Top 10 council areas for EV ownership

Britain’s local council areas with highest and lowest numbers of privately-owned electric vehicles have been revealed – with Buckinghamshire coming out on top.

As the government’s goal to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2040 draws nearer, the number of electric vehicles (EV) on our roads continues to rise rapidly, with 84,000 zero emission cars registered for the first time in Q1 2024 compared to the previous year – an increase of 11%.*

With that in mind, the car insurance experts at Tiger.co.uk have crunched the numbers to determine the UK’s top 10 electric vehicle hotspots, as well as the 10 areas with the lowest EV adoption.

The research – which focused on ‘pure’ electric or battery electric vehicles (BEVs) – highlighted a stark geographical divide in electric vehicle ownership, with most of the top 10 council areas being in southern England or the midlands.

Buckinghamshire Council in the South East was the clear winner with 7,433 registered BEVs as of Q2 2024.

The only council area outside of England to make it into the top 10 was City of Edinburgh, coming in at 7^th place with 3,659 privately owned BEVs.

At the other end of the scale, four of the 10 council areas with the lowest EV ownership are located in the North West of England. The local authority with the smallest number of registered BEVs in Great Britain is Merthyr Tydfil, Wales.

10 Council areas with highest number of privately owned battery electric vehicles

10 Council areas with lowest number of privately owned battery electric vehicles

Figures do not include the Shetland or Orkney Islands

References:

*https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/vehicle-licensing-statistics-january-to-march-2024/vehicle-licensing-statistics-january-to-march-2024