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Scotland motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
3,219,757 licensed vehicles in Scotland
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 2,625,075 +0.8% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 436 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 110,299 4.2% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.0% UK 2.8%
  • Public chargers 12,847 232 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 7.8% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Scotland?

There were 2,625,075 licensed cars in Scotland at the end of March 2026, and 3,219,757 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 16.7% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 436 for every 1,000 residents (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Scotland

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Scotland at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 2,683,0432,249,398
2011 2,691,1382,263,474
2012 2,704,0522,274,875
2013 2,726,9252,294,736
2014 2,782,4122,340,163
2015 2,829,4292,376,746
2016 2,884,7452,413,486
2017 2,938,4952,448,713
2018 2,964,4222,468,649
2019 3,007,8242,499,281
2020 3,046,7242,538,727
2021 3,044,3522,518,555
2022 3,077,2342,526,385
2023 3,104,2032,543,163
2024 3,151,2232,579,007
2025 3,188,1232,605,037
2026 3,219,7572,625,075

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.

Cars per 1,000 residents at mid-year, Scotland compared
Year ScotlandUnited Kingdom
2011 429–
2012 430–
2013 436–
2014 443–
2015 446473
2016 450480
2017 457488
2018 461490
2019 465493
2020 462489
2021 469493
2022 466489
2023 465489
2024 468490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Scotland

56.4% of cars in Scotland run on petrol and 27.5% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 41.7% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 9.1%, and cars that plug in 6.5%.

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.

Share of licensed cars by fuel type in Scotland, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 71.4%28.3%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 69.4%30.2%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 67.6%32.0%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2013 65.7%33.9%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 63.7%35.9%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2015 61.6%37.8%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2016 59.7%39.6%0.4%0.1%0.1%
2017 58.3%40.9%0.5%0.1%0.1%
2018 57.2%41.7%0.7%0.1%0.2%
2019 57.2%41.4%0.9%0.2%0.3%
2020 57.3%40.8%1.1%0.3%0.4%
2021 57.4%39.7%1.6%0.6%0.5%
2022 57.4%38.0%2.4%1.1%0.8%
2023 57.5%36.0%3.4%1.7%1.0%
2024 57.6%33.4%4.9%2.3%1.3%
2025 57.3%30.4%7.0%3.2%1.7%
2026 56.4%27.5%9.1%4.2%2.3%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Scotland

110,299 battery electric cars were licensed in Scotland at the end of March 2026, 4.2% of all cars. With plug-in hybrids, 170,946 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 82,108.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.0% are battery electric (71,600 cars). Companies keep 35.1% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 7.8% of its cars overall. There are also 5,263 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, Scotland compared, end of March each year
Year ScotlandUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%
2018 0.1%0.1%
2019 0.2%0.2%
2020 0.3%0.3%
2021 0.6%0.7%
2022 1.1%1.3%
2023 1.7%2.1%
2024 2.3%3.0%
2025 3.2%4.1%
2026 4.2%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Scotland

There were 12,847 public chargers in Scotland on 1 July 2026, 3,277 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 232 for every 100,000 residents, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 17.9% from 1 January 2025.

For every public charger there are 8.9 privately kept plug-in cars in Scotland (UK 11.9). A higher number means more competition for each public charger, though many drivers charge at home.

Public chargers

Public EV chargers in Scotland by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2025 10,8992,665
Apr 2025 11,6252,945
Jul 2025 12,0703,174
Oct 2025 12,2493,156
Jan 2026 12,0652,986
Apr 2026 12,6723,171
Jul 2026 12,8473,277

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Scotland compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Scotland 23259
UK 17542
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Petrol and diesel prices in Scotland

Unleaded petrol averages 172.8p a litre across 736 filling stations in Scotland, 1.1p above the UK average. Diesel averages 196.1p, 1.5p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Costco Wholesale Edinburgh Edinburgh 158.9p
  2. Tesco Annan Superstore Annan 159.9p
  3. Creetown Service Station Creetown 161.9p

Every filling station and price in Scotland

How Scotland compares

Scotland compared with the UK, the UK
Scotland 436 4.2% 3.0% 7.8% 232 8.9
United Kingdom4415.4%2.8%9.9%17511.9
United Kingdom4415.4%2.8%9.9%17511.9

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 March 2026.

Councils in Scotland

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

Councils in Scotland
Stirling 468 13.9% 4.1% 32.1% 511 5.6
Renfrewshire 436 11.9% 3.2% 34.9% 243 9.1
East Renfrewshire 473 5.1% 4.5% 4.2% 82 40.4
East Dunbartonshire 481 4.7% 4.1% 4.0% 103 32.8
East Lothian 472 4.5% 4.0% 4.4% 600 5.0
Orkney Islands 490 4.4% 3.8% 5.0% 386 6.9
West Lothian 479 4.4% 3.8% 5.7% 137 22.2
Edinburgh 325 4.2% 3.3% 5.3% 192 8.6
South Lanarkshire 463 4.2% 3.5% 6.2% 182 14.0
Midlothian 461 4.1% 3.7% 5.1% 223 11.6
Perth and Kinross 506 4.0% 3.5% 5.1% 363 7.6
Dundee 371 3.9% 3.0% 6.7% 472 3.3
North Lanarkshire 434 3.6% 3.0% 7.2% 168 12.1
South Ayrshire 482 3.6% 3.0% 5.3% 205 10.5
Aberdeenshire 528 3.5% 3.0% 4.3% 162 17.8
Falkirk 493 3.5% 2.9% 5.4% 163 13.9
Fife 478 3.5% 3.0% 4.9% 132 17.2
Glasgow 307 3.4% 2.2% 9.7% 180 6.2
East Ayrshire 467 3.3% 2.8% 6.0% 229 9.1
North Ayrshire 457 3.2% 2.7% 5.9% 199 9.2
Aberdeen 396 3.1% 2.5% 4.5% 192 9.6
Clackmannanshire 492 3.1% 2.7% 4.9% 205 9.5
Angus 504 3.0% 2.6% 4.7% 221 9.7
Scottish Borders 506 3.0% 2.6% 4.8% 224 9.6
West Dunbartonshire 420 2.8% 2.3% 6.5% 204 7.7
Inverclyde 425 2.7% 2.3% 5.6% 237 6.8
Moray 501 2.6% 2.1% 4.5% 153 11.7
Argyll and Bute 471 2.5% 2.2% 4.7% 396 4.9
Highland 496 2.5% 2.0% 5.0% 387 4.4
Dumfries and Galloway 510 2.2% 1.8% 5.8% 549 2.9
Shetland Islands 471 1.9% 1.4% 9.1% 323 3.9
Na h-Eileanan Siar 500 1.5% 1.2% 4.1% 515 2.4

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
Licensed vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 3,219,757 licensed vehicles in Scotland 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 179,528 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
  • Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in Scotland 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.
How we calculate these figures All data sources

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.