Electric cars by area
Electric cars in Central Bedfordshire
6,941 of the 171,327 privately kept cars licensed in Central Bedfordshire at the end of June 2026 were battery electric, 4.1%, against 3.1% across the UK (DfT and DVLA licensing statistics). With 3,645 plug-in hybrids, 6.2% of private cars plug in. That ranks Central Bedfordshire 51 of 359 local authorities and 7 of 45 in East.
Data to 2026-06-30 · Page updated 2026-09-29 · Publisher: 73 Auto
- Battery electric
- 4.1%
- 1.30× the UK share, private cars
- Plug-in (incl. hybrids)
- 6.2%
- UK 5.1%
- Five years earlier
- 0.5%
- +3.6 pts since June 2020
How Central Bedfordshire compares
Central Bedfordshire's battery-electric share is in the top quarter of the 359 areas ranked here, and above East (3.2%). The number of privately kept battery electric cars rose 50% in a year, taking the share from 2.7% to 4.1%.
Another 8,065 company-kept cars are registered here, 19.0% 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 Central Bedfordshire, year by year
| Quarter end | Private cars | Battery electric | Share | All plug-ins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2026 | 171,327 | 6,941 | 4.1% | 6.2% |
| June 2025 | 169,636 | 4,629 | 2.7% | 4.3% |
| June 2024 | 167,931 | 3,226 | 1.9% | 3.1% |
| June 2023 | 164,683 | 2,176 | 1.3% | 2.2% |
| June 2022 | 162,078 | 1,433 | 0.9% | 1.6% |
| June 2021 | 160,388 | 735 | 0.5% | 0.9% |
| June 2020 | 156,861 | 464 | 0.3% | 0.6% |
Electric cars across East
| Area | Private cars | Battery electric | Plug-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Cambridgeshire | 94,436 | 5.4% | 7.9% |
| St Albans | 75,972 | 5.0% | 8.1% |
| Hertsmere | 51,649 | 4.4% | 7.4% |
| Cambridge | 40,356 | 4.4% | 6.7% |
| Uttlesford | 56,354 | 4.2% | 6.8% |
| Three Rivers | 49,187 | 4.2% | 7.3% |
| Central Bedfordshire | 171,327 | 4.1% | 6.2% |
| North Hertfordshire | 70,617 | 4.0% | 6.3% |
| East Cambridgeshire | 52,656 | 3.9% | 5.8% |
| Huntingdonshire | 104,549 | 3.8% | 5.9% |
| East Hertfordshire | 83,030 | 3.7% | 6.3% |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 56,274 | 3.6% | 6.0% |
| Bedford | 94,665 | 3.6% | 5.5% |
| Epping Forest | 68,639 | 3.6% | 6.3% |
| Dacorum | 82,038 | 3.5% | 5.9% |
| South Norfolk | 85,173 | 3.5% | 5.1% |
| Chelmsford | 95,241 | 3.3% | 5.7% |
| Brentwood | 39,762 | 3.2% | 6.4% |
| Mid Suffolk | 67,803 | 3.2% | 4.8% |
| Broadland | 79,557 | 3.2% | 4.8% |
| Watford | 42,631 | 3.0% | 5.7% |
| Maldon | 41,799 | 2.9% | 5.0% |
| Babergh | 57,222 | 2.9% | 4.7% |
| Colchester | 94,843 | 2.9% | 4.7% |
| Rochford | 49,721 | 2.9% | 5.0% |
| Broxbourne | 49,526 | 2.8% | 5.0% |
| East Suffolk | 137,481 | 2.7% | 4.3% |
| Breckland | 81,765 | 2.7% | 4.1% |
| Braintree | 88,236 | 2.7% | 4.5% |
| West Suffolk | 103,144 | 2.7% | 4.1% |
| Peterborough | 96,211 | 2.6% | 4.5% |
| King's Lynn and West Norfolk | 84,346 | 2.6% | 4.2% |
| Thurrock | 82,966 | 2.6% | 5.2% |
| Stevenage | 41,329 | 2.6% | 4.2% |
| Harlow | 43,619 | 2.5% | 4.3% |
| Basildon | 89,209 | 2.5% | 4.7% |
| North Norfolk | 59,335 | 2.4% | 3.8% |
| Fenland | 56,569 | 2.4% | 3.8% |
| Luton | 90,284 | 2.3% | 4.6% |
| Tendring | 80,468 | 2.2% | 3.5% |
| Castle Point | 48,340 | 2.2% | 4.1% |
| Southend-on-Sea | 79,635 | 2.2% | 3.8% |
| Great Yarmouth | 47,424 | 1.9% | 3.0% |
| Ipswich | 62,583 | 1.9% | 3.1% |
| Norwich | 51,719 | 1.9% | 2.9% |
Areas ranked either side
| Rank | Area | Battery electric |
|---|---|---|
| 48 | Stratford-on-Avon | 4.1% |
| 49 | Stafford | 4.1% |
| 50 | Rugby | 4.1% |
| 52 | East Hampshire | 4.0% |
| 53 | Chorley | 4.0% |
| 54 | Warrington | 4.0% |
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 Central Bedfordshire?
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.