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Driving in

Driving in Brighton

East Sussex, England. What is different here rather than what is the same everywhere.
284,170
Population, East Sussex
Office for National Statistics, Population estimates, local authority based by single year of age (mid-2025) (as of 30 June 2025)
No zone
Charging or low emission zone
Office for National Statistics, Population estimates, local authority based by single year of age (mid-2025) (as of 30 June 2025)
BN
Postcode areas
Office for National Statistics, Population estimates, local authority based by single year of age (mid-2025) (as of 30 June 2025)

Checked on 30 June 2025.Office for National Statistics, Population estimates, local authority based by single year of age (mid-2025) (as of 30 June 2025)

No charging zone here

Brighton has no clean air zone, low emission zone or congestion charge. Nothing about the age or fuel of your car changes what it costs to drive into the city, and the only motoring charges that apply are the national ones.

What is different about driving in Brighton?

Very little, in charging terms. Brighton runs no zone, so the national rules are the whole story. What is local is the shape of the fleet and the charging network, which the figures below describe.

Local figures for Brighton

  • The population figure covers the Brighton and Hove council area, which is the authority that licenses taxis and runs parking across both towns.
  • 37.4% of households had no car or van at the 2021 census, the highest share on the south coast and far above the 23.5% England figure.
  • About 92,400 licensed cars were recorded in the council area at the end of March 2026, fewer than in Portsmouth despite a larger population.
  • There were 667 public chargers at 1 April 2026, or 235.0 per 100,000 residents, though only 12.0 per 100,000 were rapid 50kW units.

The numbers behind those lines

Official statistics for East Sussex
MeasureFigure
Vehicle fleet37.4% of households had no car or van at the 2021 census, the highest share on the south coast and far above the 23.5% England figure.
Public chargingThere were 667 public chargers at 1 April 2026, or 235.0 per 100,000 residents, though only 12.0 per 100,000 were rapid 50kW units.
Car ownership37.4% of households had no car or van at the 2021 census, the highest share on the south coast and far above the 23.5% England figure.

Common questions

Is there a clean air zone in Brighton?
No. Brighton has no charging or low emission zone, so no daily charge applies to driving there. The nearest zone, if any, is in a different authority area.
What does a car pay to drive in Brighton?
Nothing. There is no zone charge in Brighton. The only motoring charges that apply are the national ones: vehicle excise duty, fuel duty and any local parking scheme.
How many public chargers are there in Brighton?
There were 667 public chargers at 1 April 2026, or 235.0 per 100,000 residents, though only 12.0 per 100,000 were rapid 50kW units.
Are motoring rules different in England?
Vehicle tax, speeding penalties and licensing are set nationally, so they are the same everywhere in Great Britain. What varies locally is whether a charging zone applies and what it costs.

Sources

Related pages