My Garage

Popular searches

South East · District council

Thanet motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
83,102 licensed vehicles in Thanet
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 69,343 +2.0% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 461 UK 444
  • Battery electric cars 1,958 2.8% of cars (UK 5.8%)
  • Electric share of private cars 2.2% 59th lowest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 140 98 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 5.0% UK 10.0%

How many cars are there in Thanet?

There were 69,343 licensed cars in Thanet at the end of June 2026, and 83,102 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 22.3% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 461 for every 1,000 residents, 128th lowest of 361 councils (UK 444).

Licensed vehicles in Thanet

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Thanet at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 66,93956,711
2011 67,24456,856
2012 67,63857,213
2013 68,46057,967
2014 70,38159,527
2015 71,27660,405
2016 73,11261,880
2017 74,94663,197
2018 75,40963,557
2019 76,90764,463
2020 76,12564,151
2021 78,73265,763
2022 78,78465,510
2023 79,66566,247
2024 80,65467,162
2025 81,57767,973
2026 83,10269,343

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, Thanet compared
Year ThanetSouth EastUnited Kingdom
2011 423534–
2012 422535–
2013 423541–
2014 429547–
2015 433551473
2016 441559480
2017 449567488
2018 451570490
2019 458572493
2020 458561489
2021 468564493
2022 466565489
2023 470567489
2024 471570490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Thanet

58.4% of cars in Thanet run on petrol and 30.3% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 35.1% in 2021. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 6.6%, and cars that plug in 4.3%.

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 Thanet, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 77.6%22.1%0.1%0.0%0.0%
2011 75.8%23.8%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2012 74.0%25.6%0.2%0.0%0.0%
2013 72.2%27.3%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2014 70.3%29.1%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2015 68.4%30.9%0.4%0.1%0.0%
2016 66.8%32.4%0.5%0.1%0.0%
2017 65.5%33.5%0.6%0.1%0.1%
2018 64.9%34.0%0.7%0.1%0.1%
2019 64.2%34.4%0.9%0.2%0.2%
2020 63.4%34.9%1.1%0.2%0.2%
2021 62.6%35.1%1.5%0.4%0.3%
2022 61.6%34.9%2.1%0.7%0.5%
2023 60.8%34.5%2.8%1.1%0.6%
2024 60.0%33.6%3.9%1.4%0.8%
2025 59.5%32.0%5.1%2.1%1.0%
2026 58.4%30.3%6.6%2.8%1.5%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Thanet

1,958 battery electric cars were licensed in Thanet at the end of June 2026, 2.8% of all cars, 53rd lowest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 3,006 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 1,419.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 2.2% are battery electric (1,465 cars), 6th lowest of 64 councils in the South East. Companies keep 25.2% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 5.0% of its cars overall. There are also 51 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, Thanet compared, end of March each year
Year ThanetSouth 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%0.3%0.2%
2020 0.2%0.5%0.4%
2021 0.4%1.1%0.8%
2022 0.7%2.2%1.5%
2023 1.1%3.3%2.3%
2024 1.4%4.5%3.2%
2025 2.1%6.4%4.4%
2026 2.8%9.3%5.8%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Thanet

There were 140 public chargers in Thanet on 1 July 2026, 49 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 98 for every 100,000 residents, 86th lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count rose 33.3% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 17.1 privately kept plug-in cars in Thanet (UK 12.9), 177th 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 Thanet by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 10538
Apr 2026 11742
Jul 2026 14049

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Thanet compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Thanet 9834
Kent 12844
South East 15940
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Thanet has 17 ONS neighbourhoods (middle layer super output areas, about 7,000 residents each). In the typical one, 2.1% of privately kept vehicles are battery electric; in the highest, 3.0%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Thanet with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Thanet 002 5,813 173 3.0% 5.1%
Thanet 014 6,671 191 2.9% 4.3%
Thanet 009 4,447 121 2.7% 4.1%
Thanet 010 3,830 102 2.7% 4.2%
Thanet 017 5,410 147 2.7% 4.1%
Thanet 011 4,715 108 2.3% 3.7%
Thanet 005 4,840 100 2.1% 3.5%
Thanet 008 5,678 122 2.1% 3.7%
Thanet 012 4,292 74 1.7% 2.7%
Thanet 004 3,816 54 1.4% 2.2%
Lowest electric shares
Thanet 016 3,607 31 0.9% 1.8%
Thanet 003 3,248 30 0.9% 1.5%
Thanet 007 5,047 58 1.1% 2.2%
Thanet 006 3,695 46 1.2% 2.2%
Thanet 013 4,300 60 1.4% 2.0%

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

Road traffic and collisions in Thanet

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Thanet, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 29068
2022 31064
2023 28559
2024 24370
2025 27382

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Thanet

Unleaded petrol averages 167.1p a litre across 13 filling stations in Thanet, 4.4p below the UK average. Diesel averages 194.6p, 4.1p below the UK average. Prices checked 31 Oct, 19:32.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Asda Minster Express Petrol Ramsgate 165.9p
  2. Pegwellbay Service Station Ramsgate 165.9p
  3. Sainsbury's Thanet Ramsgate 165.9p

Every filling station and price in Thanet

How Thanet compares

Thanet compared with Kent, the South East, England, the UK
Thanet 461 2.8% 2.2% 5.0% 98 17.1
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 Thanet

There is no DVSA car practical test centre in Thanet. The nearest centres are elsewhere in Kent.

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 83,102 licensed vehicles in Thanet 26 October 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 3,109 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 Thanet 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.