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Waltham Forest motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
86,894 licensed vehicles in Waltham Forest
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 75,591 +0.2% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 250 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 2,641 3.5% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.7% 177th lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 1,855 663 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 7.6% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Waltham Forest?

There were 75,591 licensed cars in Waltham Forest at the end of March 2026, and 86,894 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 0.8% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 250 for every 1,000 residents, 18th lowest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Waltham Forest

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Waltham Forest at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 86,94974,963
2011 86,75574,956
2012 85,14073,872
2013 84,89273,725
2014 85,75874,431
2015 86,47175,292
2016 89,26577,783
2017 90,74179,073
2018 89,98478,644
2019 89,02778,087
2020 88,34777,905
2021 87,94977,683
2022 85,97975,984
2023 85,75575,886
2024 85,23275,592
2025 84,97075,456
2026 86,89475,591

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, Waltham Forest compared
Year Waltham ForestLondonUnited Kingdom
2011 288313–
2012 282307–
2013 276303–
2014 278303–
2015 277303473
2016 282304480
2017 285306488
2018 281303490
2019 279301493
2020 276296489
2021 280300493
2022 276295489
2023 273290489
2024 272287490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Waltham Forest

64.9% of cars in Waltham Forest run on petrol and 15.0% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 32.5% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 13.1%, and cars that plug in 6.7%.

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 Waltham Forest, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 81.2%18.4%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 79.1%20.3%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2012 76.7%22.6%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2013 74.5%24.5%0.7%0.0%0.0%
2014 72.2%26.5%1.1%0.0%0.0%
2015 69.6%28.5%1.6%0.0%0.0%
2016 66.8%30.5%2.4%0.0%0.0%
2017 64.5%31.9%3.2%0.1%0.1%
2018 63.2%32.5%3.8%0.1%0.1%
2019 63.4%31.0%5.0%0.1%0.4%
2020 64.4%28.0%6.8%0.2%0.6%
2021 66.8%24.7%7.2%0.3%0.8%
2022 70.7%18.8%8.4%0.7%1.2%
2023 70.1%17.5%9.7%1.1%1.4%
2024 68.9%16.3%11.0%1.7%1.9%
2025 67.2%15.5%12.0%2.7%2.3%
2026 64.9%15.0%13.1%3.5%3.2%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Waltham Forest

2,641 battery electric cars were licensed in Waltham Forest at the end of March 2026, 3.5% of all cars, 181st lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 5,043 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 2,033.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.7% are battery electric (1,870 cars), 3rd lowest of 33 councils in London. Companies keep 29.2% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 7.6% of its cars overall. There are also 123 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, Waltham Forest compared, end of March each year
Year Waltham ForestLondonUnited Kingdom
2016 0.0%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.2%0.1%
2018 0.1%0.2%0.1%
2019 0.1%0.3%0.2%
2020 0.2%0.5%0.3%
2021 0.3%0.9%0.7%
2022 0.7%1.8%1.3%
2023 1.1%2.9%2.1%
2024 1.7%4.2%3.0%
2025 2.7%5.4%4.1%
2026 3.5%6.6%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Waltham Forest

There were 1,855 public chargers in Waltham Forest on 1 July 2026, 64 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 663 for every 100,000 residents, 6th highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count fell 0.2% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 2.1 privately kept plug-in cars in Waltham Forest (UK 11.9), 8th 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 Waltham Forest by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 1,85964
Apr 2026 1,86764
Jul 2026 1,85564

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Waltham Forest compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Waltham Forest 66323
London 34528
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Waltham Forest has 28 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.6% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 3.2%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Waltham Forest with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Waltham Forest 015 2,438 79 3.2% 5.9%
Waltham Forest 021 2,043 63 3.1% 6.2%
Waltham Forest 011 2,562 76 3.0% 5.6%
Waltham Forest 001 3,820 106 2.8% 5.4%
Waltham Forest 002 4,081 116 2.8% 5.6%
Waltham Forest 005 3,565 101 2.8% 5.7%
Waltham Forest 010 2,598 73 2.8% 5.4%
Waltham Forest 019 2,507 68 2.7% 5.4%
Waltham Forest 022 2,336 63 2.7% 4.8%
Waltham Forest 023 2,068 53 2.6% 5.5%
Lowest electric shares
Waltham Forest 016 2,394 49 2.0% 4.5%
Waltham Forest 026 2,203 46 2.1% 5.4%
Waltham Forest 025 2,048 45 2.2% 5.0%
Waltham Forest 013 2,223 50 2.2% 5.7%
Waltham Forest 012 2,241 49 2.2% 4.2%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of March 2026. 5 neighbourhoods are left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in Waltham Forest

Vehicles travelled an estimated 509 million miles on roads in Waltham Forest in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Waltham Forest
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 441
1994 447
1995 443
1996 446
1997 442
1998 440
1999 458
2000 467
2001 486
2002 477
2003 488
2004 467
2005 486
2006 486
2007 481
2008 465
2009 463
2010 478
2011 445
2012 453
2013 466
2014 507
2015 480
2016 491
2017 495
2018 527
2019 519
2020 444
2021 478
2022 482
2023 491
2024 498
2025 509

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Waltham Forest, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 59778
2022 56370
2023 50561
2024 49966
2025 50288

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Waltham Forest

Unleaded petrol averages 170.6p a litre across 18 filling stations in Waltham Forest, 1.1p below the UK average. Diesel averages 193.8p, 0.8p below the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Jet Northweald Service Station Chingford 164.9p
  2. Sainsbury's Low Hall London 165.9p
  3. BP Leytonstone Service Station London 166.9p

Every filling station and price in Waltham Forest

How Waltham Forest compares

Waltham Forest compared with London, England, the UK
Waltham Forest 250 3.5% 2.7% 7.6% 663 2.1
London 263 6.6% 3.7% 9.4% 345 5.5
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 London

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

Councils in London
Westminster 178 55.1% 7.6% 57.8% 1,378 1.7
City of London 79 32.0% 7.8% 55.7% 443 2.5
Hammersmith and Fulham 199 18.3% 5.0% 22.2% 1,380 1.4
Camden 158 9.5% 7.5% 12.3% 378 5.3
Kensington and Chelsea 238 7.4% 6.6% 8.0% 637 4.7
Brent 231 7.1% 3.8% 12.5% 367 4.8
Barnet 321 6.4% 5.2% 7.0% 288 9.6
Islington 132 5.9% 4.5% 11.6% 386 3.5
Richmond upon Thames 358 5.4% 4.5% 5.5% 642 4.8
Harrow 335 5.2% 4.0% 6.1% 120 20.9
Hillingdon 361 5.2% 3.2% 15.5% 121 19.8
Merton 293 5.0% 4.1% 5.6% 436 5.3
Southwark 161 5.0% 4.2% 8.1% 618 2.0
Wandsworth 214 5.0% 4.2% 5.0% 532 3.4
Kingston upon Thames 353 4.9% 4.2% 3.9% 242 10.8
Tower Hamlets 127 4.9% 3.6% 10.9% 776 1.6
Ealing 272 4.6% 3.5% 7.5% 264 7.2
Hackney 137 4.5% 3.3% 10.4% 638 1.5
Haringey 213 4.5% 3.5% 8.7% 135 10.7
Lambeth 176 4.4% 3.6% 6.5% 244 5.2
Redbridge 301 4.4% 3.5% 7.1% 198 11.5
Barking and Dagenham 262 4.2% 2.9% 8.4% 100 18.6
Bromley 407 4.2% 3.5% 4.3% 67 39.1
Croydon 316 4.1% 3.3% 5.4% 153 12.9
Hounslow 299 4.1% 3.1% 6.7% 233 8.7
Sutton 377 4.0% 3.3% 4.2% 118 19.8
Greenwich 238 3.9% 3.2% 6.3% 101 14.8
Havering 387 3.6% 2.7% 6.0% 95 23.6
Newham 167 3.6% 2.8% 9.3% 159 7.6
Waltham Forest 250 3.5% 2.7% 7.6% 663 2.1
Enfield 333 3.4% 2.7% 6.8% 137 17.3
Lewisham 232 3.4% 2.9% 5.6% 133 11.4
Bexley 381 3.3% 2.8% 6.2% 269 7.5

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 86,894 licensed vehicles in Waltham Forest 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 6,177 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 Waltham Forest 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.