West Midlands · District council

Rugby motoring statistics

How many cars and electric cars are registered in Rugby, which fuels they use, how many public chargers there are and how Rugby compares with the West Midlands. From DVLA licensing records, DfT charger statistics and ONS population estimates.

Last updated
Records analysed
79,028 licensed vehicles in Rugby
Methodology
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  • Licensed cars 65,245 +1.1% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 512 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 3,142 4.8% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 4.1% 43rd highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 195 159 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 4.0% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Rugby?

There were 65,245 licensed cars in Rugby at the end of June 2026, and 79,028 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 30.8% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 512 for every 1,000 residents, 136th highest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Rugby

Counts at the end of March each year, 2010 to 2026.

Licensed cars and vehicles in Rugby at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 60,20049,897
2011 61,37850,730
2012 62,32251,348
2013 63,09352,493
2014 63,49453,382
2015 64,59954,452
2016 66,14855,795
2017 67,80457,150
2018 68,94857,867
2019 70,63959,004
2020 70,82859,416
2021 73,07560,768
2022 74,01161,245
2023 75,35062,412
2024 76,94663,663
2025 78,05164,561
2026 79,02865,245

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Licensed vehicles by type

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 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.

Cars per 1,000 residents at mid-year, Rugby compared
Year RugbyWest MidlandsUnited Kingdom
2011 505506–
2012 506502–
2013 510503–
2014 510500–
2015 512506473
2016 519513480
2017 526523488
2018 529524490
2019 532519493
2020 527515489
2021 529485493
2022 525480489
2023 523479489
2024 520476490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Rugby

53.8% of cars in Rugby run on petrol and 31.0% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 39.1% in 2020. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 7.6%, and cars that plug in 7.2%.

Cars by fuel type

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Fuel mix over time

Share of licensed cars at the end of March each year.

Share of licensed cars by fuel type in Rugby, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 71.0%28.6%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 69.2%30.3%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 67.5%32.0%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2013 65.9%33.6%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 64.7%34.6%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 62.9%36.3%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2016 61.5%37.6%0.6%0.1%0.1%
2017 60.7%38.2%0.7%0.1%0.1%
2018 59.8%38.8%0.9%0.2%0.2%
2019 59.4%38.9%1.1%0.2%0.3%
2020 58.9%39.1%1.2%0.3%0.3%
2021 58.3%38.7%1.6%0.7%0.5%
2022 57.6%38.2%2.3%1.0%0.7%
2023 57.0%37.2%3.1%1.4%1.0%
2024 55.9%35.7%4.6%2.1%1.2%
2025 54.8%33.6%6.1%3.3%1.8%
2026 53.8%31.0%7.6%4.8%2.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Rugby

3,142 battery electric cars were licensed in Rugby at the end of June 2026, 4.8% of all cars, 64th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 4,689 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 2,136.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 4.1% are battery electric (2,540 cars), 4th highest of 30 councils in the West Midlands. Companies keep 19.2% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 4.0% of its cars overall. There are also 107 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.

Battery electric share of licensed cars, Rugby compared, end of March each year
Year RugbyWest MidlandsUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.2%0.1%0.1%
2019 0.2%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.3%0.5%0.4%
2021 0.7%0.7%0.8%
2022 1.0%1.0%1.5%
2023 1.4%1.4%2.3%
2024 2.1%1.8%3.2%
2025 3.3%2.7%4.4%
2026 4.8%3.7%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Rugby

There were 195 public chargers in Rugby on 1 July 2026, 98 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 159 for every 100,000 residents, 143rd highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 0.0% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 19.9 privately kept plug-in cars in Rugby (UK 12.9), 137th most of 361 councils. A higher number means more competition for each public charger, though many drivers charge at home.

Public chargers

Public EV chargers in Rugby by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 19598
Apr 2026 192101
Jul 2026 19598

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Rugby compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Rugby 15980
Warwickshire 15458
West Midlands 16446
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Rugby has 13 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 3.4% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 7.8%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Rugby with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Rugby 014 6,598 514 7.8% 10.9%
Rugby 009 3,928 195 5.0% 7.3%
Rugby 012 7,577 323 4.3% 6.6%
Rugby 007 8,523 360 4.2% 6.1%
Rugby 004 5,448 199 3.7% 5.4%
Rugby 013 5,947 222 3.7% 5.8%
Rugby 002 5,902 202 3.4% 5.1%
Rugby 008 4,067 125 3.1% 4.9%
Rugby 010 6,060 188 3.1% 4.8%
Rugby 011 6,709 188 2.8% 4.6%
Lowest electric shares
Rugby 005 3,184 36 1.1% 2.2%
Rugby 006 4,252 51 1.2% 2.2%
Rugby 003 3,445 51 1.5% 2.8%
Rugby 011 6,709 188 2.8% 4.6%
Rugby 010 6,060 188 3.1% 4.8%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of June 2026.

Road traffic and collisions in Rugby

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Rugby, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 16748
2022 17343
2023 18454
2024 22560
2025 20252

Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Rugby

Unleaded petrol averages 172.2p a litre across 13 filling stations in Rugby, 0.7p above the UK average. Diesel averages 203.7p, 5.0p above the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

How Rugby compares

Rugby compared with Warwickshire, the West Midlands, England, the UK
Rugby 512 4.8% 4.1% 4.0% 159 19.9
Warwickshire 526 4.5% 3.8% 4.8% 154 19.8
West Midlands 459 3.7% 2.9% 6.1% 164 12.9
England 440 6.2% 3.2% 10.7% 173 13.4
United Kingdom4445.8%3.1%10.0%17512.9

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 June 2026.

Driving test centres in Rugby

There is 1 DVSA car practical test centre in Rugby, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 51.4% at Rugby.

Other centres in Warwickshire:

DVSA publishes pass rates by centre name, with no address, so centres are placed here by the place name in the name DVSA uses. See pass rates at every test centre.

Councils in Warwickshire

Sorted by battery electric share of cars. Select a column heading to sort by it.

Councils in Warwickshire
Warwick 491 5.1% 4.4% 4.7% 201 16.4
Rugby 512 4.8% 4.1% 4.0% 159 19.9
Stratford-on-Avon 592 4.8% 4.1% 5.0% 200 19.0
North Warwickshire 548 3.8% 2.9% 5.9% 137 18.5
Nuneaton and Bedworth 484 3.4% 2.7% 4.6% 59 34.5

Data stories to read next

All insights

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
Licensed vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 79,028 licensed vehicles in Rugby 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 4,859 plug-in vehicles 26 October 2026
Public chargers Electric vehicle public charging infrastructure statistics Department for Transport 1 July 2026 121,171 public chargers (UK) 26 October 2026
Population Mid-year population estimates Office for National Statistics Mid-2024 404 areas 26 October 2026
Neighbourhoods Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 35,672 small areas (LSOAs) in England and Wales 26 October 2026
  • Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in Rugby 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.