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South Hams motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
74,116 licensed vehicles in South Hams
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 54,748 +1.1% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 572 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 2,125 3.9% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.3% 145th highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 134 145 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 3.7% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in the South Hams?

There were 54,748 licensed cars in the South Hams at the end of June 2026, and 74,116 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 14.1% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 572 for every 1,000 residents, 25th highest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in the South Hams

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in the South Hams at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 61,04147,998
2011 61,37448,178
2012 61,94948,400
2013 62,62648,728
2014 63,63849,387
2015 63,82949,370
2016 64,99349,989
2017 66,71550,834
2018 67,31851,270
2019 68,10451,709
2020 67,60751,287
2021 70,39952,864
2022 71,27453,233
2023 71,74353,328
2024 72,43853,705
2025 73,23654,161
2026 74,11654,748

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, the South Hams compared
Year South HamsSouth WestUnited Kingdom
2011 577524–
2012 580527–
2013 581533–
2014 586541–
2015 584546473
2016 591550480
2017 597565488
2018 597569490
2019 598580493
2020 587573489
2021 593575493
2022 593571489
2023 586570489
2024 583571490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in the South Hams

53.4% of cars in the South Hams run on petrol and 34.4% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 41.8% in 2019. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 6.4%, and cars that plug in 5.5%.

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 the South Hams, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 67.9%31.7%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 66.2%33.3%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 64.3%35.2%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 62.5%36.9%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2014 60.7%38.6%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 59.2%39.9%0.5%0.0%0.1%
2016 58.0%41.0%0.6%0.1%0.1%
2017 57.4%41.5%0.7%0.1%0.1%
2018 57.0%41.7%0.8%0.1%0.2%
2019 56.6%41.8%1.0%0.2%0.2%
2020 56.8%41.3%1.1%0.4%0.3%
2021 56.4%40.8%1.7%0.7%0.4%
2022 55.8%39.9%2.3%1.1%0.6%
2023 55.3%39.0%3.0%1.6%0.8%
2024 54.8%37.8%3.9%2.1%1.0%
2025 54.1%36.4%5.1%2.8%1.3%
2026 53.4%34.4%6.4%3.9%1.6%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in the South Hams

2,125 battery electric cars were licensed in the South Hams at the end of June 2026, 3.9% of all cars, 170th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 3,004 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 1,502.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.3% are battery electric (1,751 cars), 8th highest of 27 councils in the South West. Companies keep 17.6% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 3.7% of its cars overall. There are also 102 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 Hams compared, end of March each year
Year South HamsSouth 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 0.4%0.4%0.4%
2021 0.7%1.2%0.8%
2022 1.1%2.3%1.5%
2023 1.6%3.5%2.3%
2024 2.1%4.4%3.2%
2025 2.8%5.4%4.4%
2026 3.9%5.2%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in the South Hams

There were 134 public chargers in the South Hams on 1 July 2026, 26 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 145 for every 100,000 residents, 170th highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count fell 0.7% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 19.0 privately kept plug-in cars in the South Hams (UK 12.9), 148th 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 the South Hams by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 13524
Apr 2026 13926
Jul 2026 13426

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, the South Hams compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
South Hams 14528
Devon 17661
South West 15750
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

The South Hams has 12 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.6% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 3.4%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in the South Hams with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
South Hams 009 7,195 242 3.4% 5.3%
South Hams 004 6,607 218 3.3% 4.7%
South Hams 006 6,069 203 3.3% 4.5%
South Hams 002 7,600 235 3.1% 4.3%
South Hams 011 5,110 153 3.0% 4.7%
South Hams 003 4,949 130 2.6% 3.4%
South Hams 005 7,836 202 2.6% 3.5%
South Hams 012 4,086 104 2.5% 4.0%
South Hams 001 4,574 109 2.4% 3.6%
South Hams 008 6,537 148 2.3% 3.5%
Lowest electric shares
South Hams 010 4,100 86 2.1% 2.9%
South Hams 008 6,537 148 2.3% 3.5%
South Hams 001 4,574 109 2.4% 3.6%
South Hams 012 4,086 104 2.5% 4.0%
South Hams 005 7,836 202 2.6% 3.5%

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 the South Hams

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in the South Hams, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 13932
2022 13437
2023 14133
2024 14633
2025 15821

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in South Hams

Unleaded petrol averages 170.3p a litre across 9 filling stations in South Hams, 1.2p below the UK average. Diesel averages 198.7p, the same as the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. MFG Morrisons Totnes Totnes 165.9p
  2. Texaco Shinners Bridge Garage Totnes 166.9p
  3. Sainsbury's Dartmouth Automat Dartmouth 167.9p

Every filling station and price in South Hams

How the South Hams compares

South Hams compared with Devon, the South West, England, the UK
South Hams 572 3.9% 3.3% 3.7% 145 19.0
Devon 520 3.5% 2.8% 8.5% 176 12.4
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 the South Hams

There is no DVSA car practical test centre in the South Hams. The nearest centres are elsewhere in Devon.

Centres in Devon:

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 Devon

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

Councils in Devon
Exeter 357 5.2% 2.8% 33.8% 259 5.6
South Hams 572 3.9% 3.3% 3.7% 145 19.0
East Devon 546 3.4% 3.0% 3.5% 200 12.7
Teignbridge 551 3.3% 2.8% 3.8% 147 15.6
Mid Devon 562 3.1% 2.7% 3.9% 91 24.9
West Devon 564 3.1% 2.7% 3.5% 178 13.0
North Devon 518 2.7% 2.2% 4.2% 208 9.1
Torridge 555 2.6% 2.2% 4.5% 107 17.7

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 74,116 licensed vehicles in South Hams 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 3,187 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 the South Hams 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.