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St Albans motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
90,067 licensed vehicles in St Albans
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 78,456 +0.4% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 500 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 4,230 5.4% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 4.6% 9th highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 167 111 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 3.7% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in St Albans?

There were 78,456 licensed cars in St Albans at the end of March 2026, and 90,067 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 7.5% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 500 for every 1,000 residents, 155th highest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in St Albans

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in St Albans at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 82,46372,997
2011 83,52673,914
2012 84,22974,387
2013 84,77374,813
2014 86,03075,877
2015 87,55576,814
2016 88,42277,538
2017 89,28878,032
2018 89,18678,026
2019 89,79978,498
2020 89,70778,731
2021 88,34477,286
2022 88,66577,643
2023 88,79977,599
2024 89,33378,057
2025 89,50078,136
2026 90,06778,456

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, St Albans compared
Year St AlbansEast of EnglandUnited Kingdom
2011 525503–
2012 524502–
2013 523505–
2014 523524–
2015 526529473
2016 525537480
2017 530544488
2018 530542490
2019 532541493
2020 522536489
2021 524539493
2022 523532489
2023 521529489
2024 518531490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in St Albans

61.5% of cars in St Albans run on petrol and 19.4% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 32.5% in 2017. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 10.0%, and cars that plug in 8.5%.

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 St Albans, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 77.8%21.6%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2011 75.7%23.5%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2012 73.9%25.3%0.6%0.0%0.0%
2013 71.9%27.2%0.7%0.0%0.0%
2014 69.9%29.0%0.9%0.0%0.0%
2015 68.0%30.7%1.0%0.1%0.0%
2016 66.6%31.8%1.2%0.1%0.1%
2017 65.6%32.5%1.4%0.2%0.2%
2018 65.4%32.3%1.6%0.3%0.3%
2019 65.7%31.5%1.9%0.3%0.4%
2020 66.0%30.6%2.2%0.5%0.6%
2021 66.0%29.4%2.7%0.9%0.8%
2022 65.8%27.7%3.6%1.5%1.2%
2023 65.3%25.9%4.7%2.3%1.5%
2024 64.6%23.6%6.2%3.2%2.0%
2025 63.4%21.5%8.1%4.1%2.5%
2026 61.5%19.4%10.0%5.4%3.1%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in St Albans

4,230 battery electric cars were licensed in St Albans at the end of March 2026, 5.4% of all cars, 27th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 6,686 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 3,208.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 4.6% are battery electric (3,504 cars), 2nd highest of 45 councils in the East of England. Companies keep 17.2% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 3.7% of its cars overall. There are also 89 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, St Albans compared, end of March each year
Year St AlbansEast of EnglandUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.2%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.3%0.2%0.1%
2019 0.3%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.5%0.3%0.3%
2021 0.9%0.6%0.7%
2022 1.5%1.1%1.3%
2023 2.3%1.7%2.1%
2024 3.2%2.6%3.0%
2025 4.1%3.8%4.1%
2026 5.4%5.2%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in St Albans

There were 167 public chargers in St Albans on 1 July 2026, 69 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 111 for every 100,000 residents, 111th lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 22.8% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 41.3 privately kept plug-in cars in St Albans (UK 11.9), 8th 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 St Albans by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 13639
Apr 2026 13847
Jul 2026 16769

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, St Albans compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
St Albans 11146
Hertfordshire 20857
East of England 15049
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

St Albans has 20 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 4.2% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 6.0%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in St Albans with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
St Albans 010 3,692 223 6.0% 9.9%
St Albans 003 4,352 246 5.7% 9.7%
St Albans 005 4,268 227 5.3% 9.1%
St Albans 008 4,174 222 5.3% 7.8%
St Albans 001 4,360 227 5.2% 8.4%
St Albans 014 3,944 204 5.2% 8.5%
St Albans 004 4,476 220 4.9% 7.6%
St Albans 002 4,015 185 4.6% 7.0%
St Albans 006 4,300 194 4.5% 7.5%
St Albans 016 3,267 138 4.2% 6.5%
Lowest electric shares
St Albans 018 5,552 165 3.0% 4.7%
St Albans 019 4,115 136 3.3% 5.8%
St Albans 017 3,469 116 3.3% 5.4%
St Albans 011 3,435 117 3.4% 6.1%
St Albans 012 3,676 132 3.6% 6.2%

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

Road traffic and collisions in St Albans

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in St Albans, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 26857
2022 28653
2023 28458
2024 20039
2025 23047

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in St Albans

Unleaded petrol averages 174.3p a litre across 17 filling stations in St Albans, 2.6p above the UK average. Diesel averages 195.2p, 0.6p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Sainsbury's Marshalswick St Albans 170.9p
  2. Harvest Energy Classic St Albans 171.9p
  3. MFG Morrisons St Albans St Albans 171.9p

Every filling station and price in St Albans

How St Albans compares

St Albans compared with Hertfordshire, the East of England, England, the UK
St Albans 500 5.4% 4.6% 3.7% 111 41.3
Hertfordshire 485 4.3% 3.5% 4.5% 208 12.9
East of England 497 5.2% 2.9% 8.6% 150 15.7
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 Hertfordshire

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

Councils in Hertfordshire
Hertsmere 467 5.4% 4.1% 6.5% 229 15.8
St Albans 500 5.4% 4.6% 3.7% 111 41.3
Three Rivers 511 4.8% 3.9% 4.2% 161 16.7
North Hertfordshire 512 4.4% 3.6% 4.3% 117 27.6
East Hertfordshire 526 4.1% 3.4% 4.0% 135 22.2
Welwyn Hatfield 455 4.1% 3.3% 5.4% 350 6.5
Dacorum 505 3.9% 3.2% 4.0% 159 17.1
Watford 397 3.9% 2.9% 5.2% 563 3.2
Broxbourne 484 3.1% 2.5% 4.6% 153 14.8
Stevenage 449 2.8% 2.2% 4.3% 194 8.6

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 90,067 licensed vehicles in St Albans 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 6,865 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 St Albans 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.