The 1996 Exeter City Council election took place on 2 May 1996 to elect members of Exeter City Council in Devon, England. This was on the same day as other local elections.
At the election, the Labour Party gained an overall majority on the council, while the Conservatives suffered their biggest loss of seats in a single election since the local government re-organisation in 1974, with a net loss of eight seats.
Despite improvements in the popular vote (where they came second) and in marginal wards, the Conservatives fell to a record low of two seats and ended up in fourth place, behind the Liberal Party.
Both the Liberal Democrats and Liberal Party made minor gains, each winning an extra seat and obtaining a higher or similar share of the popular vote than the 1995 election. The Liberal Democrats became the official opposition for the first time.