How many Austin 8cwt cars are left?

Name: Austin 8cwt licensed and SORN statistics
Creator: Department for Transport and DVLA
License: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

At the end of 2026 Q1, DfT recorded 85 licensed and 53 SORN vehicles in the UK within the Austin 8cwt generic-model group.

Looking at a 8cwt?

Population figures cannot tell you whether one particular car is taxed, MOT-valid or safe to buy.

Check its registration free for the official tax, MOT and mileage record. If the car is still worth pursuing, the optional £9.99 full history check adds outstanding-finance, stolen and insurance write-off checks.

Wondering whether one particular 8cwt is off the road? A free SORN check shows whether it is currently SORN, taxed or untaxed.

Is the 8cwt disappearing?

Licensed numbers peaked at 91 in 2025 Q1 and stand at 85 in 2026 Q1, down 7%. That is down 3% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 53 are declared SORN — 1 in 3 of the 138 still on the DVLA record is off the road, laid up, part-restored or waiting to be sold.

A falling population is worth knowing before you buy: it usually means fewer donor cars, fewer specialists and slower parts supply, and it is why a good example of a scarce model can hold its price while a neglected one is hard to sell at any price.

Before you buy

Ask why it was off the road — Of the 138 8cwt vehicles still on the DVLA record, 1 in 3 is SORN (53 at 2026 Q1). A car that has been laid up needs a closer look at brakes, tyres and the MOT history.
Check the actual 8cwt — These figures describe the model group. Enter the registration for that vehicle's free MOT, tax and mileage record before you pay a deposit.

Quarterly licensed and SORN counts

Every quarter DfT has published for this model group, newest first.

Quarter	Licensed	SORN
2026 Q1	85	53
2025 Q4	84	54
2025 Q3	87	51
2025 Q2	90	50
2025 Q1	91	48
2024 Q4	88	51
2024 Q3	88	52
2024 Q2	85	53
2024 Q1	87	54
2023 Q4	85	54
2023 Q3	85	55
2023 Q2	87	54
2023 Q1	82	54
2022 Q4	88	52
2022 Q3	85	52
2022 Q2	86	51
2022 Q1	89	49
2021 Q4	89	47
2021 Q3	90	47
2021 Q2	91	45
2021 Q1	88	47
2020 Q4	87	46
2020 Q3	85	46
2020 Q2	84	46
2020 Q1	85	48
2019 Q4	84	48
2019 Q3	85	47
2019 Q2	83	47
2019 Q1	82	47
2018 Q4	79	50
2018 Q3	79	47
2018 Q2	78	46
2018 Q1	72	52
2017 Q4	70	53
2017 Q3	70	51
2017 Q2	67	53
2017 Q1	69	50
2016 Q4	65	53
2016 Q3	69	51
2016 Q2	69	50
2016 Q1	65	55
2015 Q4	66	54
2015 Q3	66	51
2015 Q2	68	50
2015 Q1	69	50
2014 Q4	69	47
2014 Q3	73	43

Other Austin models

Mini — 8,134 licensed
Seven — 2,279 licensed
A35 — 1,724 licensed
Healey — 2,122 licensed
A40 — 1,533 licensed
Metro — 260 licensed

See how many of every Austin model are left

Common questions

How many Austin 8cwt cars are left in the UK?

85 were licensed and 53 were SORN at the end of 2026 Q1, according to DfT and DVLA statistics for this generic-model group.

How many Austin 8cwt cars are SORN?

53 are declared SORN — 1 in 3 of the 138 still on the DVLA record at the end of 2026 Q1.

Is the 8cwt disappearing?

Does this say whether one 8cwt is a good buy?

No. These are population figures for the model group. Enter that vehicle's registration for its own free MOT, tax and mileage record.

Source and limitations

Source: Department for Transport and DVLA, df_VEH0120_UK. Released 2026-07-15 under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

DVLA make and model fields are administrative data and can contain omissions or inconsistencies. These statistics describe model groups, not an individual registration.

Confidential cells marked [c] represent between 1 and 4 vehicles and are treated as zero in aggregates, so totals can be slightly understated.