UK vehicle statistics / Citroen

How many Citroen C3 cars are left?

At the end of 2026 Q1, DfT recorded 258,958 licensed and 14,502 SORN vehicles in the UK within the Citroen C3 generic-model group.

Looking at a C3?

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 C3 is off the road? A free SORN check shows whether it is currently SORN, taxed or untaxed.

Is the C3 disappearing?

Licensed numbers peaked at 264,209 in 2024 Q4 and stand at 258,958 in 2026 Q1, down 2%. That is up 1% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 14,502 are declared SORN — 1 in 19 of the 273,460 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.

C3 MOT pass rate

In 2024, 63.2% of 165,464 Citroen C3 MOTs passed first time — below the 71.2% UK average. Pass rate moves with age: 85.6% of cars aged 3–5 years passed first time, against 50.7% aged 15–30 years.

  • Stop Lamp — 5.1% of tests. A brake light out. Usually a bulb.
  • Headlamp Aim — 4.9% of tests. Headlights pointing too high or low. Cheap to adjust, and common on every make.
  • Headlamps — 4.5% of tests. A headlight fault, from a blown bulb to a failed unit.
  • Suspension Arms — 4.3% of tests. Worn arms or bushes. A common age-related repair that affects handling and tyre wear.

Full age bands and failure notes are on the Citroen C3 MOT pass rate page.

Before you buy

  • Stop Lamp — 5.1% of tests in 2024. A brake light out. Usually a bulb.
  • Headlamp Aim — 4.9% of tests in 2024. Headlights pointing too high or low. Cheap to adjust, and common on every make.
  • Headlamps — 4.5% of tests in 2024. A headlight fault, from a blown bulb to a failed unit.
  • Suspension Arms — 4.3% of tests in 2024. Worn arms or bushes. A common age-related repair that affects handling and tyre wear.
  • Check the actual C3 — 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.

QuarterLicensedSORN
2026 Q1258,95814,502
2025 Q4258,37414,273
2025 Q3257,64613,881
2025 Q2259,67213,575
2025 Q1262,25913,207
2024 Q4264,20912,967
2024 Q3263,73912,308
2024 Q2262,97712,182
2024 Q1262,07112,287
2023 Q4260,25511,822
2023 Q3259,27211,295
2023 Q2258,23511,085
2023 Q1258,80510,998
2022 Q4257,13510,946
2022 Q3256,34910,672
2022 Q2254,22710,706
2022 Q1254,06411,018
2021 Q4254,02810,891
2021 Q3255,33410,774
2021 Q2255,85710,732
2021 Q1255,15811,172
2020 Q4254,68310,844
2020 Q3256,81410,278
2020 Q2255,15110,432
2020 Q1255,81810,178
2019 Q4256,8659,485
2019 Q3257,6448,956
2019 Q2255,4618,754
2019 Q1253,4088,496
2018 Q4247,9398,431
2018 Q3247,3318,020
2018 Q2244,3467,730
2018 Q1241,6027,488
2017 Q4239,0607,363
2017 Q3238,8136,961
2017 Q2236,2196,883
2017 Q1234,6296,501
2016 Q4230,9936,166
2016 Q3230,2335,611
2016 Q2230,5285,050
2016 Q1230,3304,805
2015 Q4228,7804,119
2015 Q3227,9523,649
2015 Q2225,8873,390
2015 Q1225,1572,913
2014 Q4223,1952,505
2014 Q3224,5222,162

Other Citroen models

See how many of every Citroen model are left

Common questions

How many Citroen C3 cars are left in the UK?

258,958 were licensed and 14,502 were SORN at the end of 2026 Q1, according to DfT and DVLA statistics for this generic-model group.

How many Citroen C3 cars are SORN?

14,502 are declared SORN — 1 in 19 of the 273,460 still on the DVLA record at the end of 2026 Q1.

Is the C3 disappearing?

Licensed numbers peaked at 264,209 in 2024 Q4 and stand at 258,958 in 2026 Q1, down 2%. That is up 1% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 14,502 are declared SORN — 1 in 19 of the 273,460 still on the DVLA record is off the road, laid up, part-restored or waiting to be sold.

What is the Citroen C3 MOT pass rate?

In 2024, 63.2% of 165,464 Citroen C3 MOTs passed first time — below the 71.2% UK average.

What does the C3 fail its MOT on?

The most common initial failure categories in 2024 are stop lamp (5.1% of tests), headlamp aim (4.9% of tests), headlamps (4.5% of tests).

Does this say whether one C3 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.