Civometry

Licensed vehicles: record highs and lows

The extremes of licensed vehicles as published by Department for Transport, across the 47 periods held here (2014 Q3 to 2026 Q1). Each record is a published figure, not a computed one, and the scope is this series — not “ever”.

The latest figure, 42,448,481 in 2026 Q1, is the highest in the whole published series of 47 periods. The rule: a period counts as beaten only when its figure is strictly below the latest, and the claim is only made when it reaches back at least five years.

Highest published

42,448,4812026 Q1

Lowest published

36,493,7892014 Q4

The full series

Licensed vehicles: 2014 Q3 to 2026 Q1CoalitionConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeLabourLabour020m40m20142016201820202022202420262014 Q3: 36,994,791 vehicles · published 15 July 20262014 Q4: 36,493,789 vehicles · published 15 July 20262015 Q1: 36,761,591 vehicles · published 15 July 20262015 Q2: 37,161,561 vehicles · published 15 July 20262015 Q3: 37,413,302 vehicles · published 15 July 20262015 Q4: 37,344,511 vehicles · published 15 July 20262016 Q1: 37,696,034 vehicles · published 15 July 20262016 Q2: 38,044,922 vehicles · published 15 July 20262016 Q3: 38,274,993 vehicles · published 15 July 20262016 Q4: 38,388,214 vehicles · published 15 July 20262017 Q1: 38,660,700 vehicles · published 15 July 20262017 Q2: 38,970,628 vehicles · published 15 July 20262017 Q3: 39,155,497 vehicles · published 15 July 20262017 Q4: 38,893,327 vehicles · published 15 July 20262018 Q1: 39,057,986 vehicles · published 15 July 20262018 Q2: 39,376,983 vehicles · published 15 July 20262018 Q3: 39,552,241 vehicles · published 15 July 20262018 Q4: 39,364,569 vehicles · published 15 July 20262019 Q1: 39,594,838 vehicles · published 15 July 20262019 Q2: 39,904,550 vehicles · published 15 July 20262019 Q3: 40,093,459 vehicles · published 15 July 20262019 Q4: 39,890,462 vehicles · published 15 July 20262020 Q1: 39,532,761 vehicles · published 15 July 20262020 Q2: 39,557,205 vehicles · published 15 July 20262020 Q3: 40,055,355 vehicles · published 15 July 20262020 Q4: 39,800,924 vehicles · published 15 July 20262021 Q1: 39,874,807 vehicles · published 15 July 20262021 Q2: 40,457,514 vehicles · published 15 July 20262021 Q3: 40,485,348 vehicles · published 15 July 20262021 Q4: 40,274,788 vehicles · published 15 July 20262022 Q1: 40,366,293 vehicles · published 15 July 20262022 Q2: 40,683,807 vehicles · published 15 July 20262022 Q3: 40,772,387 vehicles · published 15 July 20262022 Q4: 40,697,653 vehicles · published 15 July 20262023 Q1: 40,814,791 vehicles · published 15 July 20262023 Q2: 41,202,598 vehicles · published 15 July 20262023 Q3: 41,324,641 vehicles · published 15 July 20262023 Q4: 41,175,278 vehicles · published 15 July 20262024 Q1: 41,384,675 vehicles · published 15 July 20262024 Q2: 41,745,581 vehicles · published 15 July 20262024 Q3: 41,863,330 vehicles · published 15 July 20262024 Q4: 41,664,430 vehicles · published 15 July 20262025 Q1: 41,888,133 vehicles · published 15 July 20262025 Q2: 42,261,227 vehicles · published 15 July 20262025 Q3: 42,432,716 vehicles · published 15 July 20262025 Q4: 42,283,514 vehicles · published 15 July 20262026 Q1: 42,448,481 vehicles · published 15 July 2026
Published valueProvisional or revisedLatestShaded bands: governments (see labels)Hover or use arrow keys to read a value

What a record here is, and is not

A record is the extreme of the periods this site holds for the current series, at each period’s newest published release. Earlier series measured under different methods are not compared against it. Money is in cash terms: a record set years ago stands against the money of its own year.