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Folkestone and Hythe motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
70,775 licensed vehicles in Folkestone and Hythe
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 58,011 +0.8% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 494 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 1,595 2.7% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.3% 103rd lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 237 211 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 4.3% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Folkestone and Hythe?

There were 58,011 licensed cars in Folkestone and Hythe at the end of March 2026, and 70,775 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 18.1% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 494 for every 1,000 residents, 171st highest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Folkestone and Hythe

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Folkestone and Hythe at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 58,55549,133
2011 59,02549,626
2012 59,25949,656
2013 59,62750,064
2014 60,84651,098
2015 61,88051,919
2016 63,41453,156
2017 64,78754,138
2018 65,63954,788
2019 66,48455,304
2020 67,50756,270
2021 67,66856,027
2022 68,50556,338
2023 68,87656,487
2024 69,57057,037
2025 69,99657,534
2026 70,77558,011

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, Folkestone and Hythe compared
Year Folkestone and HytheSouth EastUnited Kingdom
2011 461534–
2012 462535–
2013 469541–
2014 480547–
2015 485551473
2016 490559480
2017 501567488
2018 503570490
2019 509572493
2020 508561489
2021 515564493
2022 512565489
2023 510567489
2024 510570490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Folkestone and Hythe

57.2% of cars in Folkestone and Hythe run on petrol and 31.0% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 38.7% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 7.0%, and cars that plug in 4.4%.

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 Folkestone and Hythe, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 72.8%26.9%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2011 70.9%28.7%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 69.1%30.5%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2013 67.4%32.1%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 65.6%33.9%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2015 63.7%35.6%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2016 62.2%37.0%0.5%0.1%0.1%
2017 61.0%38.1%0.6%0.1%0.1%
2018 60.2%38.7%0.8%0.1%0.1%
2019 60.2%38.5%1.0%0.1%0.2%
2020 59.9%38.4%1.1%0.2%0.2%
2021 59.7%38.1%1.5%0.3%0.3%
2022 59.1%37.4%2.2%0.6%0.5%
2023 58.7%36.4%3.1%1.0%0.7%
2024 58.3%35.0%4.1%1.4%0.9%
2025 58.0%33.1%5.4%1.9%1.2%
2026 57.2%31.0%7.0%2.7%1.6%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Folkestone and Hythe

1,595 battery electric cars were licensed in Folkestone and Hythe at the end of March 2026, 2.7% of all cars, 69th lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 2,535 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 1,095.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.3% are battery electric (1,264 cars), 12th lowest of 64 councils in the South East. Companies keep 20.8% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 4.3% of its cars overall. There are also 57 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, Folkestone and Hythe compared, end of March each year
Year Folkestone and HytheSouth EastUnited Kingdom
2016 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2017 0.1%0.1%0.1%
2018 0.1%0.2%0.1%
2019 0.1%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.2%0.5%0.3%
2021 0.3%1.0%0.7%
2022 0.6%1.9%1.3%
2023 1.0%3.0%2.1%
2024 1.4%4.2%3.0%
2025 1.9%5.7%4.1%
2026 2.7%8.7%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Folkestone and Hythe

There were 237 public chargers in Folkestone and Hythe on 1 July 2026, 82 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 211 for every 100,000 residents, 73rd highest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 6.8% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 9.2 privately kept plug-in cars in Folkestone and Hythe (UK 11.9), 80th 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 Folkestone and Hythe by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 22263
Apr 2026 22874
Jul 2026 23782

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Folkestone and Hythe compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Folkestone and Hythe 21173
Kent 12844
South East 15940
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Folkestone and Hythe has 14 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 1.8% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 3.6%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Folkestone and Hythe with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Folkestone and Hythe 008 4,573 164 3.6% 5.6%
Folkestone and Hythe 002 6,193 174 2.8% 4.5%
Folkestone and Hythe 009 5,700 147 2.6% 4.1%
Folkestone and Hythe 006 7,373 185 2.5% 4.1%
Folkestone and Hythe 001 5,085 113 2.2% 4.1%
Folkestone and Hythe 003 4,119 73 1.8% 2.5%
Folkestone and Hythe 012 5,150 92 1.8% 3.0%
Folkestone and Hythe 011 5,355 90 1.7% 2.8%
Folkestone and Hythe 010 3,861 59 1.5% 2.5%
Folkestone and Hythe 015 2,871 39 1.4% 2.6%
Lowest electric shares
Folkestone and Hythe 014 2,214 5 0.2% 1.4%
Folkestone and Hythe 004 3,127 28 0.9% 2.0%
Folkestone and Hythe 013 4,326 50 1.2% 2.1%
Folkestone and Hythe 005 5,247 68 1.3% 2.4%
Folkestone and Hythe 015 2,871 39 1.4% 2.6%

Privately kept licensed vehicles of all types at the end of March 2026.

Road traffic and collisions in Folkestone and Hythe

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Folkestone and Hythe, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 21247
2022 20939
2023 21944
2024 16253
2025 20559

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Folkestone and Hythe

Unleaded petrol averages 175.1p a litre across 15 filling stations in Folkestone and Hythe, 3.4p above the UK average. Diesel averages 197.4p, 2.8p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Palmarsh Service Station Hythe 165.7p
  2. Murco Stelling Minnis Canterbury 171.9p
  3. Hythe Service Station Hythe 172.9p

Every filling station and price in Folkestone and Hythe

How Folkestone and Hythe compares

Folkestone and Hythe compared with Kent, the South East, England, the UK
Folkestone and Hythe 494 2.7% 2.3% 4.3% 211 9.2
Kent 495 3.4% 2.8% 4.9% 128 18.6
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 Kent

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

Councils in Kent
Sevenoaks 551 4.3% 3.6% 5.0% 95 37.2
Dartford 441 4.2% 3.4% 5.6% 194 14.5
Tonbridge and Malling 530 4.1% 3.3% 5.9% 128 18.3
Tunbridge Wells 515 3.8% 3.2% 3.8% 113 25.5
Ashford 511 3.5% 2.8% 4.7% 145 15.9
Canterbury 454 3.5% 2.8% 4.7% 162 14.5
Maidstone 515 3.4% 2.8% 4.4% 83 29.6
Gravesham 461 3.0% 2.4% 5.5% 78 24.7
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
Thanet 457 2.6% 2.0% 5.1% 98 18.8

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 70,775 licensed vehicles in Folkestone and Hythe 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 2,632 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 Folkestone and Hythe 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.