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Torbay motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
84,951 licensed vehicles in Torbay
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 69,013 +0.7% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 469 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 1,760 2.6% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.0% 31st lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 136 97 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 4.7% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Torbay?

There were 69,013 licensed cars in Torbay at the end of June 2026, and 84,951 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 12.3% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 469 for every 1,000 residents, 144th lowest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Torbay

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Torbay at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 73,18861,440
2011 73,54261,643
2012 73,62061,730
2013 74,25062,259
2014 75,73063,227
2015 76,49663,686
2016 78,24965,013
2017 79,76066,221
2018 80,55866,869
2019 81,40567,359
2020 80,97666,802
2021 82,66667,854
2022 83,19667,902
2023 83,59868,074
2024 83,81968,402
2025 84,33268,545
2026 84,95169,013

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, Torbay compared
Year TorbaySouth WestUnited Kingdom
2011 470524–
2012 468527–
2013 468533–
2014 471541–
2015 472546473
2016 477550480
2017 482565488
2018 484569490
2019 486580493
2020 482573489
2021 487575493
2022 487571489
2023 487570489
2024 488571490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Torbay

57.7% of cars in Torbay run on petrol and 31.5% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 35.5% in 2021. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 6.6%, and cars that plug in 3.8%.

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 Torbay, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 76.9%22.7%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 75.2%24.5%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 73.4%26.1%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 71.9%27.6%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 70.3%29.1%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 68.9%30.4%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2016 67.1%32.0%0.6%0.1%0.0%
2017 65.7%33.3%0.7%0.1%0.1%
2018 64.4%34.5%0.9%0.1%0.1%
2019 63.6%35.0%1.1%0.1%0.1%
2020 62.8%35.4%1.3%0.2%0.2%
2021 61.8%35.5%1.8%0.4%0.3%
2022 60.9%35.3%2.5%0.6%0.5%
2023 60.1%34.8%3.2%1.0%0.7%
2024 59.4%34.0%4.2%1.3%0.8%
2025 58.8%32.7%5.4%1.9%1.0%
2026 57.7%31.5%6.6%2.6%1.3%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Torbay

1,760 battery electric cars were licensed in Torbay at the end of June 2026, 2.6% of all cars, 28th lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 2,642 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 1,269.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.0% are battery electric (1,343 cars), 3rd lowest of 27 councils in the South West. Companies keep 23.7% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 4.7% of its cars overall. There are also 70 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, Torbay compared, end of March each year
Year TorbaySouth WestUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2019 0.1%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.2%0.4%0.4%
2021 0.4%1.2%0.8%
2022 0.6%2.3%1.5%
2023 1.0%3.5%2.3%
2024 1.3%4.4%3.2%
2025 1.9%5.4%4.4%
2026 2.6%5.2%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Torbay

There were 136 public chargers in Torbay on 1 July 2026, 50 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 97 for every 100,000 residents, 84th lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count fell 2.9% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 15.4 privately kept plug-in cars in Torbay (UK 12.9), 156th 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 Torbay by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 14050
Apr 2026 13850
Jul 2026 13650

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Torbay compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Torbay 9736
South West 15750
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Torbay has 17 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 1.6% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 2.6%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Torbay with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Torbay 010 4,871 125 2.6% 4.3%
Torbay 016 4,749 112 2.4% 3.7%
Torbay 019 6,718 163 2.4% 3.4%
Torbay 003 6,237 128 2.1% 3.3%
Torbay 013 7,718 164 2.1% 2.8%
Torbay 002 3,167 64 2.0% 3.3%
Torbay 011 5,959 121 2.0% 3.3%
Torbay 015 4,366 83 1.9% 2.8%
Torbay 001 3,851 63 1.6% 2.8%
Torbay 017 5,743 94 1.6% 2.7%
Lowest electric shares
Torbay 014 4,222 22 0.5% 1.6%
Torbay 005 2,895 17 0.6% 1.1%
Torbay 012 4,425 32 0.7% 1.7%
Torbay 004 3,227 22 0.7% 1.4%
Torbay 006 3,043 25 0.8% 1.6%

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

Road traffic and collisions in Torbay

Vehicles travelled an estimated 425 million miles on roads in Torbay in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Torbay
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 343
1994 349
1995 356
1996 367
1997 372
1998 377
1999 385
2000 378
2001 386
2002 411
2003 412
2004 407
2005 400
2006 418
2007 423
2008 416
2009 417
2010 408
2011 412
2012 412
2013 410
2014 418
2015 419
2016 431
2017 434
2018 436
2019 432
2020 344
2021 382
2022 416
2023 420
2024 428
2025 425

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Torbay, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 23048
2022 16844
2023 19049
2024 16536
2025 17231

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Torbay

Unleaded petrol averages 168.1p a litre across 11 filling stations in Torbay, 3.4p below the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. MFG Morrisons Paignton Paignton 165.9p
  2. Sainsbury's Paignton Paignton 165.9p
  3. Esso MFG Riviera Paignton 167.9p

Every filling station and price in Torbay

How Torbay compares

Torbay compared with the South West, England, the UK
Torbay 469 2.6% 2.0% 4.7% 97 15.4
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 Torbay

There is no DVSA car practical test centre in Torbay. The nearest centres are elsewhere in the South West.

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 84,951 licensed vehicles in Torbay 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 2,790 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 Torbay 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.