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South Oxfordshire motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
109,574 licensed vehicles in South Oxfordshire
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 90,435 +0.7% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 559 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 4,122 4.6% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.9% 31st highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 189 121 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 3.3% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in South Oxfordshire?

There were 90,435 licensed cars in South Oxfordshire at the end of March 2026, and 109,574 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 19.4% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 559 for every 1,000 residents, 35th highest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in South Oxfordshire

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in South Oxfordshire at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 90,33275,720
2011 91,38376,611
2012 92,29177,405
2013 93,14078,054
2014 94,99879,504
2015 96,15580,422
2016 98,00581,916
2017 99,75583,121
2018 100,70783,654
2019 102,05984,909
2020 103,50986,070
2021 103,25685,897
2022 105,78987,156
2023 106,51987,671
2024 108,02988,867
2025 108,89389,772
2026 109,57490,435

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, South Oxfordshire compared
Year South OxfordshireSouth EastUnited Kingdom
2011 571534–
2012 572535–
2013 573541–
2014 578547–
2015 578551473
2016 583559480
2017 588567488
2018 589570490
2019 591572493
2020 579561489
2021 580564493
2022 576565489
2023 573567489
2024 573570490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in South Oxfordshire

58.5% of cars in South Oxfordshire run on petrol and 27.5% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 37.5% in 2017. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 6.5%, and cars that plug in 7.1%.

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 South Oxfordshire, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 72.6%26.9%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2011 70.3%29.0%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2012 68.6%30.8%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2013 66.6%32.6%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2014 64.9%34.3%0.6%0.0%0.0%
2015 63.2%35.8%0.7%0.0%0.0%
2016 62.0%36.9%0.7%0.1%0.1%
2017 61.2%37.5%0.9%0.1%0.1%
2018 60.9%37.4%1.0%0.2%0.3%
2019 61.1%36.8%1.2%0.3%0.4%
2020 61.1%36.4%1.4%0.5%0.5%
2021 61.0%35.7%1.6%0.8%0.7%
2022 60.7%34.5%2.1%1.4%1.0%
2023 60.3%33.3%2.9%2.0%1.2%
2024 59.8%31.8%3.8%2.7%1.6%
2025 59.3%29.8%5.0%3.5%2.0%
2026 58.5%27.5%6.5%4.6%2.5%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in South Oxfordshire

4,122 battery electric cars were licensed in South Oxfordshire at the end of March 2026, 4.6% of all cars, 56th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 6,419 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 3,156.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.9% are battery electric (3,444 cars), 8th highest of 64 councils in the South East. Companies keep 16.4% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 3.3% of its cars overall. There are also 148 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, South Oxfordshire compared, end of March each year
Year South OxfordshireSouth EastUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.2%0.2%0.1%
2019 0.3%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.5%0.5%0.3%
2021 0.8%1.0%0.7%
2022 1.4%1.9%1.3%
2023 2.0%3.0%2.1%
2024 2.7%4.2%3.0%
2025 3.5%5.7%4.1%
2026 4.6%8.7%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in South Oxfordshire

There were 189 public chargers in South Oxfordshire on 1 July 2026, 38 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 121 for every 100,000 residents, 137th lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 1.6% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 28.5 privately kept plug-in cars in South Oxfordshire (UK 11.9), 47th 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 South Oxfordshire by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 18641
Apr 2026 19541
Jul 2026 18938

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, South Oxfordshire compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
South Oxfordshire 12124
Oxfordshire 17542
South East 15940
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

South Oxfordshire has 20 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, 4.8%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in South Oxfordshire with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
South Oxfordshire 019 5,057 242 4.8% 9.1%
South Oxfordshire 018 6,183 257 4.2% 6.7%
South Oxfordshire 006 5,887 239 4.1% 6.1%
South Oxfordshire 015 8,130 330 4.1% 6.3%
South Oxfordshire 009 5,224 207 4.0% 5.8%
South Oxfordshire 002 4,003 149 3.7% 5.7%
South Oxfordshire 012 6,195 227 3.7% 5.2%
South Oxfordshire 010 5,025 179 3.6% 5.1%
South Oxfordshire 003 4,785 168 3.5% 5.2%
South Oxfordshire 008 4,571 155 3.4% 5.4%
Lowest electric shares
South Oxfordshire 014 3,619 81 2.2% 3.6%
South Oxfordshire 013 2,859 71 2.5% 3.6%
South Oxfordshire 001 3,281 96 2.9% 4.1%
South Oxfordshire 020 4,310 129 3.0% 5.5%
South Oxfordshire 007 6,172 193 3.1% 5.3%

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

Road traffic and collisions in South Oxfordshire

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in South Oxfordshire, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 15351
2022 16654
2023 15248
2024 14257
2025 14233

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in South Oxfordshire

Unleaded petrol averages 174.1p a litre across 19 filling stations in South Oxfordshire, 2.4p above the UK average. Diesel averages 196.5p, 1.9p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Murco Turnpike Service Station Abingdon 163.9p
  2. Tesco Didcot Superstore Didcot 167.9p
  3. Sainsbury's Didcot Didcot 167.9p

Every filling station and price in South Oxfordshire

How South Oxfordshire compares

South Oxfordshire compared with Oxfordshire, the South East, England, the UK
South Oxfordshire 559 4.6% 3.9% 3.3% 121 28.5
Oxfordshire 483 4.6% 3.7% 6.5% 175 16.0
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 Oxfordshire

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

Councils in Oxfordshire
Cherwell 512 5.2% 3.5% 14.2% 204 13.8
Vale of White Horse 539 4.9% 4.4% 3.1% 194 17.8
South Oxfordshire 559 4.6% 3.9% 3.3% 121 28.5
Oxford 280 3.9% 3.0% 5.6% 167 8.2
West Oxfordshire 549 3.9% 3.4% 4.3% 195 15.6

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 109,574 licensed vehicles in South Oxfordshire 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 6,621 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
Neighbourhoods Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 35,672 small areas (LSOAs) in England and Wales 15 September 2026
  • Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in South Oxfordshire 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.