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Swindon motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
148,111 licensed vehicles in Swindon
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 121,298 −54.0% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 471 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 4,623 3.8% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.0% 174th lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 336 138 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 5.3% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Swindon?

There were 121,298 licensed cars in Swindon at the end of June 2026, and 148,111 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 19.7% fewer cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 471 for every 1,000 residents, 145th lowest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Swindon

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Swindon at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 191,551151,058
2011 202,526158,274
2012 202,809157,098
2013 205,314158,491
2014 216,684169,801
2015 232,303185,221
2016 252,717202,835
2017 286,682229,815
2018 289,884229,284
2019 295,186231,592
2020 303,780239,597
2021 305,103238,706
2022 311,403245,136
2023 318,186252,222
2024 329,249264,780
2025 325,507263,418
2026 148,111121,298

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, Swindon compared
Year SwindonSouth WestUnited Kingdom
2011 755524–
2012 738527–
2013 734533–
2014 775541–
2015 835546473
2016 904550480
2017 1,009565488
2018 996569490
2019 999580493
2020 1,030573489
2021 1,021575493
2022 1,039571489
2023 1,050570489
2024 1,086571490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Swindon

55.2% of cars in Swindon run on petrol and 30.3% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 61.9% in 2017. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 8.3%, and cars that plug in 5.8%.

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 Swindon, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 53.8%45.4%0.7%0.0%0.0%
2011 50.9%48.1%0.8%0.0%0.0%
2012 49.8%49.2%0.9%0.0%0.0%
2013 47.8%51.0%0.8%0.2%0.0%
2014 43.9%54.7%0.8%0.3%0.0%
2015 39.6%58.3%1.1%0.2%0.4%
2016 37.4%60.2%1.2%0.1%0.7%
2017 35.5%61.9%1.1%0.1%1.1%
2018 38.9%57.8%1.3%0.1%1.7%
2019 44.9%51.2%1.6%0.2%1.9%
2020 48.2%45.3%2.8%1.3%2.3%
2021 48.1%38.1%4.5%5.2%3.6%
2022 46.5%32.7%6.4%9.2%4.5%
2023 44.4%27.0%8.2%14.1%5.6%
2024 43.2%21.6%9.9%17.1%7.6%
2025 41.7%18.2%12.1%19.2%8.4%
2026 55.2%30.3%8.3%3.8%2.0%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Swindon

4,623 battery electric cars were licensed in Swindon at the end of June 2026, 3.8% of all cars, 177th lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 7,033 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 50,520, 45,897 more. DfT notes that big changes like this often happen when a leasing or rental company changes its registered address.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.0% are battery electric (3,423 cars), 10th highest of 27 councils in the South West. Companies keep 26.0% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 5.3% of its cars overall. There are also 182 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, Swindon compared, end of March each year
Year SwindonSouth 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 1.3%0.4%0.4%
2021 5.2%1.2%0.8%
2022 9.2%2.3%1.5%
2023 14.1%3.5%2.3%
2024 17.1%4.4%3.2%
2025 19.2%5.4%4.4%
2026 3.8%5.2%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Swindon

There were 336 public chargers in Swindon on 1 July 2026, 138 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 138 for every 100,000 residents, 177th lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 13.5% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 16.4 privately kept plug-in cars in Swindon (UK 12.9), 170th fewest 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 Swindon by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 296115
Apr 2026 295110
Jul 2026 336138

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Swindon compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Swindon 13857
South West 15750
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Swindon has 27 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.2% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 5.7%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Swindon with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Swindon 008 9,784 556 5.7% 8.5%
Swindon 028 6,477 295 4.6% 6.7%
Swindon 025 9,698 399 4.1% 6.5%
Swindon 026 5,996 228 3.8% 5.6%
Swindon 024 5,469 194 3.5% 5.4%
Swindon 011 3,606 105 2.9% 4.5%
Swindon 021 4,556 121 2.7% 4.7%
Swindon 027 4,676 124 2.7% 4.0%
Swindon 001 5,668 141 2.5% 4.0%
Swindon 014 3,928 98 2.5% 4.0%
Lowest electric shares
Swindon 015 3,042 0 0.0% 1.9%
Swindon 010 3,566 18 0.5% 1.7%
Swindon 020 3,801 26 0.7% 1.9%
Swindon 016 2,883 20 0.7% 2.1%
Swindon 003 2,682 22 0.8% 1.9%

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 Swindon

Vehicles travelled an estimated 1,270 million miles on roads in Swindon in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Swindon
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 853
1994 875
1995 895
1996 921
1997 940
1998 978
1999 1,001
2000 1,020
2001 1,020
2002 1,065
2003 1,084
2004 1,103
2005 1,156
2006 1,174
2007 1,194
2008 1,213
2009 1,208
2010 1,215
2011 1,221
2012 1,213
2013 1,215
2014 1,296
2015 1,313
2016 1,326
2017 1,350
2018 1,344
2019 1,360
2020 1,025
2021 1,123
2022 1,183
2023 1,223
2024 1,248
2025 1,270

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Swindon, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 40973
2022 42568
2023 40575
2024 38263
2025 40174

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Swindon

Unleaded petrol averages 170.6p a litre across 15 filling stations in Swindon, 0.9p below the UK average. Diesel averages 200.4p, 1.7p above the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Esso MFG Fleming Way Swindon 167.9p
  2. Shell MFG Marlborough Road Swindon 167.9p
  3. Asda Swindon Haydon Supercentre Swindon 169.7p

Every filling station and price in Swindon

How Swindon compares

Swindon compared with the South West, England, the UK
Swindon 471 3.8% 3.0% 5.3% 138 16.4
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 Swindon

There is 1 DVSA car practical test centre in Swindon, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 51.1% at Swindon.

Other centres in the South West:

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 the South West

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

Councils in the South West
South Gloucestershire 523 18.8% 3.4% 37.0% 162 17.1
Wiltshire 556 8.9% 3.2% 24.3% 117 23.3
Exeter 357 5.2% 2.8% 33.8% 259 5.6
Stroud 589 4.6% 4.1% 3.3% 199 17.4
Tewkesbury 567 4.5% 3.9% 3.7% 157 21.2
North Somerset 549 4.3% 3.6% 4.4% 107 28.3
Bath and North East Somerset 450 4.2% 3.7% 3.5% 90 28.8
Cotswold 606 4.2% 3.7% 3.7% 310 12.0
Cheltenham 466 3.9% 3.4% 3.5% 272 9.0
South Hams 572 3.9% 3.3% 3.7% 145 19.0
Swindon 471 3.8% 3.0% 5.3% 138 16.4
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 475 3.4% 2.8% 4.0% 112 18.3
Dorset 576 3.4% 2.9% 3.8% 196 12.8
East Devon 546 3.4% 3.0% 3.5% 200 12.7
Forest of Dean 581 3.4% 3.0% 3.6% 194 13.1
Gloucester 465 3.3% 2.6% 4.6% 149 12.7
Teignbridge 551 3.3% 2.8% 3.8% 147 15.6
Isles of Scilly 238 3.2% 1.2% 5.1% 676 0.6
Mid Devon 562 3.1% 2.7% 3.9% 91 24.9
Somerset 560 3.1% 2.7% 3.7% 137 16.8
West Devon 564 3.1% 2.7% 3.5% 178 13.0
Bristol 362 3.0% 2.3% 4.7% 99 13.7
Cornwall 528 3.0% 2.5% 4.4% 235 8.1
North Devon 518 2.7% 2.2% 4.2% 208 9.1
Torbay 469 2.6% 2.0% 4.7% 97 15.4
Torridge 555 2.6% 2.2% 4.5% 107 17.7
Plymouth 426 2.2% 1.7% 4.6% 162 7.3

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 148,111 licensed vehicles in Swindon 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 7,279 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 Swindon 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.