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South East motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
7,092,712 licensed vehicles in South East
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 5,837,359 +5.4% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 496 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 507,587 8.7% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.2% UK 2.8%
  • Public chargers 15,373 159 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 18.1% UK 9.9%

Company fleets. The number of cars registered in the South East changed by +5.4% in a year. DVLA counts company cars at the company’s registered address, so leasing and rental fleets land where those firms are based and move when they move. The figures for privately kept cars are the better guide to local drivers.

How many cars are there in the South East?

There were 5,837,359 licensed cars in the South East at the end of March 2026, and 7,092,712 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 27.9% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 496 for every 1,000 residents (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in the South East

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in the South East at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 5,417,8884,565,007
2011 5,491,2374,624,597
2012 5,509,5304,632,108
2013 5,600,0864,711,806
2014 5,718,9294,809,230
2015 5,828,7134,893,349
2016 6,018,5575,024,472
2017 6,157,9795,134,966
2018 6,218,8165,177,504
2019 6,312,5505,236,122
2020 6,334,5055,250,800
2021 6,305,3205,182,314
2022 6,428,6205,258,279
2023 6,541,5245,356,722
2024 6,669,8985,462,372
2025 6,741,1775,536,086
2026 7,092,7125,837,359

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, the South East compared
Year South EastEnglandUnited Kingdom
2011 534457–
2012 535455–
2013 541458–
2014 547463–
2015 551466473
2016 559471480
2017 567478488
2018 570480490
2019 572483493
2020 561477489
2021 564482493
2022 565478489
2023 567477489
2024 570478490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in the South East

54.6% of cars in the South East run on petrol and 22.9% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 37.8% in 2017. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 9.6%, and cars that plug in 12.5%.

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 the South East, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 72.6%26.9%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2011 70.6%28.8%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2012 68.9%30.4%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2013 66.7%32.5%0.6%0.0%0.0%
2014 64.8%34.3%0.7%0.0%0.0%
2015 63.1%35.9%0.8%0.0%0.1%
2016 61.6%37.1%0.9%0.1%0.1%
2017 60.7%37.8%1.0%0.1%0.2%
2018 60.6%37.5%1.2%0.2%0.4%
2019 61.2%36.4%1.5%0.2%0.5%
2020 61.7%35.3%1.8%0.5%0.6%
2021 61.6%34.0%2.3%1.0%0.9%
2022 60.9%32.4%3.2%1.9%1.4%
2023 60.4%30.3%4.3%3.0%1.7%
2024 59.6%27.9%5.8%4.2%2.2%
2025 57.9%25.7%7.6%5.7%2.7%
2026 54.6%22.9%9.6%8.7%3.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in the South East

507,587 battery electric cars were licensed in the South East at the end of March 2026, 8.7% of all cars. With plug-in hybrids, 729,841 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 316,325.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.2% are battery electric (152,785 cars). Companies keep 69.9% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 18.1% of its cars overall. There are also 30,013 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, the South East compared, end of March each year
Year South EastEnglandUnited 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 0.5%0.4%0.3%
2021 1.0%0.7%0.7%
2022 1.9%1.4%1.3%
2023 3.0%2.3%2.1%
2024 4.2%3.2%3.0%
2025 5.7%4.4%4.1%
2026 8.7%5.8%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in the South East

There were 15,373 public chargers in the South East on 1 July 2026, 3,830 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 159 for every 100,000 residents, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 12.0% from 1 January 2025.

For every public charger there are 16.9 privately kept plug-in cars in the South East (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 the South East by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2025 13,7263,375
Apr 2025 13,8383,506
Jul 2025 14,4713,536
Oct 2025 14,8693,597
Jan 2026 14,4063,506
Apr 2026 14,7503,597
Jul 2026 15,3733,830

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, the South East compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
South East 15940
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Petrol and diesel prices in South East

Unleaded petrol averages 173.4p a litre across 1,031 filling stations in South East, 1.7p above the UK average. Diesel averages 196.1p, 1.5p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Tesco Broadstairs Extra Broadstairs 161.9p
  2. Pace Oak Motors Kent Ltd Faversham 161.9p
  3. Pegwellbay Service Station Ramsgate 161.9p

Every filling station and price in South East

How the South East compares

South East compared with England, the UK
South East 496 8.7% 3.2% 18.1% 159 16.9
England 437 5.8% 2.9% 10.6% 173 12.4
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 the South East

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

Councils in the South East
Windsor and Maidenhead 518 38.0% 3.8% 83.1% 150 23.3
Milton Keynes 455 26.5% 4.4% 61.6% 323 9.0
Slough 382 25.1% 2.6% 51.0% 100 20.4
Portsmouth 361 8.2% 1.6% 36.4% 203 4.8
Elmbridge 528 5.7% 4.5% 4.2% 181 30.9
Cherwell 512 5.2% 3.5% 14.2% 204 13.8
Wokingham 540 5.2% 4.6% 3.1% 159 19.0
Winchester 523 5.0% 4.3% 4.8% 213 17.3
Hart 595 4.9% 3.9% 4.2% 210 23.2
Vale of White Horse 539 4.9% 4.4% 3.1% 194 17.8
Guildford 499 4.8% 4.1% 4.7% 182 19.6
Waverley 565 4.7% 4.2% 2.9% 155 31.6
Epsom and Ewell 461 4.6% 3.7% 4.0% 131 27.0
South Oxfordshire 559 4.6% 3.9% 3.3% 121 28.5
Buckinghamshire 543 4.5% 3.8% 4.1% 141 24.7
Mole Valley 591 4.5% 3.6% 15.6% 286 12.5
Reigate and Banstead 498 4.4% 3.4% 9.3% 123 35.9
Runnymede 496 4.4% 3.4% 6.0% 246 13.8
Surrey Heath 572 4.4% 3.8% 3.4% 207 20.9
Sevenoaks 551 4.3% 3.6% 5.0% 95 37.2
Dartford 441 4.2% 3.4% 5.6% 194 14.5
Eastleigh 539 4.2% 3.3% 4.5% 117 23.6
West Berkshire 557 4.2% 3.6% 4.2% 283 12.0
Basingstoke and Deane 524 4.1% 3.6% 3.2% 141 20.9
East Hampshire 594 4.1% 3.6% 3.3% 84 42.9
Mid Sussex 531 4.1% 3.5% 5.0% 176 17.8
Rushmoor 480 4.1% 2.3% 63.7% 156 11.4
Test Valley 561 4.1% 3.5% 3.9% 118 26.7
Tonbridge and Malling 530 4.1% 3.3% 5.9% 128 18.3
Horsham 580 4.0% 3.4% 3.4% 195 16.4
Tandridge 552 4.0% 3.3% 3.8% 138 30.0
Bracknell Forest 528 3.9% 3.3% 18.1% 159 20.5
Fareham 564 3.9% 3.4% 3.0% 62 47.8
Oxford 280 3.9% 3.0% 5.6% 167 8.2
West Oxfordshire 549 3.9% 3.4% 4.3% 195 15.6
Woking 514 3.9% 3.4% 3.2% 274 12.1
Tunbridge Wells 515 3.8% 3.2% 3.8% 113 25.5
Brighton and Hove 308 3.7% 2.9% 5.3% 283 5.9
Wealden 594 3.6% 3.0% 3.4% 115 26.5
Ashford 511 3.5% 2.8% 4.7% 145 15.9
Canterbury 454 3.5% 2.8% 4.7% 162 14.5
Chichester 557 3.5% 2.9% 4.0% 173 14.7
Lewes 489 3.5% 2.9% 3.8% 140 15.1
Maidstone 515 3.4% 2.8% 4.4% 83 29.6
New Forest 603 3.3% 2.8% 3.3% 177 17.2
Reading 360 3.3% 2.6% 5.1% 189 8.3
Havant 507 3.2% 2.4% 4.8% 72 29.7
Spelthorne 493 3.2% 2.6% 3.6% 160 18.5
Worthing 465 3.1% 2.5% 3.5% 255 7.1
Arun 529 3.0% 2.5% 3.3% 166 12.8
Crawley 433 3.0% 2.3% 4.9% 223 6.9
Gravesham 461 3.0% 2.4% 5.5% 78 24.7
Medway 458 3.0% 2.3% 4.7% 79 25.7
Adur 473 2.9% 2.4% 4.0% 168 10.0
Rother 546 2.9% 2.5% 3.9% 67 36.7
Dover 497 2.8% 2.3% 4.2% 137 13.6
Swale 493 2.8% 2.4% 5.4% 107 18.1
Folkestone and Hythe 494 2.7% 2.3% 4.3% 211 9.2
Eastbourne 427 2.6% 1.9% 6.7% 116 12.4
Isle of Wight 498 2.6% 2.1% 4.2% 135 11.2
Thanet 457 2.6% 2.0% 5.1% 98 18.8
Southampton 370 2.5% 1.8% 4.6% 70 16.3
Gosport 473 2.4% 2.0% 3.3% 100 14.9
Hastings 415 2.4% 1.8% 4.8% 52 19.1

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 7,092,712 licensed vehicles in South East 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 767,791 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 the South East 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.