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Worthing motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
65,050 licensed vehicles in Worthing
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 55,087 +0.4% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 467 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 1,853 3.4% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.8% 140th lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 290 255 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 3.6% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Worthing?

There were 55,087 licensed cars in Worthing at the end of June 2026, and 65,050 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 14.8% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 467 for every 1,000 residents, 136th lowest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Worthing

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Worthing at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 55,60947,997
2011 56,12648,262
2012 56,42148,425
2013 57,25949,118
2014 58,21949,828
2015 59,17150,627
2016 60,41051,664
2017 61,79152,790
2018 62,25353,195
2019 62,94953,812
2020 62,39653,402
2021 63,73454,186
2022 63,71853,921
2023 64,02954,090
2024 64,31154,501
2025 64,74154,850
2026 65,05055,087

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.

Cars per 1,000 residents at mid-year, Worthing compared
Year WorthingSouth EastUnited Kingdom
2011 460534–
2012 458535–
2013 462541–
2014 464547–
2015 467551473
2016 473559480
2017 480567488
2018 482570490
2019 485572493
2020 481561489
2021 485564493
2022 481565489
2023 479567489
2024 479570490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Worthing

63.9% of cars in Worthing run on petrol and 23.3% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 28.6% in 2020. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 7.8%, and cars that plug in 4.7%.

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.

Share of licensed cars by fuel type in Worthing, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 81.3%18.4%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 79.8%19.9%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 78.2%21.4%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 76.9%22.7%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 75.3%24.2%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 73.7%25.7%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2016 72.1%27.1%0.6%0.1%0.1%
2017 71.0%28.0%0.7%0.1%0.1%
2018 70.5%28.3%0.9%0.2%0.1%
2019 70.1%28.4%1.0%0.2%0.2%
2020 69.6%28.6%1.3%0.2%0.2%
2021 68.7%28.6%1.8%0.4%0.4%
2022 67.8%28.3%2.5%0.7%0.5%
2023 67.2%27.5%3.4%1.1%0.7%
2024 66.5%26.4%4.6%1.6%0.8%
2025 65.4%25.0%6.0%2.3%1.1%
2026 63.9%23.3%7.8%3.4%1.3%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Worthing

1,853 battery electric cars were licensed in Worthing at the end of June 2026, 3.4% of all cars, 129th lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 2,589 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 1,276.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.8% are battery electric (1,464 cars), 20th lowest of 64 councils in the South East. Companies keep 21.0% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 3.6% of its cars overall. There are also 90 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, Worthing compared, end of March each year
Year WorthingSouth 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%0.3%0.2%
2020 0.2%0.5%0.4%
2021 0.4%1.1%0.8%
2022 0.7%2.2%1.5%
2023 1.1%3.3%2.3%
2024 1.6%4.5%3.2%
2025 2.3%6.4%4.4%
2026 3.4%9.3%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Worthing

There were 290 public chargers in Worthing on 1 July 2026, 30 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 255 for every 100,000 residents, 51st highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 14.2% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 7.4 privately kept plug-in cars in Worthing (UK 12.9), 46th 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 Worthing by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 25430
Apr 2026 27330
Jul 2026 29030

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Worthing compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Worthing 25526
West Sussex 19335
South East 15940
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Worthing has 13 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.0% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 3.8%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Worthing with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Worthing 013 5,403 207 3.8% 5.6%
Worthing 001 5,878 205 3.5% 5.0%
Worthing 004 4,629 158 3.4% 5.3%
Worthing 006 5,723 178 3.1% 4.1%
Worthing 002 4,870 114 2.3% 3.5%
Worthing 012 4,779 109 2.3% 3.5%
Worthing 007 5,511 109 2.0% 2.7%
Worthing 009 3,673 75 2.0% 2.8%
Worthing 008 3,880 74 1.9% 2.9%
Worthing 010 3,721 69 1.9% 2.7%
Lowest electric shares
Worthing 011 3,986 63 1.6% 2.5%
Worthing 005 4,378 76 1.7% 2.6%
Worthing 003 4,669 81 1.7% 2.4%
Worthing 010 3,721 69 1.9% 2.7%
Worthing 008 3,880 74 1.9% 2.9%

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

Road traffic and collisions in Worthing

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Worthing, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 20550
2022 20446
2023 22450
2024 19353
2025 16340

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Worthing

Unleaded petrol averages 169.7p a litre across 8 filling stations in Worthing, 1.8p below the UK average. Diesel averages 195.6p, 3.1p below the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. BP MFG Brooklands Worthing 167.9p
  2. Esso MFG Worthing Worthing 167.9p
  3. Sainsbury's Lyons Farm Worthing 168.9p

Every filling station and price in Worthing

How Worthing compares

Worthing compared with West Sussex, the South East, England, the UK
Worthing 467 3.4% 2.8% 3.6% 255 7.4
West Sussex 521 3.8% 3.2% 4.0% 193 13.6
South East 499 9.3% 3.5% 18.5% 159 17.7
England 440 6.2% 3.2% 10.7% 173 13.4
United Kingdom4445.8%3.1%10.0%17512.9

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 June 2026.

Driving test centres in Worthing

There is 1 DVSA car practical test centre in Worthing, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 59.8% at Worthing.

Other centres in West 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 West Sussex

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

Councils in West Sussex
Mid Sussex 535 4.5% 3.8% 5.0% 176 18.8
Horsham 583 4.3% 3.7% 3.4% 195 17.4
Chichester 562 3.8% 3.2% 4.1% 173 17.0
Worthing 467 3.4% 2.8% 3.6% 255 7.4
Arun 532 3.3% 2.9% 3.3% 166 14.1
Adur 476 3.2% 2.6% 4.1% 168 11.2
Crawley 435 3.2% 2.5% 4.9% 223 8.2

Data stories to read next

All insights

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
Licensed vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 65,050 licensed vehicles in Worthing 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 2,719 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 Worthing 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.