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Three Rivers motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
60,534 licensed vehicles in Three Rivers
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 51,056 +0.3% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 511 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 2,459 4.8% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.9% 31st highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 154 161 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 4.2% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Three Rivers?

There were 51,056 licensed cars in Three Rivers at the end of March 2026, and 60,534 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 9.0% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 511 for every 1,000 residents, 132nd highest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Three Rivers

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Three Rivers at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 54,85146,832
2011 55,38047,367
2012 56,11147,941
2013 56,31948,294
2014 57,55249,178
2015 58,34049,693
2016 59,57350,515
2017 60,45251,058
2018 60,67651,063
2019 61,23551,309
2020 60,83451,516
2021 60,00150,662
2022 59,85150,567
2023 59,58950,302
2024 59,90150,616
2025 60,30450,924
2026 60,53451,056

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, Three Rivers compared
Year Three RiversEast of EnglandUnited Kingdom
2011 542503–
2012 540502–
2013 543505–
2014 546524–
2015 543529473
2016 546537480
2017 550544488
2018 550542490
2019 552541493
2020 542536489
2021 544539493
2022 538532489
2023 532529489
2024 532531490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Three Rivers

63.1% of cars in Three Rivers run on petrol and 18.1% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 31.9% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 10.5%, and cars that plug in 8.0%.

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 Three Rivers, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 79.3%20.1%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2011 77.5%21.8%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2012 75.3%23.9%0.6%0.0%0.0%
2013 73.4%25.6%0.8%0.0%0.0%
2014 71.1%27.7%1.0%0.0%0.0%
2015 69.1%29.5%1.1%0.1%0.0%
2016 67.8%30.6%1.3%0.1%0.1%
2017 66.5%31.5%1.5%0.2%0.1%
2018 65.6%31.9%1.8%0.2%0.3%
2019 65.6%31.5%2.1%0.3%0.4%
2020 65.7%30.5%2.6%0.5%0.6%
2021 65.8%29.3%3.2%0.8%0.8%
2022 65.4%27.7%4.1%1.4%1.1%
2023 65.4%25.4%5.3%2.1%1.4%
2024 65.9%22.0%6.9%3.0%1.9%
2025 65.0%19.8%8.7%3.9%2.4%
2026 63.1%18.1%10.5%4.8%3.1%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Three Rivers

2,459 battery electric cars were licensed in Three Rivers at the end of March 2026, 4.8% of all cars, 45th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 4,060 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 1,970.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.9% are battery electric (1,922 cars), 5th highest of 45 councils in the East of England. Companies keep 21.8% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 4.2% 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, Three Rivers compared, end of March each year
Year Three RiversEast of EnglandUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.2%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.2%0.2%0.1%
2019 0.3%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.5%0.3%0.3%
2021 0.8%0.6%0.7%
2022 1.4%1.1%1.3%
2023 2.1%1.7%2.1%
2024 3.0%2.6%3.0%
2025 3.9%3.8%4.1%
2026 4.8%5.2%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Three Rivers

There were 154 public chargers in Three Rivers on 1 July 2026, 26 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 161 for every 100,000 residents, 139th highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count fell 21.4% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 16.7 privately kept plug-in cars in Three Rivers (UK 11.9), 164th 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 Three Rivers by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 19624
Apr 2026 20324
Jul 2026 15426

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Three Rivers compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Three Rivers 16127
Hertfordshire 20857
East of England 15049
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Three Rivers has 12 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 3.1% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 7.9%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Three Rivers with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Three Rivers 011 4,002 315 7.9% 12.7%
Three Rivers 004 3,671 236 6.4% 10.9%
Three Rivers 005 3,500 171 4.9% 8.6%
Three Rivers 007 4,834 167 3.5% 5.8%
Three Rivers 006 5,325 182 3.4% 6.1%
Three Rivers 001 5,792 180 3.1% 5.4%
Three Rivers 003 5,240 164 3.1% 5.4%
Three Rivers 002 6,166 175 2.8% 5.3%
Three Rivers 008 3,986 111 2.8% 5.4%
Three Rivers 010 3,921 109 2.8% 5.3%
Lowest electric shares
Three Rivers 012 3,947 80 2.0% 4.1%
Three Rivers 009 3,263 66 2.0% 4.0%
Three Rivers 010 3,921 109 2.8% 5.3%
Three Rivers 008 3,986 111 2.8% 5.4%
Three Rivers 002 6,166 175 2.8% 5.3%

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

Road traffic and collisions in Three Rivers

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Three Rivers, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 9926
2022 14030
2023 13531
2024 10413
2025 11428

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Three Rivers

Unleaded petrol averages 174.2p a litre across 9 filling stations in Three Rivers, 2.5p above the UK average. Diesel averages 195.6p, 1.0p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Asda Sandy Lodge Express Petrol Northwood 163.9p
  2. South Oxhey Esso Express Watford 167.9p
  3. Esso MFG Primrose Kings Langley 169.9p

Every filling station and price in Three Rivers

How Three Rivers compares

Three Rivers compared with Hertfordshire, the East of England, England, the UK
Three Rivers 511 4.8% 3.9% 4.2% 161 16.7
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 60,534 licensed vehicles in Three Rivers 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 4,215 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 Three Rivers 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.