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Wales motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
2,112,200 licensed vehicles in Wales
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 1,663,526 +1.1% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 490 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 46,585 2.8% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.1% UK 2.8%
  • Public chargers 5,910 186 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 6.2% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Wales?

There were 1,663,526 licensed cars in Wales at the end of March 2026, and 2,112,200 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 16.5% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 490 for every 1,000 residents (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Wales

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Wales at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 1,726,1261,428,270
2011 1,738,0581,436,947
2012 1,746,1621,440,426
2013 1,758,2811,449,131
2014 1,784,6231,468,980
2015 1,805,8211,483,834
2016 1,843,8301,510,935
2017 1,876,5231,533,949
2018 1,895,7361,545,281
2019 1,929,5051,566,460
2020 1,956,3351,588,968
2021 1,962,8101,576,930
2022 2,001,2191,592,551
2023 2,026,0771,604,260
2024 2,056,1671,625,913
2025 2,086,6631,646,200
2026 2,112,2001,663,526

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, Wales compared
Year WalesUnited Kingdom
2011 470–
2012 471–
2013 476–
2014 482–
2015 486473
2016 493480
2017 500488
2018 504490
2019 510493
2020 504489
2021 513493
2022 510489
2023 510489
2024 514490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Wales

52.8% of cars in Wales run on petrol and 35.7% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 43.5% in 2019. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 7.0%, and cars that plug in 4.2%.

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 Wales, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 69.7%30.0%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 67.6%32.1%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2012 65.6%34.0%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2013 63.7%35.9%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2014 61.8%37.7%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2015 60.0%39.5%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2016 58.4%41.1%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2017 56.9%42.4%0.4%0.1%0.1%
2018 55.8%43.4%0.5%0.1%0.1%
2019 55.5%43.5%0.7%0.1%0.1%
2020 55.3%43.3%0.9%0.2%0.2%
2021 54.9%43.1%1.3%0.3%0.3%
2022 54.6%42.3%1.9%0.6%0.4%
2023 54.4%41.2%2.6%0.9%0.6%
2024 54.1%39.7%3.8%1.3%0.7%
2025 53.5%37.8%5.3%2.0%1.0%
2026 52.8%35.7%7.0%2.8%1.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Wales

46,585 battery electric cars were licensed in Wales at the end of March 2026, 2.8% of all cars. With plug-in hybrids, 70,335 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 32,605.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.1% are battery electric (32,513 cars). Companies keep 30.2% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 6.2% of its cars overall. There are also 3,298 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, Wales compared, end of March each year
Year WalesUnited Kingdom
2016 0.0%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%
2018 0.1%0.1%
2019 0.1%0.2%
2020 0.2%0.3%
2021 0.3%0.7%
2022 0.6%1.3%
2023 0.9%2.1%
2024 1.3%3.0%
2025 2.0%4.1%
2026 2.8%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Wales

There were 5,910 public chargers in Wales on 1 July 2026, 1,364 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 186 for every 100,000 residents, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 24.3% from 1 January 2025.

For every public charger there are 9.0 privately kept plug-in cars in Wales (UK 11.9). A higher number means more competition for each public charger, though many drivers charge at home.

Public chargers

Public EV chargers in Wales by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2025 4,7541,047
Apr 2025 4,9361,111
Jul 2025 5,2371,175
Oct 2025 5,6101,231
Jan 2026 5,6441,273
Apr 2026 5,7121,261
Jul 2026 5,9101,364

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Wales compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Wales 18643
UK 17542
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Petrol and diesel prices in Wales

Unleaded petrol averages 171.0p a litre across 478 filling stations in Wales, 0.7p below the UK average. Diesel averages 193.9p, 0.7p below the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Tesco Cardigan Superstore Cardigan 159.9p
  2. Tesco Milford Haven Superstore Milford Haven 159.9p
  3. Murco Tudor Garage Cowbridge 161.9p

Every filling station and price in Wales

How Wales compares

Wales compared with the UK, the UK
Wales 490 2.8% 2.1% 6.2% 186 9.0
United Kingdom4415.4%2.8%9.9%17511.9
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 Wales

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

Councils in Wales
Bridgend 486 4.3% 2.7% 10.1% 146 14.0
Monmouthshire 578 3.7% 3.2% 4.4% 283 10.6
Vale of Glamorgan 512 3.5% 3.0% 4.6% 139 16.9
Swansea 485 3.4% 2.0% 10.1% 154 11.0
Newport 457 3.2% 2.5% 5.5% 303 6.3
Cardiff 383 3.1% 2.4% 6.4% 118 13.1
Denbighshire 504 3.0% 2.1% 6.3% 179 8.9
Flintshire 555 2.9% 2.3% 4.8% 118 16.3
Conwy 514 2.7% 2.0% 5.7% 152 10.6
Torfaen 496 2.6% 1.9% 6.2% 155 9.5
Carmarthenshire 527 2.5% 1.9% 6.1% 216 7.4
Neath Port Talbot 474 2.5% 1.8% 6.8% 73 33.3
Caerphilly 495 2.4% 1.8% 5.7% 108 14.3
Wrexham 502 2.4% 1.8% 4.9% 204 8.6
Ceredigion 511 2.3% 1.9% 4.6% 306 4.8
Pembrokeshire 535 2.3% 1.8% 5.5% 365 4.1
Powys 549 2.3% 1.8% 5.1% 270 5.9
Rhondda Cynon Taf 470 2.3% 1.8% 6.0% 121 11.3
Isle of Anglesey 552 2.2% 1.6% 4.3% 245 5.7
Gwynedd 493 2.0% 1.5% 4.8% 390 3.0
Merthyr Tydfil 451 2.0% 1.5% 6.6% 139 9.0
Blaenau Gwent 499 1.7% 1.3% 5.3% 228 4.5

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 2,112,200 licensed vehicles in Wales 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 75,036 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
  • Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in Wales 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.
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.