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Somerset motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
449,248 licensed vehicles in Somerset
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 341,886 +1.0% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 560 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 10,576 3.1% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.7% 120th lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 804 137 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 3.7% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Somerset?

There were 341,886 licensed cars in Somerset at the end of June 2026, and 449,248 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 21.4% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 560 for every 1,000 residents, 41st highest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Somerset

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Somerset at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 357,141281,712
2011 360,476283,816
2012 364,569286,786
2013 369,396290,648
2014 377,362296,715
2015 382,163300,369
2016 390,745306,562
2017 400,996313,530
2018 405,765317,143
2019 412,840321,299
2020 408,749318,860
2021 422,612326,195
2022 428,057328,110
2023 433,290330,800
2024 439,296335,168
2025 444,776338,448
2026 449,248341,886

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, Somerset compared
Year SomersetSouth WestUnited Kingdom
2011 534524–
2012 535527–
2013 539533–
2014 545541–
2015 547546473
2016 553550480
2017 561565488
2018 564569490
2019 569580493
2020 563573489
2021 569575493
2022 568571489
2023 567570489
2024 570571490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Somerset

54.3% of cars in Somerset run on petrol and 34.5% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 40.9% in 2019. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 6.2%, and cars that plug in 4.7%.

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 Somerset, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 69.7%29.9%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 67.8%31.8%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 66.1%33.4%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2013 64.5%35.0%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 62.7%36.7%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2015 61.3%38.1%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2016 59.8%39.5%0.4%0.1%0.1%
2017 58.8%40.4%0.5%0.1%0.1%
2018 58.2%40.8%0.6%0.1%0.1%
2019 57.9%40.9%0.8%0.2%0.2%
2020 57.6%40.8%0.9%0.3%0.2%
2021 57.2%40.4%1.4%0.5%0.4%
2022 56.7%39.8%1.9%0.8%0.6%
2023 56.3%39.0%2.6%1.2%0.7%
2024 55.8%37.8%3.6%1.6%0.9%
2025 55.1%36.3%4.9%2.2%1.2%
2026 54.3%34.5%6.2%3.1%1.6%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Somerset

10,576 battery electric cars were licensed in Somerset at the end of June 2026, 3.1% of all cars, 82nd lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 15,905 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 7,496.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.7% are battery electric (8,740 cars), 11th lowest of 27 councils in the South West. Companies keep 17.4% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 3.7% of its cars overall. There are also 412 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, Somerset compared, end of March each year
Year SomersetSouth WestUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2019 0.2%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.3%0.4%0.4%
2021 0.5%1.2%0.8%
2022 0.8%2.3%1.5%
2023 1.2%3.5%2.3%
2024 1.6%4.4%3.2%
2025 2.2%5.4%4.4%
2026 3.1%5.2%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Somerset

There were 804 public chargers in Somerset on 1 July 2026, 258 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 137 for every 100,000 residents, 171st lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count fell 2.3% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 16.8 privately kept plug-in cars in Somerset (UK 12.9), 173rd fewest 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 Somerset by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 823238
Apr 2026 832250
Jul 2026 804258

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Somerset compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Somerset 13744
South West 15750
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Somerset has 71 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.3% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 3.7%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Somerset with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Sedgemoor 003 6,801 254 3.7% 5.6%
Mendip 001 7,138 252 3.5% 5.4%
Mendip 005 7,061 243 3.4% 4.8%
Mendip 006 6,081 186 3.1% 4.2%
Mendip 002 5,644 172 3.0% 4.5%
Sedgemoor 001 7,490 224 3.0% 4.3%
Somerset West and Taunton 016 5,674 171 3.0% 4.8%
Somerset West and Taunton 019 6,582 199 3.0% 4.8%
Mendip 007 6,692 197 2.9% 4.4%
Mendip 013 6,052 174 2.9% 4.5%
Lowest electric shares
Sedgemoor 008 4,023 21 0.5% 1.9%
Sedgemoor 009 5,123 37 0.7% 1.7%
Somerset West and Taunton 010 3,838 32 0.8% 1.8%
Somerset West and Taunton 014 4,318 45 1.0% 1.5%
Somerset West and Taunton 005 4,961 60 1.2% 2.0%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of June 2026. 1 neighbourhood is left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in Somerset

Vehicles travelled an estimated 4,697 million miles on roads in Somerset in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Somerset
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 2,958
1994 3,055
1995 3,125
1996 3,195
1997 3,243
1998 3,309
1999 3,374
2000 3,380
2001 3,501
2002 3,613
2003 3,666
2004 3,736
2005 3,793
2006 3,954
2007 4,015
2008 4,069
2009 4,013
2010 3,996
2011 3,980
2012 4,009
2013 4,035
2014 4,102
2015 4,212
2016 4,393
2017 4,610
2018 4,612
2019 4,705
2020 3,657
2021 4,128
2022 4,403
2023 4,511
2024 4,582
2025 4,697

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Somerset, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 735241
2022 739239
2023 791277
2024 864283
2025 856248

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Somerset

Unleaded petrol averages 173.4p a litre across 71 filling stations in Somerset, 1.9p above the UK average. Diesel averages 201.4p, 2.7p above the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Texaco Global Fuel - St John's Wellington 163.9p
  2. Esso MFG Courtfields Wellington 164.9p
  3. Asda Bridgwater Superstore Bridgwater 165.7p

Every filling station and price in Somerset

How Somerset compares

Somerset compared with the South West, England, the UK
Somerset 560 3.1% 2.7% 3.7% 137 16.8
South West 509 5.2% 2.9% 9.6% 157 14.4
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 Somerset

There are 2 DVSA car practical test centres in Somerset, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 63.4% at Yeovil.

Other centres in the South West:

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 the South West

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

Councils in the South West
South Gloucestershire 523 18.8% 3.4% 37.0% 162 17.1
Wiltshire 556 8.9% 3.2% 24.3% 117 23.3
Exeter 357 5.2% 2.8% 33.8% 259 5.6
Stroud 589 4.6% 4.1% 3.3% 199 17.4
Tewkesbury 567 4.5% 3.9% 3.7% 157 21.2
North Somerset 549 4.3% 3.6% 4.4% 107 28.3
Bath and North East Somerset 450 4.2% 3.7% 3.5% 90 28.8
Cotswold 606 4.2% 3.7% 3.7% 310 12.0
Cheltenham 466 3.9% 3.4% 3.5% 272 9.0
South Hams 572 3.9% 3.3% 3.7% 145 19.0
Swindon 471 3.8% 3.0% 5.3% 138 16.4
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 475 3.4% 2.8% 4.0% 112 18.3
Dorset 576 3.4% 2.9% 3.8% 196 12.8
East Devon 546 3.4% 3.0% 3.5% 200 12.7
Forest of Dean 581 3.4% 3.0% 3.6% 194 13.1
Gloucester 465 3.3% 2.6% 4.6% 149 12.7
Teignbridge 551 3.3% 2.8% 3.8% 147 15.6
Isles of Scilly 238 3.2% 1.2% 5.1% 676 0.6
Mid Devon 562 3.1% 2.7% 3.9% 91 24.9
Somerset 560 3.1% 2.7% 3.7% 137 16.8
West Devon 564 3.1% 2.7% 3.5% 178 13.0
Bristol 362 3.0% 2.3% 4.7% 99 13.7
Cornwall 528 3.0% 2.5% 4.4% 235 8.1
North Devon 518 2.7% 2.2% 4.2% 208 9.1
Torbay 469 2.6% 2.0% 4.7% 97 15.4
Torridge 555 2.6% 2.2% 4.5% 107 17.7
Plymouth 426 2.2% 1.7% 4.6% 162 7.3

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 449,248 licensed vehicles in Somerset 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 16,547 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 Somerset 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.
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.