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Tower Hamlets motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
56,802 licensed vehicles in Tower Hamlets
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 47,748 +2.0% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 128 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 2,410 5.0% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.8% 70th highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 2,574 776 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 11.0% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Tower Hamlets?

There were 47,748 licensed cars in Tower Hamlets at the end of June 2026, and 56,802 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 15.3% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 128 for every 1,000 residents, 2nd lowest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Tower Hamlets

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Tower Hamlets at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 50,51341,426
2011 49,69340,663
2012 49,57439,831
2013 49,35539,551
2014 50,61740,523
2015 51,35541,515
2016 52,84243,036
2017 54,01943,967
2018 53,95044,425
2019 53,47344,301
2020 52,87244,593
2021 55,35546,296
2022 55,55846,347
2023 54,35945,243
2024 55,41945,926
2025 56,01646,792
2026 56,80247,748

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, Tower Hamlets compared
Year Tower HamletsLondonUnited Kingdom
2011 159313–
2012 152307–
2013 146303–
2014 146303–
2015 147303473
2016 149304480
2017 150306488
2018 148303490
2019 145301493
2020 145296489
2021 148300493
2022 143295489
2023 138290489
2024 138287490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Tower Hamlets

56.0% of cars in Tower Hamlets run on petrol and 16.1% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 34.9% in 2017. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 15.7%, and cars that plug in 11.8%.

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 Tower Hamlets, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 81.3%17.8%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2011 78.9%20.0%0.7%0.0%0.0%
2012 75.5%23.1%1.0%0.0%0.0%
2013 72.4%25.9%1.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 69.1%28.3%2.2%0.1%0.0%
2015 64.9%31.2%3.5%0.1%0.0%
2016 61.3%33.4%4.7%0.1%0.1%
2017 58.7%34.9%5.8%0.2%0.2%
2018 57.5%34.6%7.0%0.2%0.4%
2019 59.1%30.7%8.7%0.3%0.9%
2020 60.1%27.5%10.1%0.6%1.5%
2021 62.2%23.4%10.8%1.4%1.9%
2022 63.5%19.0%11.6%3.4%2.3%
2023 62.7%19.3%12.6%2.2%2.8%
2024 60.7%18.1%13.6%3.1%4.1%
2025 58.3%17.0%14.6%4.4%5.3%
2026 56.0%16.1%15.7%5.0%6.7%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Tower Hamlets

2,410 battery electric cars were licensed in Tower Hamlets at the end of June 2026, 5.0% of all cars, 54th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 5,611 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 2,043.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.8% are battery electric (1,595 cars), 15th highest of 33 councils in London. Companies keep 33.8% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 11.0% of its cars overall. There are also 262 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, Tower Hamlets compared, end of March each year
Year Tower HamletsLondonUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.2%0.2%0.1%
2018 0.2%0.3%0.1%
2019 0.3%0.3%0.2%
2020 0.6%0.5%0.4%
2021 1.4%1.1%0.8%
2022 3.4%2.0%1.5%
2023 2.2%3.2%2.3%
2024 3.1%4.5%3.2%
2025 4.4%5.7%4.4%
2026 5.0%7.0%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Tower Hamlets

There were 2,574 public chargers in Tower Hamlets on 1 July 2026, 82 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 776 for every 100,000 residents, 3rd highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 1.5% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 1.7 privately kept plug-in cars in Tower Hamlets (UK 12.9), 4th 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 Tower Hamlets by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 2,53746
Apr 2026 2,53948
Jul 2026 2,57482

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Tower Hamlets compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Tower Hamlets 77625
London 34528
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Tower Hamlets has 34 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 3.7% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 7.7%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Tower Hamlets with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Tower Hamlets 034 660 51 7.7% 14.7%
Tower Hamlets 033 1,087 54 5.0% 10.7%
Tower Hamlets 035 1,106 55 5.0% 12.1%
Tower Hamlets 027 1,205 58 4.8% 8.8%
Tower Hamlets 031 2,020 92 4.6% 9.9%
Tower Hamlets 015 1,232 56 4.5% 11.0%
Tower Hamlets 036 1,022 46 4.5% 9.6%
Tower Hamlets 017 927 41 4.4% 12.1%
Tower Hamlets 005 965 39 4.0% 9.1%
Tower Hamlets 018 1,707 67 3.9% 11.1%
Lowest electric shares
Tower Hamlets 009 990 16 1.6% 9.7%
Tower Hamlets 007 1,090 25 2.3% 7.1%
Tower Hamlets 022 1,105 26 2.4% 10.8%
Tower Hamlets 010 1,241 30 2.4% 8.8%
Tower Hamlets 019 1,789 48 2.7% 9.4%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of June 2026. 8 neighbourhoods are left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in Tower Hamlets

Vehicles travelled an estimated 511 million miles on roads in Tower Hamlets in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Tower Hamlets
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 556
1994 560
1995 563
1996 560
1997 569
1998 566
1999 576
2000 593
2001 590
2002 594
2003 602
2004 593
2005 586
2006 610
2007 616
2008 595
2009 590
2010 594
2011 566
2012 540
2013 539
2014 536
2015 527
2016 545
2017 548
2018 546
2019 544
2020 458
2021 500
2022 511
2023 513
2024 520
2025 511

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Tower Hamlets, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 1,114160
2022 1,039167
2023 999151
2024 901149
2025 949154

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Tower Hamlets

Unleaded petrol averages 172.0p a litre across 7 filling stations in Tower Hamlets, 0.5p above the UK average. Diesel averages 198.3p, 0.4p below the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Asda Isle of Dogs Superstore London 169.9p
  2. BP Museum Service Station London 169.9p
  3. Tesco Bromley by Bow Superstore London 170.9p

Every filling station and price in Tower Hamlets

How Tower Hamlets compares

Tower Hamlets compared with London, England, the UK
Tower Hamlets 128 5.0% 3.8% 11.0% 776 1.7
London 264 7.0% 3.9% 9.8% 345 5.8
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 Tower Hamlets

There is no DVSA car practical test centre in Tower Hamlets. The nearest centres are elsewhere in London.

Centres in London:

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 London

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

Councils in London
Westminster 179 57.9% 7.7% 60.4% 1,378 1.8
City of London 79 24.6% 7.8% 50.4% 443 2.4
Hammersmith and Fulham 199 18.7% 5.2% 22.4% 1,380 1.5
Camden 159 9.7% 7.6% 12.6% 378 5.4
Kensington and Chelsea 239 7.4% 6.7% 8.5% 637 4.7
Brent 232 7.3% 4.0% 12.8% 367 5.1
Barnet 322 6.6% 5.4% 7.2% 288 10.1
Islington 132 6.0% 4.7% 11.6% 386 3.1
Richmond upon Thames 359 5.6% 4.7% 5.6% 642 5.0
Harrow 337 5.5% 4.3% 6.2% 120 22.8
Hillingdon 364 5.4% 3.4% 16.7% 121 20.1
Kingston upon Thames 354 5.2% 4.5% 3.9% 242 11.8
Merton 294 5.2% 4.4% 5.7% 436 5.6
Southwark 162 5.2% 4.3% 8.1% 618 2.1
Wandsworth 214 5.2% 4.4% 5.1% 532 3.6
Tower Hamlets 128 5.0% 3.8% 11.0% 776 1.7
Ealing 274 4.7% 3.6% 7.5% 264 7.6
Redbridge 302 4.7% 3.8% 7.2% 198 11.9
Hackney 138 4.6% 3.4% 10.4% 638 1.6
Haringey 214 4.6% 3.7% 8.9% 135 11.1
Bromley 409 4.5% 3.8% 4.4% 67 42.1
Lambeth 176 4.5% 3.8% 6.6% 244 5.4
Barking and Dagenham 264 4.4% 3.1% 8.6% 100 18.5
Croydon 318 4.3% 3.6% 5.5% 153 13.9
Hounslow 301 4.2% 3.2% 6.8% 233 8.9
Sutton 378 4.2% 3.6% 4.2% 118 20.5
Greenwich 239 4.1% 3.5% 6.3% 101 15.5
Havering 388 3.8% 2.9% 6.1% 95 24.0
Newham 168 3.8% 3.0% 9.3% 159 8.5
Enfield 334 3.6% 2.8% 6.9% 137 14.0
Lewisham 233 3.6% 3.1% 5.6% 133 10.5
Waltham Forest 251 3.6% 2.8% 7.6% 663 2.2
Bexley 382 3.5% 3.0% 6.3% 269 7.9

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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 56,802 licensed vehicles in Tower Hamlets 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 7,177 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 Tower Hamlets 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.