Vehicle licensing statistics data files
Detailed information about vehicles in the UK, which would be too large to use as structured tables. They are provided as simple CSV text files.
Data tables containing aggregated information about vehicles in the UK are also available.
Recent changes
A number of changes were introduced to these data files in the 2022 release to help meet the needs of our users and to provide more detail.
Fuel type has been added to:
- df_VEH0120_GB
- df_VEH0120_UK
- df_VEH0160_GB
- df_VEH0160_UK
Historic UK data has been added to:
- df_VEH0124 (now split into 2 files)
- df_VEH0220
- df_VEH0270
A new datafile has been added df_VEH0520.
We welcome any feedback on the structure of our data files, their usability, or any suggestions for improvements; please contact vehicles statistics.
How to use CSV files
CSV files can be used either as a spreadsheet (using Microsoft Excel or similar spreadsheet packages) or digitally using software packages and languages (for example, R or Python).
When using as a spreadsheet, there will be no formatting, but the file can still be explored like our publication tables. Due to their size, older software might not be able to open the entire file.
Download data files
Make and model by quarter
df_VEH0120_GB:
Scope: All registered vehicles in Great Britain; from 1994 Quarter 4 (end December)
Schema: BodyType, Make, GenModel, Model, Fuel, LicenceStatus, [number of vehicles; one column per quarter]
df_VEH0120_UK:
Scope: All registered vehicles in the United Kingdom; from 2014 Quarter 3 (end September)
Schema: BodyType, Make, GenModel, Model, Fuel, LicenceStatus, [number of vehicles; one column per quarter]
df_VEH0160_GB:
Scope: All vehicles registered for the first time in Great Britain; from 2001 Quarter 1 (January to March)
Schema: BodyType, Make, GenModel, Model, Fuel, [number of vehicles; one column per quarter]
df_VEH0160_UK:
Scope: All vehicles registered for the first time in the United Kingdom; from 2014 Quarter 3 (July to September)
Schema: BodyType, Make, GenModel, Model, Fuel, [number of vehicles; one column per quarter]
Make and model by age
In order to keep the datafile df_VEH0124 to a reasonable size, it has been split into two halves, one covering makes starting with A to M, and the other covering makes starting with N to Z.
df_VEH0124_AM:
Scope: All licensed vehicles in the United Kingdom with Make starting with A to M; annually from 2014
Schema: BodyType, Make, GenModel, Model, YearFirstUsed, YearManufacture, LicenceStatus, [number of vehicles; one column per year]
df_VEH0124_NZ:
Scope: All licensed vehicles in the United Kingdom with Make starting with N to Z; annually from 2014
Schema: BodyType, Make, GenModel, Model, YearFirstUsed, YearManufacture, LicenceStatus, [number of vehicles; one column per year]
Make and model by engine size
df_VEH0220:
Scope: All licensed vehicles in the United Kingdom; annually from 2014
Schema: BodyType, Make, GenModel, Model, Fuel, EngineSizeSimple, EngineSizeDesc, LicenceStatus, [number of vehicles; one column per year]
df_VEH0270:
Scope: All vehicles registered for the first time in the United Kingdom; annually from 2015
Schema: BodyType, Make, GenModel, Model, Fuel, EngineSizeSimple, EngineSizeDesc, [number of vehicles; one column per year]
Vehicles by small geography
In order to keep these files to a reasonable size, small areas which have never had 5 or more vehicles in scope are excluded from these datasets, with those vehicles combined into the Miscellaneous row. This means a number of LSOAs will be missing from the file.
df_VEH0125:
Scope: All licensed vehicles in the United Kingdom; Great Britain from 2009 Quarter 4 (end December); and United Kingdom from 2014 Quarter 3 (end September)
Schema: LSOA11CD, LSOA11NM, BodyType, Keepership, LicenceStatus, [number of vehicles; one column per quarter]
df_VEH0135:
Scope: All licensed ultra low emission vehicles in the United Kingdom; from 2011 Quarter 4 (end December)
Schema: LSOA11CD, LSOA11NM, Fuel, Keepership, [number of vehicles; one column per quarter]
df_VEH0145:
Scope: All licensed plug-in vehicles in the United Kingdom; from 2011 Quarter 4 (end December)
Schema: LSOA11CD, LSOA11NM, Fuel, Keepership, [number of vehicles; one column per quarter]
Heavy goods vehicles
This datafile replaces the following withdrawn tables:
- VEH0520
- VEH0521
- VEH0522
- VEH0523
- VEH0524
- VEH0525
- VEH0506
df_VEH0520:
Scope: All licensed heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in the United Kingdom; annually; Great Britain from 1994; and United Kingdom from 2014
Schema: Geography, TaxClass, WheelPlan, WheelPlanDetailed, BodyTypeDetailed, RoadUsing, MaximumGrossWeightBand, YearFirstUsed, Fuel, [number of vehicles; one column per year]
Variables
The same variables are used across the data files to maintain consistency and ease of use.
Table 1: Metadata for general variables within VEH data files
| Name | Type | Size | Example value | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BodyType | String | 17 | Cars | The 6 main body type categories used throughout the VEH series |
| Make | String | 50 [note 1] | MINI | Vehicle make derived from make model codes |
| GenModel | String | 50 [note 1] | MINI COUNTRYMAN | Grouping of model variants to help compare models in the market |
| Model | String | 50 [note 1] | COUNTRYMAN COOPER D ALL4 | Detailed vehicle model derived from make model codes |
| LicenceStatus | String | 8 | Licensed | Indicates whether the vehicle was licensed or with a SORN at the end of the quarter |
| YearFirstUsed | Int | - | 2019 | Year of first registration if registered as new, otherwise not available |
| YearManufacture | Int | - | 2016 | Year of manufacture, usually very similar to YearFirstUsed but not always available |
| Fuel | String | 32 | Plug-in hybrid electric (Petrol) | Fuel type of the vehicle (groupings within data files can vary) |
| EngineSizeSimple | Int | - | 1400 | Simplification of the engine size group EngineSizeDesc, showing the maximum value (useful for sorting) |
| EngineSizeDesc | String | 18 | 1301cc to 1400cc | Grouping of engine sizes, usually in bands of 100cc, with exceptions for motorcycles |
| LSOA11CD | String | 15 | E01000001 | ONS lower super output areas (LSOA) code from the 2011 Census for England and Wales, national equivalents for Scotland and Northern Ireland |
| LSOA11NM | String | 75 | Newcastle-under-Lyme 007E | ONS lower super output area (LSOA) name from the 2011 Census for England and Wales, national equivalents for Scotland and Northern Ireland |
Note 1: Model information is subject to change with subsequent updates but can reasonably be expected to be under 50 characters
Specific variables
Table 2: Metadata for variables within df_VEH520
| Name | Type | Size | Example value | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geography | String | 20 | Scotland | Geographic area that the statistics apply to within that record |
| TaxClass | String | 17 | Goods | Grouping of tax classes |
| WheelPlan | String | 11 | Rigid | Simple wheelplan |
| WheelPlanDetailed | String | 30 | Articulated: 2 and 3 axle | Detailed wheelplan including axle counts |
| BodyTypeDetailed | String | 50 | Dropside Lorry | Detailed body type |
| RoadUsing | Int | - | 1 | Indicator for whether the detailed body type is considered “road using” within these statistics |
| MaximumGrossWeightBand | String | 40 | A: Over 3.5 and up to 4.25 tonnes | Grouping of maximum gross weights |
Symbols
Symbols can appear in nearly all datafile variables, including integer valued ones, and are the same as those found in publication tables.
Table 3: Symbols used within VEH data files
| Symbol | Type |
|---|---|
| [c] | Confidential (between 1 and 4 vehicles) |
| [x] | Not available |
| [z] | Not applicable |
Notes
The units used in data files are always a number of vehicles.
The majority of variables reported are recorded by DVLA for administrative purposes only and any errors can take time to be resolved, especially if they do not impact the taxation or keepership of the vehicle. Common inconsistencies include:
- model and fuel information
- fuel and engine size
Due to the encoding system used for makes and models, data can be missing for a variety of reasons. These include:
- imported vehicles not usually sold in the UK
- older vehicles manufactured before 1972
- rare versions of models
- new vehicles when the code lookup has not yet been updated
Engine sizes are often reported slightly lower than the colloquial value for a vehicle, for example a car with a 1.4 litre engine might have a reported engine size of 1398cc (cubic capacity).
Vehicles are allocated to a lower super output area (LSOA) according to the postcode of the registered keeper. This is the keeper’s address for privately-kept vehicles or the company’s registered address for company-kept vehicles. The address does not necessarily reflect where the vehicle is located. This is especially true for large fleets kept by companies involved with vehicle management, leasing or rentals. Significant changes in the number of vehicles from year to year can often occur when these companies change their registered address.
Other vehicles in BodyType refers to all vehicles not included in the other 5 categories, including rear diggers, lift trucks, rollers, ambulances, Hackney Carriages, 3 wheelers, tricycles and agricultural vehicles.
Miscellaneous in LSOA11CD refers to vehicles between keepers, registered at invalid postcodes, or within a lower super output area (LSOA) that has fewer than 5 individual vehicles in total.
Further information can be found in the notes and definitions.
Contact us
Vehicles statistics
Last updated 12 December 2023 + show all updates
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Data tables have been updated for the latest quarterly data for July to September 2023.
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Data files - VEH0120 (Great Britain and United Kingdom), VEH0125, VEH0135, VEH0145 and VEH0160 (Great Britain and United Kingdom), updated for the April to June 2023 quarterly report.
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Data files - VEH0120 (Great Britain and United Kingdom), VEH0125, VEH0135, VEH0145 and VEH0160 (Great Britain and United Kingdom), updated for the January to March 2023 quarterly report.
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Data files updated for the vehicle licensing statistics report for the year 2022.
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Titles updated to 3 tables to include "keepership".
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Tables updated for the April to June 2022 report.
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Tables updated for the January to March 2022 report.
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First published.