | 42 |
Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated
Electric cars by neighbourhood
Rotherham has 32 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.2% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 5.4%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.
| Neighbourhood (MSOA) | Private vehicles | Battery electric | Electric share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rotherham 027 | 7,544 | 411 | 5.4% | |
| Rotherham 028 | 4,908 | 191 | 3.9% | |
| Rotherham 001 | 6,439 | 216 | 3.4% | |
| Rotherham 033 | 5,668 | 195 | 3.4% | |
| Rotherham 032 | 5,466 | 180 | 3.3% | |
| Rotherham 034 | 7,256 | 243 | 3.3% | |
| Rotherham 012 | 5,007 | 160 | 3.2% | |
| Rotherham 019 | 4,526 | 146 | 3.2% | |
| Rotherham 031 | 4,427 | 143 | 3.2% | |
| Rotherham 007 | 4,809 | 150 | 3.1% | |
| Lowest electric shares | ||||
| Rotherham 014 | 3,266 | 11 | 0.3% | |
| Rotherham 013 | 2,986 | 16 | 0.5% | |
| Rotherham 009 | 3,728 | 32 | 0.9% | |
| Rotherham 011 | 3,240 | 33 | 1.0% | |
| Rotherham 016 | 2,821 | 30 | 1.1% | |
Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of March 2026. 1 neighbourhood is left out because DfT withholds small counts there.
Road traffic and collisions in Rotherham
Vehicles travelled an estimated 1,644 million miles on roads in Rotherham in 2025.
Traffic on all roads
| Year | Million vehicle miles |
|---|---|
| 1993 | 1,176 |
| 1994 | 1,198 |
| 1995 | 1,229 |
| 1996 | 1,282 |
| 1997 | 1,318 |
| 1998 | 1,359 |
| 1999 | 1,323 |
| 2000 | 1,334 |
| 2001 | 1,364 |
| 2002 | 1,390 |
| 2003 | 1,396 |
| 2004 | 1,440 |
| 2005 | 1,445 |
| 2006 | 1,457 |
| 2007 | 1,464 |
| 2008 | 1,485 |
| 2009 | 1,461 |
| 2010 | 1,432 |
| 2011 | 1,449 |
| 2012 | 1,434 |
| 2013 | 1,446 |
| 2014 | 1,453 |
| 2015 | 1,498 |
| 2016 | 1,523 |
| 2017 | 1,523 |
| 2018 | 1,563 |
| 2019 | 1,619 |
| 2020 | 1,288 |
| 2021 | 1,412 |
| 2022 | 1,523 |
| 2023 | 1,576 |
| 2024 | 1,547 |
| 2025 | 1,644 |
Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated
Reported injury collisions
| Year | Collisions | Killed or seriously injured |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 375 | 124 |
| 2022 | 408 | 145 |
| 2023 | 437 | 139 |
| 2024 | 421 | 139 |
| 2025 | 429 | 130 |
Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated
Petrol and diesel prices in Rotherham
Unleaded petrol averages 172.7p a litre across 38 filling stations in Rotherham, 1.0p above the UK average. Diesel averages 195.9p, 1.3p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.
Cheapest petrol
- MFG Morrisons Catcliffe Catcliffe 164.9p
- Jet Bawtry Road Service Station Ltd Rotherham 166.9p
- Asda Rotherham Superstore Rotherham 168.7p
How Rotherham compares
| Rotherham | 465 | 3.6% | 132 |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Yorkshire | 432 | 3.8% | 99 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 437 | 5.0% | 111 |
| England | 437 | 5.8% | 173 |
| United Kingdom | 441 | 5.4% | 175 |
Private cars per 1,000 people use the ONS mid-2024 population. Chargers are counted at the latest date; plug-in cars at the end of March 2026.
Councils in South Yorkshire
Sorted by battery electric share of cars. Select a column heading to sort by it.
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed vehicles | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of March 2026 | 160,502 licensed vehicles in Rotherham | 15 September 2026 |
| Plug-in and electric vehicles | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of March 2026 | 7,344 plug-in vehicles | 15 September 2026 |
| Public chargers | Electric vehicle public charging infrastructure statistics Department for Transport | 1 July 2026 | 121,171 public chargers (UK) | 15 September 2026 |
| Population | Mid-year population estimates Office for National Statistics | Mid-2024 | 404 areas | 15 September 2026 |
| Neighbourhoods | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of March 2026 | 35,672 small areas (LSOAs) in England and Wales | 15 September 2026 |
- Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in Rotherham run from the end of 2009.
- Vehicles are counted at the registered keeper’s postcode: for company cars that is the company’s address, not where the car is driven.
- Battery electric and plug-in counts come from table VEH0142; petrol, diesel and hybrid counts from VEH0105. “Other fuels” is VEH0105’s other-fuel count less plug-in cars.
- Charger counts are based on Zapmap data and are official statistics in development. In June 2026 one operator removed about 1,270 private chargers wrongly listed as public, so April and July are not strictly comparable.
- Neighbourhood figures cover England and Wales only; Scottish data zones and Northern Irish super data zones cannot be placed in councils without lookups we do not hold.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.