West Midlands · County

Worcestershire motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
438,118 licensed vehicles in Worcestershire
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 356,338 −2.2% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 546 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 13,039 3.7% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.9% UK 2.8%
  • Public chargers 865 139 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 4.7% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Worcestershire?

There were 356,338 licensed cars in Worcestershire at the end of March 2026, and 438,118 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 14.2% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 546 for every 1,000 residents (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Worcestershire

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Worcestershire at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 370,344312,075
2011 373,624315,293
2012 377,597318,432
2013 383,039323,558
2014 390,847329,707
2015 397,561335,213
2016 407,718342,775
2017 419,159352,203
2018 421,268352,850
2019 424,850353,576
2020 425,595354,679
2021 424,202350,764
2022 433,046354,662
2023 463,249375,729
2024 445,426363,819
2025 446,349364,489
2026 438,118356,338

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, Worcestershire compared
Year WorcestershireWest MidlandsUnited Kingdom
2011 560506
2012 562502
2013 571503
2014 578500
2015 584506473
2016 586513480
2017 599523488
2018 595524490
2019 592519493
2020 586515489
2021 585485493
2022 621480489
2023 611479489
2024 583476490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Worcestershire

56.2% of cars in Worcestershire run on petrol and 30.9% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 40.0% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 6.9%, and cars that plug in 5.6%.

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 Worcestershire, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 70.6%29.1%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 68.8%30.7%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 66.5%33.0%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2013 64.3%35.1%0.3%0.1%0.0%
2014 62.7%36.6%0.3%0.1%0.0%
2015 61.4%37.9%0.4%0.1%0.0%
2016 60.6%38.7%0.4%0.1%0.1%
2017 59.4%39.7%0.5%0.1%0.1%
2018 59.0%40.0%0.6%0.2%0.2%
2019 59.8%38.9%0.8%0.2%0.2%
2020 60.6%37.7%0.9%0.3%0.3%
2021 60.1%37.3%1.3%0.7%0.4%
2022 59.3%36.6%2.0%1.1%0.8%
2023 59.1%34.1%2.7%2.3%1.5%
2024 58.4%33.8%4.0%2.1%1.4%
2025 56.8%32.1%6.0%2.9%1.7%
2026 56.2%30.9%6.9%3.7%1.9%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Worcestershire

13,039 battery electric cars were licensed in Worcestershire at the end of March 2026, 3.7% of all cars. With plug-in hybrids, 19,952 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 10,699.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.9% are battery electric (9,943 cars). Companies keep 23.7% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 4.7% 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, Worcestershire compared, end of March each year
Year WorcestershireWest MidlandsUnited 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 0.7%0.6%0.7%
2022 1.1%1.1%1.3%
2023 2.3%1.3%2.1%
2024 2.1%1.7%3.0%
2025 2.9%2.5%4.1%
2026 3.7%3.4%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Worcestershire

There were 865 public chargers in Worcestershire on 1 July 2026, 370 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 139 for every 100,000 residents, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 7.9% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 19.2 privately kept plug-in cars in Worcestershire (UK 11.9). A higher number means more competition for each public charger, though many drivers charge at home.

Public chargers

Public EV chargers in Worcestershire by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 802300
Apr 2026 820333
Jul 2026 865370

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Worcestershire compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Worcestershire 13960
West Midlands 16446
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Road traffic and collisions in Worcestershire

Vehicles travelled an estimated 4,665 million miles on roads in Worcestershire in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Worcestershire
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 3,335
1994 3,407
1995 3,481
1996 3,645
1997 3,762
1998 3,848
1999 3,959
2000 3,974
2001 3,930
2002 4,091
2003 3,994
2004 4,084
2005 4,089
2006 4,228
2007 4,283
2008 4,202
2009 4,159
2010 4,102
2011 4,124
2012 4,008
2013 4,078
2014 4,203
2015 4,282
2016 4,357
2017 4,397
2018 4,390
2019 4,452
2020 3,416
2021 3,903
2022 4,352
2023 4,472
2024 4,594
2025 4,665

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Worcestershire, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 758226
2022 755206
2023 653209
2024 688223
2025 656227

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Worcestershire

Unleaded petrol averages 173.0p a litre across 84 filling stations in Worcestershire, 1.3p above the UK average. Diesel averages 195.0p, 0.4p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

How Worcestershire compares

Worcestershire compared with the West Midlands, England, the UK
Worcestershire 546 3.7% 2.9% 4.7% 139 19.2
West Midlands 455 3.4% 2.5% 6.1% 164 11.6
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 Worcestershire

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

Councils in Worcestershire
Bromsgrove 552 4.7% 3.8% 5.1% 191 18.3
Wychavon 586 3.8% 3.2% 4.5% 150 21.1
Malvern Hills 591 3.7% 3.1% 3.9% 123 24.3
Redditch 509 3.6% 2.6% 6.1% 81 32.9
Worcester 479 3.1% 2.4% 4.8% 205 8.6
Wyre Forest 544 2.8% 2.3% 4.2% 69 30.1

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 438,118 licensed vehicles in Worcestershire 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 20,516 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
  • Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in Worcestershire 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.

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.