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These areas have the highest increase in EV ownership in one year

ended 01. June 2026

Blaenau Gwent is leading Britain's electric car boom, recording the fastest growth in private EV ownership, with battery electric vehicle (BEV) numbers rising by almost 90% year on year, according to new analysis of Government data by AA Cars. 

The latest vehicle licensing data from the Department for Transport and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) shows motorists in Blaenau Gwent in Wales owned 370 privately-owned battery electric cars in 2025 Q4, up from 197 a year earlier.

Knowsley and Hull rank second and third, with private BEV ownership rising by 86.7% and 86.6%, respectively.

At the other end of the scale, London leads the ranking for the slowest-rising rates of EV ownership in the UK. Kensington and Chelsea recorded the slowest year-on-year growth in private battery electric car ownership, with numbers rising by 3.7%. 

However, this still means the borough had 2,272 privately-owned battery electric cars in 2025 Q4 – more than six times the number recorded in Blaenau Gwent, despite the Welsh local authority topping the growth ranking.

  • Why do you think London is seeing slower growth than the rest of the UK?
  • Do you have an EV? Are you surprised by these figures?
  • Do you live in one of the areas below? 
  • Any other thoughts?

1 responses from the Newspage community

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Editor
Kate Underwood
Founder & Chief People Strategist at Kate Underwood HR and Training
London isn't slow because people don't want EVs. Kensington and Chelsea already has a Tesla in every other driveway, so it's saturation, not scepticism. The real story is what's quietly fuelling places like Blaenau Gwent: salary sacrifice. I've watched EV salary sacrifice schemes go from a nice perk to a proper recruitment magnet in about eighteen months. Employees can save thousands through tax and NI relief, employers trim their NIC bill, and suddenly an EV is doable for someone on £30k, not just the boardroom set.
It's not the postcode driving EV growth, it's the payslip.
Employers are finally cottoning on to the fact that they can offer this without breaking the bank, and staff are biting their hands off for it. Throw in the charging infrastructure gap in dense cities and it's no surprise the regions are stealing the headlines, and quite possibly the talent, too.