The most common PCO cars in London

TfL publishes a list of every licensed private hire vehicle in London. We counted the cars on it, so you can see which models drivers use most.

Last reviewed 24 October 2026

The 20 most common private hire cars in London

Out of 93,895 private hire vehicles on TfL's list, from its report of 26 January 2026. Each model's versions are counted together, for example every Kia Niro, whether hybrid, plug-in or electric. Together the Kia Niro and the Toyota Prius are 24,677 cars, just over a quarter of London's private hire fleet.

1. Kia Niro (all versions) 12,516 cars, 13.3% of the fleet
2. Toyota Prius 12,161 cars, 13.0% of the fleet
3. Mercedes-Benz E-Class 5,112 cars, 5.4% of the fleet
4. Hyundai Ioniq 3,975 cars, 4.2% of the fleet
5. Tesla Model 3 3,227 cars, 3.4% of the fleet
6. Toyota Prius+ 3,112 cars, 3.3% of the fleet
7. BMW 5 Series 2,932 cars, 3.1% of the fleet
8. Volkswagen Sharan 2,705 cars, 2.9% of the fleet
9. Toyota bZ4X 2,605 cars, 2.8% of the fleet
10. Mitsubishi Outlander 2,497 cars, 2.7% of the fleet
11. Toyota Auris 2,365 cars, 2.5% of the fleet
12. MG5 1,917 cars, 2.0% of the fleet
13. Tesla Model Y 1,470 cars, 1.6% of the fleet
14. Mercedes-Benz Vito 1,341 cars, 1.4% of the fleet
15. Volkswagen ID.7 1,281 cars, 1.4% of the fleet
16. Volkswagen Multivan 1,280 cars, 1.4% of the fleet
17. Mercedes-Benz EQE 1,278 cars, 1.4% of the fleet
18. SEAT Alhambra 1,218 cars, 1.3% of the fleet
19. MG ZS 977 cars, 1.0% of the fleet
20. Ford Galaxy 964 cars, 1.0% of the fleet

London's private hire fleet in numbers

Licensed private hire vehicles 93,895
Typical age Half the cars are under about 5 years old
Under 3 years old About 1 in 4 cars
Over 8 years old About 1 in 5 cars

What this means when you rent

Two families lead: the Kia Niro and the Toyota Prius. Together they are about 1 in 4 private hire cars in London. Seven seat cars such as the Prius+, Sharan, Alhambra and Galaxy are common too. They suit airport trips and groups.

How we counted

We used TfL's taxi and private hire vehicle fleet list, the report generated on 26 January 2026. It lists every licensed vehicle in London.
We counted private hire vehicles only (93,895), not taxis.
We grouped each model's versions together. Every Kia Niro counts once, whether hybrid, plug-in or electric. Every Toyota Prius counts once too, except the seven seat Prius+, which is counted on its own.
Counting each version separately gives a different order, so check how a list was counted before comparing it with this one.
TfL's list changes every week as cars join and leave, so these numbers are a snapshot.
Download the full table (CSV)

Using these numbers

You are welcome to use these numbers. Please credit Kharo and link to this page. Suggested credit: Kharo analysis of TfL's private hire vehicle fleet list, January 2026.

TfL's licensing information page

More guides

Hybrid or electric: which PCO car should you rent? Both can work for private hire. In London, the rules for new cars, the Congestion Charge and the trips you can take are different for each.
Which cars can you use for Uber in London? In London, the car needs a TfL private hire licence first. Then Uber has its own rules for each type of trip.
All guides

Tools

Questions

What is the most common PCO car in London?

The Kia Niro and the Toyota Prius. Each is about 13% of the private hire vehicles on TfL's list. The Niro count includes its hybrid, plug-in and electric versions.

How many private hire vehicles are licensed in London?

93,895 on TfL's fleet list from its January 2026 report. The number changes every week.

How old can a PCO car be in London?

A car that already has a TfL licence can be licensed again until it is 10 years old. A car licensed with TfL for the first time must be zero emission capable (ZEC) and meet Euro 6.

Can I rent one of these cars on Kharo?

Cars are not booked online yet. You can see the cars and prices now. Register your interest or message us on WhatsApp, and we'll help you arrange a car.