The local woman was driving a Peugeot which collided with a Ford driven by a 22-year-old man in Angley Road at the junction with Cranbrook High Street.
Kent Police said the other driver was also taken to hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening.
The A229 was closed for five hours after the accident at 13:38 BST on Saturday.
Det Sgt Scott Lynch said: 'It was a busy Saturday afternoon so there may have been a number of people who saw the collision.
"We would ask witnesses to contact us if they haven't already spoken to an officer."

The two girls were "touched inappropriately" during a visit to the attraction, in Windsor, Berkshire, on 11 August, police said.
The man, in his 20s from Bracknell, had been bailed to a specified date but has since been released without charge.
Thames Valley Police have released an e-fit of the offender.
The assaults happened between 12:15 BST and 12:30 at Castaway Camp in the Pirate Shores area of the attraction, the force said.
Det Insp Penny Mackenzie said she believed the offender travelled to Legoland on the day of the offence with others - either family or friends.
"We are working closely with Legoland Windsor to progress this investigation and this includes a review of the CCTV.
"About 14,200 people attended the theme park that day so this will be a painstaking process and one that needs to be carried out thoroughly and carefully.
"If you recognise the face of the man in the E-Fit or the description given, please contact police immediately", she added.

Travellers to Paris and Brussels were deterred after major terror attacks in November 2015 and March 2016 and numbers fell by 4% to 10 million.
Eurostar, whose main shareholder is the French national rail operator, SNCF, made a profit of 31m euros in 2015.
It said 2016 had been "a difficult year".
Revenues were down 3% at Â£794m.
But the company said there had been a pick-up in business at the end of last year which had continued into 2017.
Last year, Eurostar said it would cut some of its services from December as it introduced longer trains.
The new e320 trains introduced earlier in 2016 have around 20% more seats than the previous model, and are used for most services between London and Paris.
An 85-year-old woman has died in hospital after a collision between her car and another vehicle.
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A man arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting two six-year-olds at the Legoland theme park, has been released without charge.
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The channel tunnel train service Eurostar said it made an operating loss of 28m euros (Â£25m, $30m) in 2016 following a drop in passenger numbers.