My Garage

Popular searches

South West · Unitary authority

Wiltshire motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
506,007 licensed vehicles in Wiltshire
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 380,374 +6.3% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 552 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 31,772 8.4% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.9% 156th highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 615 117 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 24.1% UK 9.9%

Company fleets. The number of cars registered in Wiltshire changed by +6.3% in a year. DVLA counts company cars at the company’s registered address, so leasing and rental fleets land where those firms are based and move when they move. The figures for privately kept cars are the better guide to local drivers.

How many cars are there in Wiltshire?

There were 380,374 licensed cars in Wiltshire at the end of March 2026, and 506,007 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 52.8% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 552 for every 1,000 residents, 48th highest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Wiltshire

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Wiltshire at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 307,284248,886
2011 314,433252,111
2012 318,618253,714
2013 325,640257,522
2014 330,598262,034
2015 338,879266,686
2016 348,392273,075
2017 356,602279,588
2018 359,217282,346
2019 366,343286,563
2020 370,225290,876
2021 424,105325,370
2022 453,789339,961
2023 458,372341,144
2024 465,272346,638
2025 479,525357,926
2026 506,007380,374

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, Wiltshire compared
Year WiltshireSouth WestUnited Kingdom
2011 534524–
2012 535527–
2013 542533–
2014 548541–
2015 551546473
2016 558550480
2017 566565488
2018 571569490
2019 573580493
2020 568573489
2021 664575493
2022 659571489
2023 660570489
2024 668571490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Wiltshire

50.7% of cars in Wiltshire run on petrol and 26.4% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 41.4% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 10.4%, and cars that plug in 12.1%.

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 Wiltshire, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 69.3%30.4%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 67.4%32.2%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 65.7%33.8%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2013 63.8%35.7%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 62.1%37.3%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2015 60.4%39.0%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2016 59.1%40.2%0.4%0.1%0.1%
2017 58.0%41.1%0.5%0.1%0.1%
2018 57.5%41.4%0.7%0.2%0.2%
2019 57.6%41.0%0.8%0.2%0.3%
2020 57.8%40.4%1.0%0.3%0.3%
2021 55.4%40.1%1.7%1.3%1.3%
2022 54.1%38.2%2.4%3.0%2.2%
2023 53.6%35.7%3.0%4.8%2.6%
2024 53.4%32.8%4.2%6.1%3.2%
2025 52.3%29.7%6.5%7.5%3.7%
2026 50.7%26.4%10.4%8.4%3.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Wiltshire

31,772 battery electric cars were licensed in Wiltshire at the end of March 2026, 8.4% of all cars, 15th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 46,190 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 26,785.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.9% are battery electric (8,328 cars), 9th highest of 27 councils in the South West. Companies keep 73.8% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 24.1% of its cars overall. There are also 6,808 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, Wiltshire compared, end of March each year
Year WiltshireSouth WestUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.2%0.1%0.1%
2019 0.2%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.3%0.4%0.3%
2021 1.3%1.0%0.7%
2022 3.0%2.1%1.3%
2023 4.8%3.2%2.1%
2024 6.1%4.2%3.0%
2025 7.5%5.2%4.1%
2026 8.4%4.9%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Wiltshire

There were 615 public chargers in Wiltshire on 1 July 2026, 249 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 117 for every 100,000 residents, 128th lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 0.7% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 18.3 privately kept plug-in cars in Wiltshire (UK 11.9), 140th most 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 Wiltshire by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 611238
Apr 2026 713230
Jul 2026 615249

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Wiltshire compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Wiltshire 11748
South West 15750
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Wiltshire has 64 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.4% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 3.9%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Wiltshire with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Wiltshire 008 6,077 238 3.9% 5.8%
Wiltshire 023 4,487 175 3.9% 5.7%
Wiltshire 004 5,615 200 3.6% 5.3%
Wiltshire 001 5,498 186 3.4% 4.9%
Wiltshire 003 5,894 198 3.4% 5.3%
Wiltshire 013 6,953 227 3.3% 5.2%
Wiltshire 027 6,031 198 3.3% 5.1%
Wiltshire 002 5,344 170 3.2% 4.7%
Wiltshire 009 5,841 189 3.2% 4.7%
Wiltshire 017 5,578 176 3.2% 5.0%
Lowest electric shares
Wiltshire 031 3,559 35 1.0% 1.7%
Wiltshire 055 3,522 44 1.2% 1.9%
Wiltshire 066 3,970 54 1.4% 2.8%
Wiltshire 045 5,611 77 1.4% 2.9%
Wiltshire 035 4,663 72 1.5% 2.5%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of March 2026. 3 neighbourhoods are left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in Wiltshire

Vehicles travelled an estimated 3,850 million miles on roads in Wiltshire in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Wiltshire
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 2,735
1994 2,812
1995 2,874
1996 2,963
1997 3,035
1998 3,113
1999 3,095
2000 3,081
2001 3,158
2002 3,251
2003 3,326
2004 3,329
2005 3,412
2006 3,491
2007 3,558
2008 3,512
2009 3,470
2010 3,462
2011 3,472
2012 3,474
2013 3,489
2014 3,637
2015 3,708
2016 3,818
2017 3,870
2018 3,863
2019 3,941
2020 3,050
2021 3,397
2022 3,611
2023 3,724
2024 3,742
2025 3,850

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Wiltshire, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 845188
2022 955234
2023 948227
2024 880225
2025 1,027306

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Wiltshire

Unleaded petrol averages 172.5p a litre across 73 filling stations in Wiltshire, 0.8p above the UK average. Diesel averages 195.0p, 0.4p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Tesco Amesbury Superstore Salisbury 164.9p
  2. Asda Amesbury Express Petrol Salisbury 164.9p
  3. Nisa-Murco Bulford Salisbury 164.9p

Every filling station and price in Wiltshire

How Wiltshire compares

Wiltshire compared with the South West, England, the UK
Wiltshire 552 8.4% 2.9% 24.1% 117 18.3
South West 506 4.9% 2.6% 9.6% 157 13.3
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 West

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

Councils in the South West
South Gloucestershire 520 19.1% 3.1% 36.8% 162 15.8
Wiltshire 552 8.4% 2.9% 24.1% 117 18.3
Exeter 355 4.5% 2.5% 34.1% 259 5.4
Stroud 585 4.2% 3.8% 3.4% 199 15.6
Tewkesbury 564 4.1% 3.5% 3.7% 157 22.2
Cotswold 602 4.0% 3.4% 3.7% 310 10.6
Bath and North East Somerset 449 3.9% 3.4% 3.4% 90 26.8
North Somerset 546 3.9% 3.2% 4.4% 107 28.4
Cheltenham 464 3.6% 3.0% 3.5% 272 9.4
South Hams 568 3.6% 3.0% 3.8% 145 16.6
Swindon 468 3.5% 2.7% 5.6% 138 16.6
Isles of Scilly 233 3.3% 1.3% 5.0% 676 0.5
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 472 3.1% 2.5% 4.0% 112 17.1
Dorset 571 3.1% 2.6% 3.8% 196 12.0
East Devon 542 3.1% 2.7% 3.4% 200 11.5
Forest of Dean 576 3.1% 2.7% 3.6% 194 11.9
Gloucester 463 3.0% 2.4% 4.5% 149 12.6
Teignbridge 547 3.0% 2.5% 3.7% 147 13.9
Bristol 360 2.8% 2.1% 4.7% 99 15.0
Mid Devon 557 2.8% 2.4% 3.9% 91 22.8
Somerset 555 2.8% 2.4% 3.7% 137 14.6
Cornwall 523 2.7% 2.2% 4.4% 235 7.5
West Devon 561 2.7% 2.4% 3.5% 178 11.7
North Devon 514 2.5% 2.0% 4.2% 208 7.8
Torridge 550 2.4% 2.0% 4.5% 107 15.6
Torbay 467 2.3% 1.8% 4.7% 97 13.6
Plymouth 424 2.1% 1.5% 4.6% 162 6.6

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 506,007 licensed vehicles in Wiltshire 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 53,549 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 Wiltshire 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.