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Welwyn Hatfield motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
73,678 licensed vehicles in Welwyn Hatfield
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 59,123 +1.3% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 455 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 2,439 4.1% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.3% 90th highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 430 350 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 5.4% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Welwyn Hatfield?

There were 59,123 licensed cars in Welwyn Hatfield at the end of March 2026, and 73,678 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 15.0% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 455 for every 1,000 residents, 119th lowest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Welwyn Hatfield

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Welwyn Hatfield at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 60,20051,389
2011 61,17051,807
2012 61,29151,975
2013 61,78952,414
2014 63,57253,321
2015 65,44454,450
2016 67,06455,468
2017 68,47156,733
2018 69,26357,107
2019 69,85557,322
2020 70,36358,105
2021 69,85357,199
2022 70,38257,088
2023 70,98057,361
2024 71,83558,098
2025 72,30858,390
2026 73,67859,123

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, Welwyn Hatfield compared
Year Welwyn HatfieldEast of EnglandUnited Kingdom
2011 468503–
2012 472502–
2013 471505–
2014 480524–
2015 480529473
2016 480537480
2017 484544488
2018 483542490
2019 485541493
2020 477536489
2021 482539493
2022 476532489
2023 474529489
2024 475531490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Welwyn Hatfield

61.8% of cars in Welwyn Hatfield run on petrol and 21.9% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 31.8% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 9.3%, and cars that plug in 6.6%.

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 Welwyn Hatfield, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 79.2%20.3%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2011 77.5%21.9%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2012 75.6%23.7%0.6%0.0%0.0%
2013 73.9%25.2%0.7%0.0%0.0%
2014 72.0%26.9%0.9%0.0%0.0%
2015 69.8%29.0%1.0%0.0%0.0%
2016 68.2%30.2%1.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 66.9%31.3%1.3%0.1%0.1%
2018 66.1%31.8%1.6%0.2%0.2%
2019 66.1%31.4%1.8%0.2%0.3%
2020 65.8%31.1%2.2%0.4%0.4%
2021 65.5%30.3%2.8%0.7%0.6%
2022 65.0%29.1%3.5%1.2%0.9%
2023 64.8%27.5%4.4%1.8%1.2%
2024 64.5%25.4%5.9%2.4%1.5%
2025 63.8%23.3%7.4%3.3%1.9%
2026 61.8%21.9%9.3%4.1%2.5%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Welwyn Hatfield

2,439 battery electric cars were licensed in Welwyn Hatfield at the end of March 2026, 4.1% of all cars, 102nd highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 3,902 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 1,902.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.3% are battery electric (1,857 cars), 12th highest of 45 councils in the East of England. Companies keep 23.9% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 5.4% of its cars overall. There are also 335 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, Welwyn Hatfield compared, end of March each year
Year Welwyn HatfieldEast of EnglandUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.2%0.2%0.1%
2019 0.2%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.4%0.3%0.3%
2021 0.7%0.6%0.7%
2022 1.2%1.1%1.3%
2023 1.8%1.7%2.1%
2024 2.4%2.6%3.0%
2025 3.3%3.8%4.1%
2026 4.1%5.2%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Welwyn Hatfield

There were 430 public chargers in Welwyn Hatfield on 1 July 2026, 51 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 350 for every 100,000 residents, 29th highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count fell 5.1% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 6.5 privately kept plug-in cars in Welwyn Hatfield (UK 11.9), 44th 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 Welwyn Hatfield by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 45348
Apr 2026 48048
Jul 2026 43051

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Welwyn Hatfield compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Welwyn Hatfield 35042
Hertfordshire 20857
East of England 15049
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Welwyn Hatfield has 16 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.8% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 5.0%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Welwyn Hatfield with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Welwyn Hatfield 001 4,385 219 5.0% 7.7%
Welwyn Hatfield 002 4,991 220 4.4% 6.8%
Welwyn Hatfield 015 4,035 173 4.3% 7.8%
Welwyn Hatfield 006 3,508 147 4.2% 6.6%
Welwyn Hatfield 016 3,815 144 3.8% 8.1%
Welwyn Hatfield 003 3,213 119 3.7% 5.5%
Welwyn Hatfield 005 3,488 117 3.4% 4.6%
Welwyn Hatfield 011 3,750 112 3.0% 4.8%
Welwyn Hatfield 008 3,999 102 2.6% 4.0%
Welwyn Hatfield 009 3,704 86 2.3% 3.9%
Lowest electric shares
Welwyn Hatfield 013 3,876 65 1.7% 3.2%
Welwyn Hatfield 012 3,281 62 1.9% 3.7%
Welwyn Hatfield 010 4,961 101 2.0% 4.2%
Welwyn Hatfield 004 3,205 67 2.1% 3.9%
Welwyn Hatfield 017 3,182 70 2.2% 4.0%

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

Road traffic and collisions in Welwyn Hatfield

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Welwyn Hatfield, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 16537
2022 18647
2023 17033
2024 17239
2025 12228

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Welwyn Hatfield

Unleaded petrol averages 172.5p a litre across 9 filling stations in Welwyn Hatfield, 0.8p above the UK average. Diesel averages 195.3p, 0.7p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. BP Welham Green Welham Green 168.9p
  2. Certas Energy (Gulf) Yarl Petroleum Limited Hatfield 169.7p
  3. Asda Hatfield Superstore Hatfield 171.7p

Every filling station and price in Welwyn Hatfield

How Welwyn Hatfield compares

Welwyn Hatfield compared with Hertfordshire, the East of England, England, the UK
Welwyn Hatfield 455 4.1% 3.3% 5.4% 350 6.5
Hertfordshire 485 4.3% 3.5% 4.5% 208 12.9
East of England 497 5.2% 2.9% 8.6% 150 15.7
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 Hertfordshire

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

Councils in Hertfordshire
Hertsmere 467 5.4% 4.1% 6.5% 229 15.8
St Albans 500 5.4% 4.6% 3.7% 111 41.3
Three Rivers 511 4.8% 3.9% 4.2% 161 16.7
North Hertfordshire 512 4.4% 3.6% 4.3% 117 27.6
East Hertfordshire 526 4.1% 3.4% 4.0% 135 22.2
Welwyn Hatfield 455 4.1% 3.3% 5.4% 350 6.5
Dacorum 505 3.9% 3.2% 4.0% 159 17.1
Watford 397 3.9% 2.9% 5.2% 563 3.2
Broxbourne 484 3.1% 2.5% 4.6% 153 14.8
Stevenage 449 2.8% 2.2% 4.3% 194 8.6

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 73,678 licensed vehicles in Welwyn Hatfield 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 4,369 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 Welwyn Hatfield 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.