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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
147,702 licensed vehicles in Swindon
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 120,785 −55.1% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 468 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 4,261 3.5% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.7% 177th lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 336 138 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 5.6% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Swindon?

There were 120,785 licensed cars in Swindon at the end of March 2026, and 147,702 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 19.0% fewer cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 468 for every 1,000 residents, 145th lowest of 361 councils (UK 441).

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 189,064149,157
2011 199,948157,024
2012 202,670157,571
2013 202,669156,955
2014 212,143165,612
2015 226,994180,276
2016 251,077201,695
2017 287,693231,356
2018 287,658228,541
2019 296,068232,982
2020 304,946240,841
2021 302,284236,864
2022 310,445244,285
2023 317,637251,637
2024 325,416261,632
2025 331,935268,789
2026 147,702120,785

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, 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

55.4% of cars in Swindon run on petrol and 30.9% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 62.7% in 2017. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 8.0%, and cars that plug in 5.4%.

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 Swindon, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 54.4%44.9%0.6%0.0%0.0%
2011 51.5%47.5%0.8%0.0%0.0%
2012 49.8%49.2%0.9%0.0%0.0%
2013 48.4%50.4%0.8%0.2%0.0%
2014 44.8%53.7%0.9%0.3%0.0%
2015 40.6%57.4%1.1%0.3%0.3%
2016 37.7%60.1%1.2%0.2%0.6%
2017 34.8%62.7%1.1%0.1%1.0%
2018 37.7%59.3%1.2%0.1%1.5%
2019 43.1%53.1%1.5%0.2%1.9%
2020 48.3%45.8%2.7%0.9%2.2%
2021 48.3%39.9%4.0%4.1%3.2%
2022 46.8%33.9%5.9%8.3%4.3%
2023 44.6%28.3%7.9%13.2%5.2%
2024 43.5%22.8%9.5%16.3%7.3%
2025 41.8%18.6%11.7%19.4%8.1%
2026 55.4%30.9%8.0%3.5%1.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Swindon

4,261 battery electric cars were licensed in Swindon at the end of March 2026, 3.5% of all cars, 181st lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 6,465 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 52,087, 47,826 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, 2.7% are battery electric (3,025 cars), 10th highest of 27 councils in the South West. Companies keep 29.0% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 5.6% of its cars overall. There are also 187 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 0.2%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 0.9%0.4%0.3%
2021 4.1%1.0%0.7%
2022 8.3%2.1%1.3%
2023 13.2%3.2%2.1%
2024 16.3%4.2%3.0%
2025 19.4%5.2%4.1%
2026 3.5%4.9%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 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 16.6 privately kept plug-in cars in Swindon (UK 11.9), 167th 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 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, 2.0% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 5.1%. 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 9,610 490 5.1% 7.7%
Swindon 028 6,414 255 4.0% 5.8%
Swindon 025 9,561 352 3.7% 5.9%
Swindon 026 5,953 201 3.4% 5.0%
Swindon 024 5,423 165 3.0% 4.8%
Swindon 011 3,636 97 2.7% 4.2%
Swindon 021 4,531 108 2.4% 4.3%
Swindon 001 5,609 130 2.3% 3.8%
Swindon 014 3,949 90 2.3% 3.5%
Swindon 018 3,480 79 2.3% 3.7%
Lowest electric shares
Swindon 020 3,736 20 0.5% 1.6%
Swindon 010 3,501 16 0.5% 1.3%
Swindon 016 2,791 18 0.6% 1.9%
Swindon 003 2,636 18 0.7% 1.6%
Swindon 019 3,300 35 1.1% 2.5%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of March 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 173.7p a litre across 21 filling stations in Swindon, 2.0p above the UK average. Diesel averages 197.5p, 2.9p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Breeze Harvest Energy Swindon Breeze Swindon 168.9p
  2. Tesco Swindon Extra Swindon 169.9p
  3. Asda West Swindon Superstore Swindon 170.7p

Every filling station and price in Swindon

How Swindon compares

Swindon compared with the South West, England, the UK
Swindon 468 3.5% 2.7% 5.6% 138 16.6
South West 506 4.9% 2.6% 9.6% 157 13.3
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 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 520 19.1% 3.1% 36.8% 162 15.8
Wiltshire 552 8.4% 2.9% 24.1% 117 18.3
Exeter 355 4.5% 2.5% 34.1% 259 5.4
Stroud 585 4.2% 3.8% 3.4% 199 15.6
Tewkesbury 564 4.1% 3.5% 3.7% 157 22.2
Cotswold 602 4.0% 3.4% 3.7% 310 10.6
Bath and North East Somerset 449 3.9% 3.4% 3.4% 90 26.8
North Somerset 546 3.9% 3.2% 4.4% 107 28.4
Cheltenham 464 3.6% 3.0% 3.5% 272 9.4
South Hams 568 3.6% 3.0% 3.8% 145 16.6
Swindon 468 3.5% 2.7% 5.6% 138 16.6
Isles of Scilly 233 3.3% 1.3% 5.0% 676 0.5
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 472 3.1% 2.5% 4.0% 112 17.1
Dorset 571 3.1% 2.6% 3.8% 196 12.0
East Devon 542 3.1% 2.7% 3.4% 200 11.5
Forest of Dean 576 3.1% 2.7% 3.6% 194 11.9
Gloucester 463 3.0% 2.4% 4.5% 149 12.6
Teignbridge 547 3.0% 2.5% 3.7% 147 13.9
Bristol 360 2.8% 2.1% 4.7% 99 15.0
Mid Devon 557 2.8% 2.4% 3.9% 91 22.8
Somerset 555 2.8% 2.4% 3.7% 137 14.6
Cornwall 523 2.7% 2.2% 4.4% 235 7.5
West Devon 561 2.7% 2.4% 3.5% 178 11.7
North Devon 514 2.5% 2.0% 4.2% 208 7.8
Torridge 550 2.4% 2.0% 4.5% 107 15.6
Torbay 467 2.3% 1.8% 4.7% 97 13.6
Plymouth 424 2.1% 1.5% 4.6% 162 6.6

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 147,702 licensed vehicles in Swindon 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 6,699 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 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.