Fairness

19.7% of UK employers require a driving licence or car in their job adverts

Jobs closed to non-drivers: 7,670 UK employers' adverts checked for a required licence or own car, by region and sector.

Data to 28 October 2026
James Costello
By James Costello, Founder · last updated 28 October 2026

Learning to drive now costs well over £1,000 and running a car far more. Across 7,670 UK employers' own job adverts, 19.7% require a driving licence or their own car in at least one role, which closes those jobs to anyone who cannot drive.

Leave out driving jobs themselves (drivers, couriers, delivery and HGV roles) and 17.8% of employers still require a licence or car for some other job: in the adverts we checked by hand, care workers, engineers, sales staff and surveyors among them.

By region

Employers in the West Midlands require it most (24.7%); those in London least (12.5%).

  1. West Midlands: 24.7%
  2. Wales: 24.6%
  3. North East: 24.4%
  4. Northern Ireland: 23.9%
  5. East Midlands: 23.4%
  6. South West: 22.8%
  7. South East: 22.6%
  8. East of England: 22.5%
  9. North West: 21.8%
  10. Yorkshire and The Humber: 21.8%
  11. Scotland: 20.2%
  12. London: 12.5%

By sector

  1. Water, sewerage & waste: 46.7%
  2. Agriculture, forestry & fishing: 40.6%
  3. Construction: 37.2%
  4. Transport & storage: 34.7%
  5. Energy supply: 32.1%
  6. Wholesale & retail: 30.2%
  7. Administrative & support services: 28.3%
  8. Real estate: 26.9%
  9. Public administration & defence: 22.6%
  10. Health & social care: 21.5%

How we measured it

We read job adverts on UK employers' own careers pages for a driving licence or own car stated as essential, required or a must, or listed among the advert's requirements. "Desirable" or "an advantage" does not count, nor does a company car on offer. Driving jobs are included in the headline figure; the second figure leaves them out. An employer counts once.

A job advert that quietly requires a driving licence filters out a lot of people before they apply. We count how often it happens.
— James Costello, Founder, ProdReady Recruitment
Headline
19.7%

19.7% of UK employers require a driving licence or own car in at least one job advert, 17.8% for a job that is not a driving job (n=7,670 employers).

Sample: 7,670 employers · source: UK employers' careers pages · data to 28 October 2026

By region (registered office)

RegionFigureSample (employers)In words
West Midlands 24.7% 465 West Midlands: 24.7% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=465 employers).
Wales 24.6% 171 Wales: 24.6% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=171 employers).
North East 24.4% 197 North East: 24.4% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=197 employers).
Northern Ireland 23.9% 88 Northern Ireland: 23.9% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=88 employers).
East Midlands 23.4% 325 East Midlands: 23.4% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=325 employers).
South West 22.8% 495 South West: 22.8% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=495 employers).
South East 22.6% 924 South East: 22.6% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=924 employers).
East of England 22.5% 489 East of England: 22.5% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=489 employers).
North West 21.8% 646 North West: 21.8% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=646 employers).
Yorkshire and The Humber 21.8% 481 Yorkshire and The Humber: 21.8% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=481 employers).
Scotland 20.2% 337 Scotland: 20.2% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=337 employers).
London 12.5% 1,228 London: 12.5% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=1,228 employers).

By sector

SectorFigureSample (employers)In words
Water, sewerage & waste 46.7% 60 Water, sewerage & waste: 46.7% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=60 employers).
Agriculture, forestry & fishing 40.6% 69 Agriculture, forestry & fishing: 40.6% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=69 employers).
Construction 37.2% 647 Construction: 37.2% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=647 employers).
Transport & storage 34.7% 248 Transport & storage: 34.7% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=248 employers).
Energy supply 32.1% 56 Energy supply: 32.1% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=56 employers).
Wholesale & retail 30.2% 496 Wholesale & retail: 30.2% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=496 employers).
Administrative & support services 28.3% 427 Administrative & support services: 28.3% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=427 employers).
Real estate 26.9% 216 Real estate: 26.9% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=216 employers).
Public administration & defence 22.6% 62 Public administration & defence: 22.6% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=62 employers).
Health & social care 21.5% 903 Health & social care: 21.5% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=903 employers).
Manufacturing 20.6% 641 Manufacturing: 20.6% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=641 employers).
Other services 17.5% 502 Other services: 17.5% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=502 employers).
Finance & insurance 13.1% 313 Finance & insurance: 13.1% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=313 employers).
Professional, scientific & technical 12.6% 1,007 Professional, scientific & technical: 12.6% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=1,007 employers).
Hospitality & food service 10.6% 376 Hospitality & food service: 10.6% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=376 employers).
Education 10.3% 458 Education: 10.3% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=458 employers).
Arts, entertainment & recreation 8.9% 246 Arts, entertainment & recreation: 8.9% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=246 employers).
Information & communication 7.2% 875 Information & communication: 7.2% of employers require a licence or car in at least one advert (n=875 employers).

About the author

James Costello
James Costello
Founder, ProdReady Recruitment

The research is produced by the founder of ProdReady Recruitment, a UK AI recruitment business. Every figure on this page is computed from UK employers' careers pages, and the text-reading measures are checked by hand against real pages.

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James Costello (2026). Jobs that require you to drive. ProdReady Recruitment. Data to 28 October 2026. https://ProdReadyRecruitment.com/research/driving_required

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