Electric cars by area
Electric cars in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
5,351 of the 194,180 privately kept cars licensed in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole at the end of June 2026 were battery electric, 2.8%, against 3.1% across the UK (DfT and DVLA licensing statistics). With 3,046 plug-in hybrids, 4.3% of private cars plug in. That ranks Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 238 of 359 local authorities and 16 of 26 in South West.
Data to 2026-06-30 · Page updated 2026-09-29 · Publisher: 73 Auto
- Battery electric
- 2.8%
- 0.88× the UK share, private cars
- Plug-in (incl. hybrids)
- 4.3%
- UK 5.1%
- Five years earlier
- 0.4%
- +2.4 pts since June 2020
How Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole compares
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole's battery-electric share is in the middle half of the 359 areas ranked here, and in line with South West (2.9%). The number of privately kept battery electric cars rose 50% in a year, taking the share from 1.8% to 2.8%.
Another 8,169 company-kept cars are registered here, 18.9% of them battery electric. Company cars are recorded at the keeper’s address rather than where they are driven, so the figures above use privately kept cars only.
Electric cars in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, year by year
| Quarter end | Private cars | Battery electric | Share | All plug-ins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2026 | 194,180 | 5,351 | 2.8% | 4.3% |
| June 2025 | 193,036 | 3,559 | 1.8% | 3.0% |
| June 2024 | 193,355 | 2,511 | 1.3% | 2.2% |
| June 2023 | 192,097 | 1,854 | 1.0% | 1.7% |
| June 2022 | 191,787 | 1,279 | 0.7% | 1.2% |
| June 2021 | 192,432 | 744 | 0.4% | 0.7% |
| June 2020 | 189,906 | 451 | 0.2% | 0.5% |
Electric cars across South West
| Area | Private cars | Battery electric | Plug-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stroud | 74,039 | 4.1% | 5.9% |
| Tewkesbury | 57,824 | 3.9% | 5.9% |
| Cotswold | 55,563 | 3.7% | 6.2% |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 90,062 | 3.7% | 5.7% |
| North Somerset | 123,391 | 3.6% | 5.5% |
| South Gloucestershire | 160,127 | 3.4% | 5.3% |
| Cheltenham | 56,767 | 3.4% | 5.3% |
| South Hams | 52,706 | 3.3% | 4.8% |
| Wiltshire | 291,254 | 3.2% | 4.9% |
| Forest of Dean | 52,113 | 3.0% | 4.4% |
| Swindon | 114,818 | 3.0% | 4.8% |
| East Devon | 86,442 | 3.0% | 4.6% |
| Dorset | 224,601 | 2.9% | 4.4% |
| Teignbridge | 76,362 | 2.8% | 4.2% |
| Exeter | 49,454 | 2.8% | 4.1% |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 194,180 | 2.8% | 4.3% |
| West Devon | 33,257 | 2.7% | 4.1% |
| Mid Devon | 47,759 | 2.7% | 4.0% |
| Somerset | 329,253 | 2.7% | 4.1% |
| Gloucester | 64,470 | 2.6% | 4.1% |
| Cornwall | 307,971 | 2.5% | 3.6% |
| Bristol | 178,993 | 2.3% | 3.7% |
| Torridge | 38,760 | 2.2% | 3.4% |
| North Devon | 52,444 | 2.2% | 3.7% |
| Torbay | 65,775 | 2.0% | 3.2% |
| Plymouth | 115,916 | 1.7% | 2.8% |
Areas ranked either side
| Rank | Area | Battery electric |
|---|---|---|
| 235 | Herefordshire | 2.8% |
| 236 | Bolton | 2.8% |
| 237 | Salford | 2.8% |
| 239 | Worthing | 2.8% |
| 240 | Aberdeen City | 2.8% |
| 241 | East Suffolk | 2.7% |
Limitations
Counts are cars licensed (taxed or tax-exempt) at the end of the quarter, by the keeper's registered address. Battery electric excludes plug-in hybrids and range-extended cars, which are counted under plug-ins. Company-kept cars are shown separately because they are registered where the company is, not where they are driven.
Weighing up an electric car in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole?
Enter a registration to see that car's real running costs, tax and MOT history, electric or not. Your first check is free and shows the vehicle summary and its headline ownership cost. The category-by-category breakdown is part of a paid check.
UK number plate or 17-character VIN
Where these figures come from
- Vehicle licensing statistics tables VEH0142 (plug-in cars) and VEH0105 (all cars) by local authority — Department for Transport and DVLA. Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Shares, ranks, changes and regional comparisons (73 Auto analysis of the DfT tables) — 73 Auto. Derived figures.
Figures labelled as 73 Auto estimates are our own analysis of these sources, set out in the methodology and data sources. To report a factual error, see corrections.