The number of licensed vehicles on UK roads has reached 42.9 million, according to the latest official figures, driven by a significant surge in the adoption of zero-emission cars.
The Department for Transport released the updated vehicle licensing statistics for the second quarter of 2026 on 23 September, revealing a 1.5% increase in total vehicle numbers compared to the previous year. The data shows that first-time registrations between April and June 2026 rose to 682,000, representing a 12% jump from the same period in 2025.
Central to this growth is the rapid expansion of the zero-emission fleet. There are now 2,313,000 zero-emission vehicles licensed across the country, a 30.7% increase year-on-year. For new registrations specifically, zero-emission car registrations rose by 40.5% to 147,000 during the second quarter.
Local data for the Arun district
While the headline figures provide a national overview, the release includes detailed datasets that allow for analysis at a local authority level. For residents in Bognor Regis and the wider Arun district, the updated records provide a fresh look at how local vehicle ownership is evolving.
At the end of 2023, the Arun district recorded approximately 108,200 licensed vehicles. The new data release allows researchers and the public to track how this figure has changed through to mid-2026, including the local uptake of electric and hybrid models.
The Department for Transport provides these statistics as accredited official data, primarily sourced from Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) administrative records. The figures for specific areas like Arun are contained within the VEH0105 and VEH0132 tables. These are provided as CSV text files, designed to be downloaded and used in spreadsheet software for detailed local analysis.
Contrasting trends in heavy goods vehicles
Despite the overall growth in vehicle numbers and the sharp rise in electric cars, the data highlighted a decline in the heavy goods vehicle (HGV) sector. New HGV registrations fell by 11.7% compared to the second quarter of 2025, contrasting with the growth seen in the passenger car and van markets.
The statistics also confirm that the vast majority of the UK’s 42.9 million vehicles remain petrol or diesel-powered, even as the transition to zero-emission technology accelerates. The 2.3 million zero-emission vehicles currently account for roughly 5.4% of the total national fleet.
For those looking to access the raw data, the Department for Transport continues to publish these updates quarterly, providing transparency on fuel types, vehicle ages, and regional distribution across the United Kingdom.
