My Garage

Popular searches

South East · District council

Tonbridge and Malling motoring statistics

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

Last updated
Records analysed
95,118 licensed vehicles in Tonbridge and Malling
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed cars 77,138 +1.2% on a year earlier
  • Private cars per 1,000 people 530 UK 441
  • Battery electric cars 3,157 4.1% of cars (UK 5.4%)
  • Electric share of private cars 3.3% 90th highest of 361 councils
  • Public chargers 175 128 per 100,000 people (UK 175)
  • Company-registered cars 5.9% UK 9.9%

How many cars are there in Tonbridge and Malling?

There were 77,138 licensed cars in Tonbridge and Malling at the end of March 2026, and 95,118 licensed vehicles of all kinds. That is 21.0% more cars than in 2010. Privately kept cars work out at 530 for every 1,000 residents, 93rd highest of 361 councils (UK 441).

Licensed vehicles in Tonbridge and Malling

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

Licensed cars and vehicles in Tonbridge and Malling at the end of March each year
Year All vehiclesCars
2010 79,84963,764
2011 81,59864,755
2012 77,88765,132
2013 79,21165,960
2014 81,44667,513
2015 83,72068,609
2016 85,77270,369
2017 87,76371,847
2018 88,05072,254
2019 90,39873,591
2020 91,27674,235
2021 90,64373,596
2022 91,84474,303
2023 92,28875,037
2024 93,08775,761
2025 93,72276,211
2026 95,11877,138

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, Tonbridge and Malling compared
Year Tonbridge and MallingSouth EastUnited Kingdom
2011 537534–
2012 537535–
2013 543541–
2014 549547–
2015 551551473
2016 557559480
2017 561567488
2018 560570490
2019 563572493
2020 554561489
2021 565564493
2022 558565489
2023 556567489
2024 557570490

Source:ONS Mid-2024 Updated

Petrol, diesel and electric cars in Tonbridge and Malling

60.1% of cars in Tonbridge and Malling run on petrol and 24.3% on diesel. Diesel’s share peaked at 36.0% in 2018. Hybrids that do not plug in make up 8.5%, and cars that plug in 6.6%.

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 Tonbridge and Malling, end of March each year
Year PetrolDieselHybridBattery electricPlug-in hybrid
2010 73.5%26.1%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2011 71.5%28.0%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2012 70.3%29.1%0.3%0.0%0.0%
2013 68.5%30.9%0.4%0.0%0.0%
2014 66.6%32.7%0.5%0.0%0.0%
2015 65.1%34.0%0.6%0.0%0.1%
2016 64.0%35.0%0.7%0.1%0.1%
2017 62.9%35.9%0.9%0.1%0.2%
2018 62.4%36.0%1.0%0.2%0.3%
2019 62.5%35.5%1.3%0.2%0.4%
2020 62.6%35.0%1.4%0.4%0.5%
2021 62.3%34.4%1.9%0.5%0.7%
2022 61.9%33.3%2.6%1.0%1.0%
2023 61.8%31.5%3.5%1.6%1.2%
2024 61.7%29.1%4.8%2.3%1.6%
2025 61.1%26.8%6.6%3.0%1.9%
2026 60.1%24.3%8.5%4.1%2.5%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Electric cars in Tonbridge and Malling

3,157 battery electric cars were licensed in Tonbridge and Malling at the end of March 2026, 4.1% of all cars, 102nd highest of 361 councils. With plug-in hybrids, 5,098 cars plug in. A year earlier there were 2,322.

Of the privately kept cars, which are registered at home addresses, 3.3% are battery electric (2,366 cars), 29th highest of 64 councils in the South East. Companies keep 25.1% of the area’s battery electric cars, against 5.9% of its cars overall. There are also 108 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, Tonbridge and Malling compared, end of March each year
Year Tonbridge and MallingSouth 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%0.2%0.2%
2020 0.4%0.5%0.3%
2021 0.5%1.0%0.7%
2022 1.0%1.9%1.3%
2023 1.6%3.0%2.1%
2024 2.3%4.2%3.0%
2025 3.0%5.7%4.1%
2026 4.1%8.7%5.4%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Public EV chargers in Tonbridge and Malling

There were 175 public chargers in Tonbridge and Malling on 1 July 2026, 51 of them rapid or ultra-rapid (50kW and above). That is 128 for every 100,000 residents, 152nd lowest of 361 councils, against 175 across the UK. The count fell 15.0% from 1 January 2026.

For every public charger there are 18.3 privately kept plug-in cars in Tonbridge and Malling (UK 11.9), 140th most 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 Tonbridge and Malling by date
Date All public chargers50kW and above
Jan 2026 20650
Apr 2026 21752
Jul 2026 17551

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Chargers per 100,000 residents

Public chargers per 100,000 residents, Tonbridge and Malling compared
Area All chargers50kW and above
Tonbridge and Malling 12837
Kent 12844
South East 15940
England 17341
UK 17542

Source:DfT 1 July 2026 Updated

Electric cars by neighbourhood

Tonbridge and Malling has 13 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, 4.9%. ONS names neighbourhoods by council and number, not by place name.

Neighbourhoods in Tonbridge and Malling with the highest battery electric share of privately kept vehicles
Neighbourhood (MSOA) Private vehicles Battery electric Electric share Plug-in share
Tonbridge and Malling 007 8,230 401 4.9% 7.8%
Tonbridge and Malling 010 4,497 175 3.9% 6.3%
Tonbridge and Malling 006 8,137 291 3.6% 6.1%
Tonbridge and Malling 014 9,074 296 3.3% 5.7%
Tonbridge and Malling 011 4,727 144 3.0% 4.9%
Tonbridge and Malling 001 8,648 255 2.9% 4.7%
Tonbridge and Malling 012 5,671 151 2.7% 4.6%
Tonbridge and Malling 008 4,835 120 2.5% 4.5%
Tonbridge and Malling 005 5,796 139 2.4% 4.1%
Tonbridge and Malling 013 4,257 97 2.3% 4.1%
Lowest electric shares
Tonbridge and Malling 003 7,755 147 1.9% 3.5%
Tonbridge and Malling 009 3,608 76 2.1% 3.8%
Tonbridge and Malling 002 6,737 147 2.2% 3.7%
Tonbridge and Malling 013 4,257 97 2.3% 4.1%
Tonbridge and Malling 005 5,796 139 2.4% 4.1%

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

Road traffic and collisions in Tonbridge and Malling

Reported injury collisions

Police-reported injury collisions in Tonbridge and Malling, 2021 to 2025
Year CollisionsKilled or seriously injured
2021 24647
2022 30958
2023 27967
2024 23969
2025 22760

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

More road safety figures

Petrol and diesel prices in Tonbridge and Malling

Unleaded petrol averages 175.1p a litre across 23 filling stations in Tonbridge and Malling, 3.4p above the UK average. Diesel averages 197.5p, 2.9p above the UK average. Prices checked 16 Sept, 16:47.

Cheapest petrol

  1. Jet Wateringbury Service Station Maidstone 169.9p
  2. Tesco Aylesford Lunsford Park Extra Aylesford 171.9p
  3. Larkfield Esso Express Aylesford 171.9p

Every filling station and price in Tonbridge and Malling

How Tonbridge and Malling compares

Tonbridge and Malling compared with Kent, the South East, England, the UK
Tonbridge and Malling 530 4.1% 3.3% 5.9% 128 18.3
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 95,118 licensed vehicles in Tonbridge and Malling 15 September 2026
Plug-in and electric vehicles Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 5,315 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 Tonbridge and Malling 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.