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West Berkshire motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
118,890 licensed vehicles in West Berkshire
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 96,023 +0.6% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 557 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 4,066 4.2% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.6% 51st highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 467 283 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 4.2% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in West Berkshire?

There were 96,023 licensed cars in West Berkshire at the end of March 2026, and 118,890 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 7.7% fewer cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 557 for every 1,000 residents, 37th highest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in West Berkshire

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in West Berkshire at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 130,358104,011
2011 132,664104,645
2012 135,167105,298
2013 150,163120,143
2014 148,184117,788
2015 150,636120,834
2016 154,812124,115
2017 142,543114,112
2018 130,870105,294
2019 122,76598,843
2020 118,88896,077
2021 115,30193,237
2022 115,21693,491
2023 115,55093,811
2024 117,21494,799
2025 118,11795,473
2026 118,89096,023

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, West Berkshire compared
Year West BerkshireSouth EastUnited Kingdom
2011 682534–
2012 685535–
2013 770541–
2014 743547–
2015 764551473
2016 781559480
2017 698567488
2018 643570490
2019 610572493
2020 586561489
2021 579564493
2022 578565489
2023 575567489
2024 578570490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in West Berkshire

58.0% of cars in West Berkshire run on petrol and 28.5% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 48.0% in 2016. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 6.2%, and cars that plug in 6.8%.

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 West Berkshire, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 63.6%35.5%0.7%0.0%0.0%
2011 61.4%37.7%0.8%0.0%0.0%
2012 59.3%39.7%0.8%0.0%0.0%
2013 53.3%45.5%1.0%0.0%0.0%
2014 52.8%46.0%0.9%0.0%0.1%
2015 50.7%47.6%0.9%0.1%0.4%
2016 49.7%48.0%0.8%0.1%1.0%
2017 52.0%45.7%0.8%0.1%1.1%
2018 54.8%43.0%0.9%0.2%0.9%
2019 58.1%39.9%1.0%0.2%0.7%
2020 59.9%37.8%1.1%0.4%0.6%
2021 60.4%36.6%1.4%0.7%0.7%
2022 60.1%35.7%1.8%1.2%1.0%
2023 59.7%34.6%2.5%1.7%1.2%
2024 59.4%32.9%3.4%2.3%1.7%
2025 58.7%30.8%4.8%3.2%2.1%
2026 58.0%28.5%6.2%4.2%2.6%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in West Berkshire

4,066 battery electric cars were licensed in West Berkshire at the end of March 2026, 4.2% of all cars, 94th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 6,526 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 3,056.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.6% are battery electric (3,305 cars), 14th highest of 64 councils in the South East. Companies keep 18.7% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 4.2% of its cars overall. There are also 97 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, West Berkshire compared, end of March each year
Year West BerkshireSouth EastUnited 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%0.5%0.3%
2021 0.7%1.0%0.7%
2022 1.2%1.9%1.3%
2023 1.7%3.0%2.1%
2024 2.3%4.2%3.0%
2025 3.2%5.7%4.1%
2026 4.2%8.7%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in West Berkshire

There were 467 public chargers in West Berkshire on 1 July 2026, 194 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 283 for every 100,000 residents, 41st highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 5.2% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 12.0 privately kept plug-in cars in West Berkshire (UK 11.9), 121st 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 West Berkshire by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 444163
Apr 2026 432165
Jul 2026 467194

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, West Berkshire compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
West Berkshire 283118
South East 15940
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

West Berkshire has 22 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 3.2% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 4.6%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in West Berkshire with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
West Berkshire 003 4,396 204 4.6% 7.5%
West Berkshire 007 6,237 283 4.5% 6.7%
West Berkshire 001 4,848 204 4.2% 6.1%
West Berkshire 022 4,363 174 4.0% 5.8%
West Berkshire 015 4,309 168 3.9% 6.1%
West Berkshire 012 5,079 181 3.6% 5.0%
West Berkshire 004 4,524 154 3.4% 5.8%
West Berkshire 011 7,742 263 3.4% 5.3%
West Berkshire 017 4,512 146 3.2% 5.0%
West Berkshire 018 5,058 164 3.2% 5.7%
Lowest electric shares
West Berkshire 016 4,311 85 2.0% 3.2%
West Berkshire 014 5,537 114 2.1% 3.1%
West Berkshire 013 3,982 95 2.4% 3.5%
West Berkshire 010 3,890 98 2.5% 4.4%
West Berkshire 006 4,683 117 2.5% 4.1%

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

Road traffic and collisions in West Berkshire

Vehicles travelled an estimated 1,880 million miles on roads in West Berkshire in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in West Berkshire
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 1,420
1994 1,459
1995 1,500
1996 1,566
1997 1,622
1998 1,688
1999 1,702
2000 1,730
2001 1,768
2002 1,805
2003 1,781
2004 1,783
2005 1,824
2006 1,838
2007 1,855
2008 1,839
2009 1,805
2010 1,794
2011 1,792
2012 1,735
2013 1,746
2014 1,801
2015 1,899
2016 1,924
2017 1,972
2018 1,937
2019 1,961
2020 1,328
2021 1,502
2022 1,763
2023 1,806
2024 1,820
2025 1,880

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in West Berkshire, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 19341
2022 21048
2023 18450
2024 20650
2025 22172

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in West Berkshire

Unleaded petrol averages 179.8p a litre across 23 filling stations in West Berkshire, 8.1p above the UK average. Diesel averages 201.5p, 6.9p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Asda Pangbourne Express Petrol Reading 172.9p
  2. Esso Asda Pinewood Express Petrol Reading 172.9p
  3. Jet Basildon Service Station Reading 172.9p

Every filling station and price in West Berkshire

How West Berkshire compares

West Berkshire compared with the South East, England, the UK
West Berkshire 557 4.2% 3.6% 4.2% 283 12.0
South East 496 8.7% 3.2% 18.1% 159 16.9
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 the South East

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

Councils in the South East
Windsor and Maidenhead 518 38.0% 3.8% 83.1% 150 23.3
Milton Keynes 455 26.5% 4.4% 61.6% 323 9.0
Slough 382 25.1% 2.6% 51.0% 100 20.4
Portsmouth 361 8.2% 1.6% 36.4% 203 4.8
Elmbridge 528 5.7% 4.5% 4.2% 181 30.9
Cherwell 512 5.2% 3.5% 14.2% 204 13.8
Wokingham 540 5.2% 4.6% 3.1% 159 19.0
Winchester 523 5.0% 4.3% 4.8% 213 17.3
Hart 595 4.9% 3.9% 4.2% 210 23.2
Vale of White Horse 539 4.9% 4.4% 3.1% 194 17.8
Guildford 499 4.8% 4.1% 4.7% 182 19.6
Waverley 565 4.7% 4.2% 2.9% 155 31.6
Epsom and Ewell 461 4.6% 3.7% 4.0% 131 27.0
South Oxfordshire 559 4.6% 3.9% 3.3% 121 28.5
Buckinghamshire 543 4.5% 3.8% 4.1% 141 24.7
Mole Valley 591 4.5% 3.6% 15.6% 286 12.5
Reigate and Banstead 498 4.4% 3.4% 9.3% 123 35.9
Runnymede 496 4.4% 3.4% 6.0% 246 13.8
Surrey Heath 572 4.4% 3.8% 3.4% 207 20.9
Sevenoaks 551 4.3% 3.6% 5.0% 95 37.2
Dartford 441 4.2% 3.4% 5.6% 194 14.5
Eastleigh 539 4.2% 3.3% 4.5% 117 23.6
West Berkshire 557 4.2% 3.6% 4.2% 283 12.0
Basingstoke and Deane 524 4.1% 3.6% 3.2% 141 20.9
East Hampshire 594 4.1% 3.6% 3.3% 84 42.9
Mid Sussex 531 4.1% 3.5% 5.0% 176 17.8
Rushmoor 480 4.1% 2.3% 63.7% 156 11.4
Test Valley 561 4.1% 3.5% 3.9% 118 26.7
Tonbridge and Malling 530 4.1% 3.3% 5.9% 128 18.3
Horsham 580 4.0% 3.4% 3.4% 195 16.4
Tandridge 552 4.0% 3.3% 3.8% 138 30.0
Bracknell Forest 528 3.9% 3.3% 18.1% 159 20.5
Fareham 564 3.9% 3.4% 3.0% 62 47.8
Oxford 280 3.9% 3.0% 5.6% 167 8.2
West Oxfordshire 549 3.9% 3.4% 4.3% 195 15.6
Woking 514 3.9% 3.4% 3.2% 274 12.1
Tunbridge Wells 515 3.8% 3.2% 3.8% 113 25.5
Brighton and Hove 308 3.7% 2.9% 5.3% 283 5.9
Wealden 594 3.6% 3.0% 3.4% 115 26.5
Ashford 511 3.5% 2.8% 4.7% 145 15.9
Canterbury 454 3.5% 2.8% 4.7% 162 14.5
Chichester 557 3.5% 2.9% 4.0% 173 14.7
Lewes 489 3.5% 2.9% 3.8% 140 15.1
Maidstone 515 3.4% 2.8% 4.4% 83 29.6
New Forest 603 3.3% 2.8% 3.3% 177 17.2
Reading 360 3.3% 2.6% 5.1% 189 8.3
Havant 507 3.2% 2.4% 4.8% 72 29.7
Spelthorne 493 3.2% 2.6% 3.6% 160 18.5
Worthing 465 3.1% 2.5% 3.5% 255 7.1
Arun 529 3.0% 2.5% 3.3% 166 12.8
Crawley 433 3.0% 2.3% 4.9% 223 6.9
Gravesham 461 3.0% 2.4% 5.5% 78 24.7
Medway 458 3.0% 2.3% 4.7% 79 25.7
Adur 473 2.9% 2.4% 4.0% 168 10.0
Rother 546 2.9% 2.5% 3.9% 67 36.7
Dover 497 2.8% 2.3% 4.2% 137 13.6
Swale 493 2.8% 2.4% 5.4% 107 18.1
Folkestone and Hythe 494 2.7% 2.3% 4.3% 211 9.2
Eastbourne 427 2.6% 1.9% 6.7% 116 12.4
Isle of Wight 498 2.6% 2.1% 4.2% 135 11.2
Thanet 457 2.6% 2.0% 5.1% 98 18.8
Southampton 370 2.5% 1.8% 4.6% 70 16.3
Gosport 473 2.4% 2.0% 3.3% 100 14.9
Hastings 415 2.4% 1.8% 4.8% 52 19.1

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 118,890 licensed vehicles in West Berkshire 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 6,708 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 West Berkshire 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.