South East · District council
Wealden motoring statistics
How many cars and electric cars are registered in Wealden, which fuels they use, how many public chargers there are and how Wealden compares with the South East. From DVLA licensing records, DfT charger statistics and ONS population estimates.
- Licensed cars 103,659 +1.0% on a year earlier
- Private cars per 1,000 people 600 UK 444
- Battery electric cars 4,033 3.9% of cars (UK 5.8%)
- Electric share of private cars 3.4% 130th highest of 361 councils
- Public chargers 192 115 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
- Company-registered cars 3.4% UK 10.0%
How many cars are there in Wealden?
There were 103,659 licensed cars in Wealden at the end of June 2026, and 131,454 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 20.0% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 600 for every 1,000 residents, 6th highest of 361 councils (UK 444).
Licensed vehicles in Wealden
Counts at the end of March each year, 2010 to 2026.
| Year | All vehicles | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 105,425 | 86,390 |
| 2011 | 106,735 | 87,372 |
| 2012 | 108,195 | 88,537 |
| 2013 | 110,086 | 89,886 |
| 2014 | 112,694 | 91,861 |
| 2015 | 114,100 | 92,882 |
| 2016 | 116,433 | 94,582 |
| 2017 | 118,579 | 96,132 |
| 2018 | 119,932 | 96,901 |
| 2019 | 121,131 | 97,689 |
| 2020 | 120,339 | 97,164 |
| 2021 | 123,992 | 99,318 |
| 2022 | 125,719 | 100,222 |
| 2023 | 127,190 | 101,016 |
| 2024 | 128,526 | 101,824 |
| 2025 | 130,195 | 102,610 |
| 2026 | 131,454 | 103,659 |
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.
| Year | Wealden | South East | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 585 | 534 | – |
| 2012 | 588 | 535 | – |
| 2013 | 592 | 541 | – |
| 2014 | 596 | 547 | – |
| 2015 | 598 | 551 | 473 |
| 2016 | 606 | 559 | 480 |
| 2017 | 615 | 567 | 488 |
| 2018 | 618 | 570 | 490 |
| 2019 | 620 | 572 | 493 |
| 2020 | 614 | 561 | 489 |
| 2021 | 618 | 564 | 493 |
| 2022 | 615 | 565 | 489 |
| 2023 | 613 | 567 | 489 |
| 2024 | 610 | 570 | 490 |
Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated
Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Wealden
59.7% of cars in Wealden run on petrol and 26.1% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 34.0% in 2017. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 7.8%, and cars that plug in 6.0%.
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.
| Year | Petrol | Diesel | Hybrid | Battery electric | Plug-in hybrid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 73.7% | 25.9% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2011 | 72.0% | 27.5% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2012 | 70.5% | 28.9% | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2013 | 69.0% | 30.3% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2014 | 67.5% | 31.7% | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2015 | 66.2% | 32.8% | 0.7% | 0.1% | 0.0% |
| 2016 | 65.2% | 33.7% | 0.8% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 2017 | 64.6% | 34.0% | 1.0% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 2018 | 64.5% | 33.7% | 1.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| 2019 | 64.6% | 33.3% | 1.4% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| 2020 | 64.5% | 33.0% | 1.6% | 0.4% | 0.4% |
| 2021 | 63.9% | 32.6% | 2.2% | 0.6% | 0.6% |
| 2022 | 63.1% | 31.8% | 2.9% | 1.1% | 0.8% |
| 2023 | 62.6% | 30.7% | 3.7% | 1.6% | 1.0% |
| 2024 | 61.8% | 29.5% | 5.0% | 2.1% | 1.3% |
| 2025 | 61.0% | 27.9% | 6.3% | 2.9% | 1.6% |
| 2026 | 59.7% | 26.1% | 7.8% | 3.9% | 2.1% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Electric cars in Wealden
4,033 battery electric cars were licensed in Wealden at the end of June 2026, 3.9% of all cars, 170th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 6,203 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 2,943.
Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.4% are battery electric (3,378 cars), 32nd lowest of 64 councils in the South East. Companies keep 16.2% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 3.4% of its cars overall. There are also 207 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.
| Year | Wealden | South East | United 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% | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | 0.5% | 0.4% |
| 2021 | 0.6% | 1.1% | 0.8% |
| 2022 | 1.1% | 2.2% | 1.5% |
| 2023 | 1.6% | 3.3% | 2.3% |
| 2024 | 2.1% | 4.5% | 3.2% |
| 2025 | 2.9% | 6.4% | 4.4% |
| 2026 | 3.9% | 9.3% | 5.8% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Public EV chargers in Wealden
There were 192 public chargers in Wealden on 1 July 2026, 47 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 115 for every 100,000 residents, 121st lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count fell 0.5% from 1 January 2026.
For every public charger there are 28.1 privately kept plug-in cars in Wealden (UK 12.9), 54th most of 361 councils. A higher number means more competition for each public charger, though many drivers charge at home.
Public chargers
| Date | All public chargers | 50kW and above |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2026 | 193 | 37 |
| Apr 2026 | 185 | 38 |
| Jul 2026 | 192 | 47 |
Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated
Chargers per 100,000 residents
| Area | All chargers | 50kW and above |
|---|---|---|
| Wealden | 115 | 28 |
| East Sussex | 101 | 27 |
| South East | 159 | 40 |
| England | 173 | 41 |
| UK | 175 | 42 |
Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated
Electric cars by neighbourhood
Wealden has 21 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.9% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 3.8%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.
| Neighbourhood (MSOA) | Private vehicles | Battery electric | Electric share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wealden 004 | 5,274 | 199 | 3.8% | |
| Wealden 018 | 10,484 | 392 | 3.7% | |
| Wealden 002 | 5,328 | 191 | 3.6% | |
| Wealden 005 | 6,093 | 211 | 3.5% | |
| Wealden 007 | 4,615 | 160 | 3.5% | |
| Wealden 008 | 7,001 | 230 | 3.3% | |
| Wealden 003 | 4,154 | 123 | 3.0% | |
| Wealden 013 | 5,945 | 178 | 3.0% | |
| Wealden 020 | 8,175 | 244 | 3.0% | |
| Wealden 001 | 4,903 | 143 | 2.9% | |
| Lowest electric shares | ||||
| Wealden 019 | 5,614 | 116 | 2.1% | |
| Wealden 009 | 5,488 | 114 | 2.1% | |
| Wealden 010 | 5,842 | 134 | 2.3% | |
| Wealden 017 | 4,205 | 102 | 2.4% | |
| Wealden 016 | 3,731 | 95 | 2.5% | |
Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of June 2026.
Road traffic and collisions in Wealden
Reported injury collisions
| Year | Collisions | Killed or seriously injured |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 292 | 85 |
| 2022 | 364 | 124 |
| 2023 | 398 | 114 |
| 2024 | 343 | 122 |
| 2025 | 317 | 113 |
Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated
Petrol and diesel prices in Wealden
Unleaded petrol averages 171.8p a litre across 18 filling stations in Wealden, 0.3p above the UK average. Diesel averages 199.6p, 0.9p above the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.
Cheapest petrol
- Jet Crowborough Service Station Crowborough 166.0p
- BP Selmeston Service Station Polegate 167.7p
- Jet Herstmonceux Service Station Hailsham 167.9p
How Wealden compares
| Wealden | 600 | 3.9% | 115 |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Sussex | 511 | 3.4% | 101 |
| South East | 499 | 9.3% | 159 |
| England | 440 | 6.2% | 173 |
| United Kingdom | 444 | 5.8% | 175 |
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 Wealden
There is no DVSA car practical test centre in Wealden. The nearest centres are elsewhere in East Sussex.
Centres in East Sussex:
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 East Sussex
Sorted by battery electric share of cars. Select a column heading to sort by it.
| Wealden | 600 | 3.9% | 115 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewes | 493 | 3.7% | 140 |
| Rother | 551 | 3.2% | 67 |
| Eastbourne | 428 | 2.9% | 116 |
| Hastings | 417 | 2.5% | 52 |
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed vehicles | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of June 2026 | 131,454 licensed vehicles in Wealden | 26 October 2026 |
| Plug-in and electric vehicles | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of June 2026 | 6,509 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 Wealden 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.
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.