Yorkshire and the Humber · County
South Yorkshire motoring statistics
How many cars and electric cars are registered in South Yorkshire, which fuels they use, how many public chargers there are and how South Yorkshire compares with the Yorkshire and the Humber. From DVLA licensing records, DfT charger statistics and ONS population estimates.
- Licensed cars 659,310 +1.5% on a year earlier
- Private cars per 1,000 people 432 UK 441
- Battery electric cars 24,771 3.8% of cars (UK 5.4%)
- Electric share of private cars 2.8% UK 2.8%
- Public chargers 1,414 99 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
- Company-registered cars 6.3% UK 9.9%
How many cars are there in South Yorkshire?
There were 659,310 licensed cars in South Yorkshire at the end of March 2026, and 784,230 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 22.3% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 432 for every 1,000 residents (UK 441).
Licensed vehicles in South Yorkshire
Counts at the end of March each year, 2010 to 2026.
| Year | All vehicles | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 639,188 | 539,163 |
| 2011 | 644,520 | 543,268 |
| 2012 | 646,741 | 544,841 |
| 2013 | 645,939 | 544,993 |
| 2014 | 661,512 | 557,476 |
| 2015 | 672,617 | 566,767 |
| 2016 | 683,779 | 579,385 |
| 2017 | 697,051 | 589,618 |
| 2018 | 705,250 | 596,606 |
| 2019 | 719,671 | 608,172 |
| 2020 | 727,917 | 617,847 |
| 2021 | 730,260 | 615,508 |
| 2022 | 740,404 | 621,363 |
| 2023 | 746,883 | 627,643 |
| 2024 | 759,767 | 639,447 |
| 2025 | 772,179 | 649,741 |
| 2026 | 784,230 | 659,310 |
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.
| Year | South Yorkshire | Yorkshire and the Humber | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 405 | 427 | – |
| 2012 | 407 | 427 | – |
| 2013 | 407 | 429 | – |
| 2014 | 415 | 429 | – |
| 2015 | 419 | 433 | 473 |
| 2016 | 425 | 442 | 480 |
| 2017 | 433 | 450 | 488 |
| 2018 | 437 | 456 | 490 |
| 2019 | 445 | 464 | 493 |
| 2020 | 445 | 463 | 489 |
| 2021 | 452 | 470 | 493 |
| 2022 | 448 | 469 | 489 |
| 2023 | 447 | 469 | 489 |
| 2024 | 450 | 472 | 490 |
Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated
Petrol, diesel and electric cars in South Yorkshire
49.7% of cars in South Yorkshire run on petrol and 36.1% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 43.5% in 2021. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 8.0%, and cars that plug in 5.8%.
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.
| Year | Petrol | Diesel | Hybrid | Battery electric | Plug-in hybrid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 70.2% | 29.5% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2011 | 68.0% | 31.7% | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2012 | 65.6% | 34.0% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2013 | 63.8% | 35.7% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2014 | 61.6% | 37.8% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2015 | 59.7% | 39.6% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2016 | 57.8% | 41.3% | 0.6% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2017 | 56.5% | 42.4% | 0.7% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2018 | 55.4% | 43.2% | 0.9% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| 2019 | 54.8% | 43.5% | 1.1% | 0.1% | 0.5% |
| 2020 | 54.3% | 43.5% | 1.3% | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| 2021 | 53.4% | 43.5% | 1.8% | 0.4% | 0.5% |
| 2022 | 52.6% | 42.9% | 2.5% | 0.8% | 0.7% |
| 2023 | 52.1% | 42.0% | 3.3% | 1.1% | 0.9% |
| 2024 | 51.6% | 40.3% | 4.6% | 1.8% | 1.2% |
| 2025 | 50.7% | 38.3% | 6.3% | 2.7% | 1.6% |
| 2026 | 49.7% | 36.1% | 8.0% | 3.8% | 2.1% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated
Electric cars in South Yorkshire
24,771 battery electric cars were licensed in South Yorkshire at the end of March 2026, 3.8% of all cars. With plug-in hybrids, 38,370 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 17,448.
Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.8% are battery electric (17,341 cars). Companies keep 30.0% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 6.3% of its cars overall. There are also 739 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.
| Year | South Yorkshire | Yorkshire and the Humber | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2019 | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| 2021 | 0.4% | 0.6% | 0.7% |
| 2022 | 0.8% | 1.3% | 1.3% |
| 2023 | 1.1% | 2.0% | 2.1% |
| 2024 | 1.8% | 2.8% | 3.0% |
| 2025 | 2.7% | 3.9% | 4.1% |
| 2026 | 3.8% | 5.0% | 5.4% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated
Public EV chargers in South Yorkshire
There were 1,414 public chargers in South Yorkshire on 1 July 2026, 527 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 99 for every 100,000 residents, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 7.0% from 1 January 2026.
For every public charger there are 20.3 privately kept plug-in cars in South Yorkshire (UK 11.9). A higher number means more competition for each public charger, though many drivers charge at home.
Public chargers
| Date | All public chargers | 50kW and above |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2026 | 1,321 | 443 |
| Apr 2026 | 1,343 | 482 |
| Jul 2026 | 1,414 | 527 |
Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated
Chargers per 100,000 residents
| Area | All chargers | 50kW and above |
|---|---|---|
| South Yorkshire | 99 | 37 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 111 | 37 |
| England | 173 | 41 |
| UK | 175 | 42 |
Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated
Petrol and diesel prices in South Yorkshire
Unleaded petrol averages 171.0p a litre across 146 filling stations in South Yorkshire, 0.7p below the UK average. Diesel averages 194.2p, 0.4p below the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.
Cheapest petrol
- Asda Sheffield Supercentre Sheffield 157.9p
- Costco Wholesale Sheffield South Yorkshire 158.9p
- Sainsbury's the Moor (Meadowhall North) Sheffield 161.9p
How South Yorkshire compares
| South Yorkshire | 432 | 3.8% | 99 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 437 | 5.0% | 111 |
| England | 437 | 5.8% | 173 |
| United Kingdom | 441 | 5.4% | 175 |
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 South Yorkshire
Sorted by battery electric share of cars. Select a column heading to sort by it.
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed vehicles | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of March 2026 | 784,230 licensed vehicles in South Yorkshire | 15 September 2026 |
| Plug-in and electric vehicles | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of March 2026 | 39,689 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 South Yorkshire 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.
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.