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Canterbury motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
93,649 licensed vehicles in Canterbury
Methodology
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  • Licensed cars 77,911 +1.9% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 458 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 3,007 3.9% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.1% 172nd highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 263 162 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 4.8% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Canterbury?

There were 77,911 licensed cars in Canterbury at the end of June 2026, and 93,649 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 19.7% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 458 for every 1,000 residents, 118th lowest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Canterbury

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Canterbury at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 77,15065,094
2011 77,41465,219
2012 77,85465,614
2013 78,74066,504
2014 80,61068,113
2015 81,42968,917
2016 82,58869,852
2017 84,17971,098
2018 84,67071,470
2019 85,62272,150
2020 84,92171,679
2021 87,53473,317
2022 88,31273,587
2023 89,38674,338
2024 90,72875,536
2025 91,96076,455
2026 93,64977,911

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Licensed vehicles by type

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 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, Canterbury compared
Year CanterburySouth EastUnited Kingdom
2011 433534–
2012 433535–
2013 433541–
2014 439547–
2015 441551473
2016 444559480
2017 450567488
2018 455570490
2019 459572493
2020 456561489
2021 468564493
2022 464565489
2023 462567489
2024 466570490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Canterbury

56.7% of cars in Canterbury run on petrol and 28.7% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 36.2% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 8.3%, and cars that plug in 5.9%.

Cars by fuel type

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 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 Canterbury, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 73.7%26.0%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 71.7%27.8%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2012 70.1%29.4%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 68.4%31.0%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2014 66.4%32.9%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2015 64.9%34.3%0.6%0.1%0.0%
2016 63.5%35.4%0.8%0.1%0.1%
2017 62.6%36.1%1.0%0.1%0.1%
2018 62.2%36.2%1.2%0.2%0.2%
2019 61.9%36.2%1.4%0.2%0.2%
2020 61.8%35.9%1.6%0.3%0.3%
2021 61.0%35.6%2.2%0.6%0.5%
2022 60.4%34.8%2.9%1.0%0.7%
2023 59.6%33.9%3.8%1.5%0.9%
2024 59.0%32.5%5.1%2.0%1.1%
2025 58.1%30.6%6.6%2.8%1.6%
2026 56.7%28.7%8.3%3.9%2.1%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Canterbury

3,007 battery electric cars were licensed in Canterbury at the end of June 2026, 3.9% of all cars, 170th highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 4,607 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 2,142.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.1% are battery electric (2,333 cars), 27th lowest of 64 councils in the South East. Companies keep 22.4% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 4.8% of its cars overall. There are also 81 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, Canterbury compared, end of March each year
Year CanterburySouth EastUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.2%0.2%0.1%
2019 0.2%0.3%0.2%
2020 0.3%0.5%0.4%
2021 0.6%1.1%0.8%
2022 1.0%2.2%1.5%
2023 1.5%3.3%2.3%
2024 2.0%4.5%3.2%
2025 2.8%6.4%4.4%
2026 3.9%9.3%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Canterbury

There were 263 public chargers in Canterbury on 1 July 2026, 59 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 162 for every 100,000 residents, 134th highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 20.1% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 14.1 privately kept plug-in cars in Canterbury (UK 12.9), 139th 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 Canterbury by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 21949
Apr 2026 23048
Jul 2026 26359

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Canterbury compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Canterbury 16236
Kent 12844
South East 15940
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Canterbury has 19 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.7% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 4.5%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Canterbury with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Canterbury 018 3,909 175 4.5% 6.4%
Canterbury 016 3,548 123 3.5% 5.5%
Canterbury 010 4,789 165 3.4% 5.5%
Canterbury 012 3,917 134 3.4% 5.4%
Canterbury 017 5,819 200 3.4% 5.4%
Canterbury 009 5,835 180 3.1% 4.9%
Canterbury 005 5,769 173 3.0% 5.0%
Canterbury 013 2,673 76 2.8% 4.6%
Canterbury 002 5,494 151 2.7% 4.2%
Canterbury 003 5,589 152 2.7% 4.2%
Lowest electric shares
Canterbury 001 3,703 51 1.4% 2.3%
Canterbury 019 2,432 36 1.5% 2.9%
Canterbury 020 3,540 71 2.0% 3.6%
Canterbury 007 4,738 106 2.2% 4.1%
Canterbury 008 3,543 80 2.3% 3.9%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of June 2026. 1 neighbourhood is left out because DfT withholds small counts there.

Road traffic and collisions in Canterbury

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Canterbury, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 30774
2022 35168
2023 29265
2024 27672
2025 28481

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Canterbury

Unleaded petrol averages 172.4p a litre across 13 filling stations in Canterbury, 0.9p above the UK average. Diesel averages 198.6p, 0.1p below the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Sainsbury's Herne Bay Kent 167.9p
  2. Jet MFG Crusader Whitstable 169.9p
  3. Esso MFG Herne Bay Herne Bay 169.9p

Every filling station and price in Canterbury

How Canterbury compares

Canterbury compared with Kent, the South East, England, the UK
Canterbury 458 3.9% 3.1% 4.8% 162 14.1
Kent 498 3.7% 3.1% 4.9% 128 20.1
South East 499 9.3% 3.5% 18.5% 159 17.7
England 440 6.2% 3.2% 10.7% 173 13.4
United Kingdom4445.8%3.1%10.0%17512.9

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 June 2026.

Driving test centres in Canterbury

There are 2 DVSA car practical test centres in Canterbury, and the highest pass rate in 2025/26 was 55.9% at Herne Bay.

Other centres in Kent:

DVSA publishes pass rates by centre name, with no address, so centres are placed here by the place name in the name DVSA uses. See pass rates at every test centre.

Councils in Kent

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

Councils in Kent
Dartford 443 4.5% 3.7% 5.6% 194 14.2
Sevenoaks 554 4.5% 3.9% 4.9% 95 39.0
Tonbridge and Malling 534 4.4% 3.6% 5.9% 128 24.8
Tunbridge Wells 518 4.0% 3.4% 3.8% 113 27.2
Canterbury 458 3.9% 3.1% 4.8% 162 14.1
Ashford 516 3.8% 3.1% 4.7% 145 18.1
Maidstone 520 3.7% 3.1% 4.4% 83 32.5
Gravesham 465 3.2% 2.6% 5.6% 78 28.8
Swale 497 3.2% 2.7% 5.4% 107 20.3
Dover 499 3.0% 2.6% 4.2% 137 15.2
Folkestone and Hythe 498 3.0% 2.5% 4.3% 211 9.9
Thanet 461 2.8% 2.2% 5.0% 98 17.1

Data stories to read next

All insights

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
Licensed vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 93,649 licensed vehicles in Canterbury 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 4,770 plug-in vehicles 26 October 2026
Public chargers Electric vehicle public charging infrastructure statistics Department for Transport 1 July 2026 121,171 public chargers (UK) 26 October 2026
Population Mid-year population estimates Office for National Statistics Mid-2024 404 areas 26 October 2026
Neighbourhoods Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 35,672 small areas (LSOAs) in England and Wales 26 October 2026
  • Coverage: licensing and charger figures cover the whole UK. Licensing figures in Canterbury 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.