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Brighton and Hove motoring statistics

How many cars and electric cars are registered in Brighton and Hove, which fuels they use, how many public chargers there are and how Brighton and Hove compares with the South East. From DVLA licensing records, DfT charger statistics and ONS population estimates.

Last updated
Records analysed
111,127 licensed vehicles in Brighton and Hove
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 92,415 +0.4% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 308 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 3,442 3.7% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.9% 156th highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 804 283 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 5.3% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Brighton and Hove?

There were 92,415 licensed cars in Brighton and Hove at the end of March 2026, and 111,127 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 2.6% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 308 for every 1,000 residents, 30th lowest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Brighton and Hove

Counts at the end of March each year, 2010 to 2026.

Licensed cars and vehicles in Brighton and Hove at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 106,55590,070
2011 106,66090,241
2012 106,09989,684
2013 105,92689,323
2014 106,82790,152
2015 107,64991,171
2016 109,11792,463
2017 110,98293,777
2018 112,58694,828
2019 110,73593,176
2020 110,82493,421
2021 111,74693,818
2022 112,30393,650
2023 111,54592,728
2024 111,54392,499
2025 110,82892,024
2026 111,12792,415

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Licensed vehicles by type

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Cars per 1,000 residents

All licensed cars at the end of June, divided by the ONS mid-year population. Company fleets registered locally push this up.

Cars per 1,000 residents at mid-year, Brighton and Hove compared
Year Brighton and HoveSouth EastUnited Kingdom
2011 330534–
2012 327535–
2013 326541–
2014 329547–
2015 330551473
2016 331559480
2017 336567488
2018 337570490
2019 334572493
2020 333561489
2021 342564493
2022 336565489
2023 331567489
2024 326570490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Brighton and Hove

62.0% of cars in Brighton and Hove run on petrol and 23.7% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 31.7% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 8.5%, and cars that plug in 5.5%.

Cars by fuel type

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Fuel mix over time

Share of licensed cars at the end of March each year.

Share of licensed cars by fuel type in Brighton and Hove, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 80.2%19.5%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 78.3%21.3%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 76.5%23.1%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 74.5%24.9%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2014 72.6%26.7%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2015 70.7%28.5%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2016 69.2%29.9%0.6%0.1%0.1%
2017 68.1%30.8%0.7%0.1%0.1%
2018 66.9%31.7%1.0%0.1%0.2%
2019 67.7%30.5%1.2%0.2%0.2%
2020 67.5%30.2%1.5%0.3%0.3%
2021 67.0%29.9%2.0%0.5%0.5%
2022 66.2%29.1%2.8%1.0%0.7%
2023 65.2%28.3%3.8%1.5%0.9%
2024 63.9%27.1%5.5%2.1%1.1%
2025 63.1%25.3%7.0%2.9%1.4%
2026 62.0%23.7%8.5%3.7%1.7%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Brighton and Hove

3,442 battery electric cars were licensed in Brighton and Hove at the end of March 2026, 3.7% of all cars, 154th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 5,037 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 2,637.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.9% are battery electric (2,521 cars), 29th lowest of 64 councils in the South East. Companies keep 26.8% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 5.3% of its cars overall. There are also 226 battery electric vans.

Battery electric share of licensed cars

End of March each year. Fleet re-registrations can move a single area’s line sharply.

Battery electric share of licensed cars, Brighton and Hove compared, end of March each year
Year Brighton and HoveSouth EastUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.1%0.2%0.1%
2019 0.2%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.3%0.5%0.3%
2021 0.5%1.0%0.7%
2022 1.0%1.9%1.3%
2023 1.5%3.0%2.1%
2024 2.1%4.2%3.0%
2025 2.9%5.7%4.1%
2026 3.7%8.7%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Brighton and Hove

There were 804 public chargers in Brighton and Hove on 1 July 2026, 33 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 283 for every 100,000 residents, 40th highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 20.9% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 5.9 privately kept plug-in cars in Brighton and Hove (UK 11.9), 38th fewest of 361 councils. A higher number means more competition for each public charger, though many drivers charge at home.

Public chargers

Public EV chargers in Brighton and Hove by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 66536
Apr 2026 66734
Jul 2026 80433

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Brighton and Hove compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Brighton and Hove 28312
South East 15940
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Brighton and Hove has 33 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.6% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 5.1%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Brighton and Hove with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Brighton and Hove 007 4,215 216 5.1% 7.9%
Brighton and Hove 011 3,561 150 4.2% 6.9%
Brighton and Hove 004 3,264 128 3.9% 5.5%
Brighton and Hove 003 4,388 167 3.8% 5.6%
Brighton and Hove 023 2,659 92 3.5% 5.5%
Brighton and Hove 033 5,871 194 3.3% 5.1%
Brighton and Hove 020 2,971 87 2.9% 4.2%
Brighton and Hove 021 3,526 101 2.9% 4.1%
Brighton and Hove 032 2,584 76 2.9% 4.3%
Brighton and Hove 001 4,104 111 2.7% 3.9%
Lowest electric shares
Brighton and Hove 025 2,731 16 0.6% 1.6%
Brighton and Hove 008 2,519 32 1.3% 2.0%
Brighton and Hove 030 1,919 27 1.4% 3.3%
Brighton and Hove 022 2,178 35 1.6% 2.6%
Brighton and Hove 019 2,843 49 1.7% 3.1%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of March 2026. 2 neighbourhoods are left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in Brighton and Hove

Vehicles travelled an estimated 770 million miles on roads in Brighton and Hove in 2025.

Traffic on all roads

Million vehicle miles a year on roads in Brighton and Hove
Year Million vehicle miles
1993 749
1994 760
1995 771
1996 787
1997 810
1998 822
1999 834
2000 829
2001 835
2002 846
2003 840
2004 828
2005 829
2006 823
2007 818
2008 793
2009 774
2010 763
2011 767
2012 776
2013 775
2014 793
2015 799
2016 803
2017 812
2018 796
2019 801
2020 635
2021 696
2022 748
2023 754
2024 759
2025 770

Source:DfT 1993 to 2025 Updated

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Brighton and Hove, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 620168
2022 636186
2023 591149
2024 543148
2025 579161

Source:DfT STATS19,UK Motoring analysis 2021 to 2025 Updated

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Brighton and Hove

Unleaded petrol averages 171.1p a litre across 17 filling stations in Brighton and Hove, 0.6p below the UK average. Diesel averages 194.7p, 0.1p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Sainsbury's West Hove Hove 165.9p
  2. Valero Tates Portslade 165.9p
  3. Asda Brighton Hollingbury Superstore Brighton 168.9p

Every filling station and price in Brighton and Hove

How Brighton and Hove compares

Brighton and Hove compared with the South East, England, the UK
Brighton and Hove 308 3.7% 2.9% 5.3% 283 5.9
South East 496 8.7% 3.2% 18.1% 159 16.9
England 437 5.8% 2.9% 10.6% 173 12.4
United Kingdom4415.4%2.8%9.9%17511.9

Private cars per 1,000 people use the ONS mid-2024 population. Chargers are counted at the latest date; plug-in cars at the end of March 2026.

Councils in the South East

Sorted by battery electric share of cars. Select a column heading to sort by it.

Councils in the South East
Windsor and Maidenhead 518 38.0% 3.8% 83.1% 150 23.3
Milton Keynes 455 26.5% 4.4% 61.6% 323 9.0
Slough 382 25.1% 2.6% 51.0% 100 20.4
Portsmouth 361 8.2% 1.6% 36.4% 203 4.8
Elmbridge 528 5.7% 4.5% 4.2% 181 30.9
Cherwell 512 5.2% 3.5% 14.2% 204 13.8
Wokingham 540 5.2% 4.6% 3.1% 159 19.0
Winchester 523 5.0% 4.3% 4.8% 213 17.3
Hart 595 4.9% 3.9% 4.2% 210 23.2
Vale of White Horse 539 4.9% 4.4% 3.1% 194 17.8
Guildford 499 4.8% 4.1% 4.7% 182 19.6
Waverley 565 4.7% 4.2% 2.9% 155 31.6
Epsom and Ewell 461 4.6% 3.7% 4.0% 131 27.0
South Oxfordshire 559 4.6% 3.9% 3.3% 121 28.5
Buckinghamshire 543 4.5% 3.8% 4.1% 141 24.7
Mole Valley 591 4.5% 3.6% 15.6% 286 12.5
Reigate and Banstead 498 4.4% 3.4% 9.3% 123 35.9
Runnymede 496 4.4% 3.4% 6.0% 246 13.8
Surrey Heath 572 4.4% 3.8% 3.4% 207 20.9
Sevenoaks 551 4.3% 3.6% 5.0% 95 37.2
Dartford 441 4.2% 3.4% 5.6% 194 14.5
Eastleigh 539 4.2% 3.3% 4.5% 117 23.6
West Berkshire 557 4.2% 3.6% 4.2% 283 12.0
Basingstoke and Deane 524 4.1% 3.6% 3.2% 141 20.9
East Hampshire 594 4.1% 3.6% 3.3% 84 42.9
Mid Sussex 531 4.1% 3.5% 5.0% 176 17.8
Rushmoor 480 4.1% 2.3% 63.7% 156 11.4
Test Valley 561 4.1% 3.5% 3.9% 118 26.7
Tonbridge and Malling 530 4.1% 3.3% 5.9% 128 18.3
Horsham 580 4.0% 3.4% 3.4% 195 16.4
Tandridge 552 4.0% 3.3% 3.8% 138 30.0
Bracknell Forest 528 3.9% 3.3% 18.1% 159 20.5
Fareham 564 3.9% 3.4% 3.0% 62 47.8
Oxford 280 3.9% 3.0% 5.6% 167 8.2
West Oxfordshire 549 3.9% 3.4% 4.3% 195 15.6
Woking 514 3.9% 3.4% 3.2% 274 12.1
Tunbridge Wells 515 3.8% 3.2% 3.8% 113 25.5
Brighton and Hove 308 3.7% 2.9% 5.3% 283 5.9
Wealden 594 3.6% 3.0% 3.4% 115 26.5
Ashford 511 3.5% 2.8% 4.7% 145 15.9
Canterbury 454 3.5% 2.8% 4.7% 162 14.5
Chichester 557 3.5% 2.9% 4.0% 173 14.7
Lewes 489 3.5% 2.9% 3.8% 140 15.1
Maidstone 515 3.4% 2.8% 4.4% 83 29.6
New Forest 603 3.3% 2.8% 3.3% 177 17.2
Reading 360 3.3% 2.6% 5.1% 189 8.3
Havant 507 3.2% 2.4% 4.8% 72 29.7
Spelthorne 493 3.2% 2.6% 3.6% 160 18.5
Worthing 465 3.1% 2.5% 3.5% 255 7.1
Arun 529 3.0% 2.5% 3.3% 166 12.8
Crawley 433 3.0% 2.3% 4.9% 223 6.9
Gravesham 461 3.0% 2.4% 5.5% 78 24.7
Medway 458 3.0% 2.3% 4.7% 79 25.7
Adur 473 2.9% 2.4% 4.0% 168 10.0
Rother 546 2.9% 2.5% 3.9% 67 36.7
Dover 497 2.8% 2.3% 4.2% 137 13.6
Swale 493 2.8% 2.4% 5.4% 107 18.1
Folkestone and Hythe 494 2.7% 2.3% 4.3% 211 9.2
Eastbourne 427 2.6% 1.9% 6.7% 116 12.4
Isle of Wight 498 2.6% 2.1% 4.2% 135 11.2
Thanet 457 2.6% 2.0% 5.1% 98 18.8
Southampton 370 2.5% 1.8% 4.6% 70 16.3
Gosport 473 2.4% 2.0% 3.3% 100 14.9
Hastings 415 2.4% 1.8% 4.8% 52 19.1

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
Licensed vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 111,127 licensed vehicles in Brighton and Hove 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 5,447 plug-in vehicles 15 September 2026
Public chargers Electric vehicle public charging infrastructure statistics Department for Transport 1 July 2026 121,171 public chargers (UK) 15 September 2026
Population Mid-year population estimates Office for National Statistics Mid-2024 404 areas 15 September 2026
Neighbourhoods Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 35,672 small areas (LSOAs) in England and Wales 15 September 2026
  • Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in Brighton and Hove run from the end of 2009.
  • Vehicles are counted at the registered keeper’s postcode: for company cars that is the company’s address, not where the car is driven.
  • Battery electric and plug-in counts come from table VEH0142; petrol, diesel and hybrid counts from VEH0105. “Other fuels” is VEH0105’s other-fuel count less plug-in cars.
  • Charger counts are based on Zapmap data and are official statistics in development. In June 2026 one operator removed about 1,270 private chargers wrongly listed as public, so April and July are not strictly comparable.
  • Neighbourhood figures cover England and Wales only; Scottish data zones and Northern Irish super data zones cannot be placed in councils without lookups we do not hold.
How we calculate these figures All data sources

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.