How many Ford Thunderbird cars are left?

Name: Ford Thunderbird 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 252 licensed and 95 SORN vehicles in the UK within the Ford Thunderbird generic-model group.

Looking at a Thunderbird?

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

Is the Thunderbird disappearing?

Licensed numbers peaked at 260 in 2023 Q2 and stand at 252 in 2026 Q1, down 3%. That is up 7% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 95 are declared SORN — 1 in 4 of the 347 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 347 Thunderbird vehicles still on the DVLA record, 1 in 4 is SORN (95 at 2026 Q1). A car that has been laid up needs a closer look at brakes, tyres and the MOT history.
Check the actual Thunderbird — 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	252	95
2025 Q4	251	92
2025 Q3	251	89
2025 Q2	249	85
2025 Q1	250	82
2024 Q4	249	80
2024 Q3	256	70
2024 Q2	258	73
2024 Q1	247	78
2023 Q4	245	82
2023 Q3	254	78
2023 Q2	260	79
2023 Q1	249	83
2022 Q4	251	81
2022 Q3	256	71
2022 Q2	249	73
2022 Q1	241	75
2021 Q4	244	74
2021 Q3	247	63
2021 Q2	247	63
2021 Q1	235	68
2020 Q4	237	63
2020 Q3	236	58
2020 Q2	224	58
2020 Q1	223	64
2019 Q4	220	60
2019 Q3	214	56
2019 Q2	214	55
2019 Q1	210	51
2018 Q4	205	52
2018 Q3	205	40
2018 Q2	188	39
2018 Q1	160	53
2017 Q4	156	50
2017 Q3	162	42
2017 Q2	161	39
2017 Q1	151	40
2016 Q4	142	44
2016 Q3	149	34
2016 Q2	144	34
2016 Q1	127	35
2015 Q4	129	32
2015 Q3	127	25
2015 Q2	113	27
2015 Q1	105	27
2014 Q4	97	32
2014 Q3	108	23

Other Ford models

Fiesta — 1,300,171 licensed. MOT pass rate
Focus — 877,764 licensed. MOT pass rate
Transit — 492,494 licensed. MOT pass rate
Transit Custom — 526,927 licensed. MOT pass rate
Kuga — 380,445 licensed. MOT pass rate
Puma — 250,887 licensed. MOT pass rate

See how many of every Ford model are left

Common questions

How many Ford Thunderbird cars are left in the UK?

252 were licensed and 95 were SORN at the end of 2026 Q1, according to DfT and DVLA statistics for this generic-model group.

How many Ford Thunderbird cars are SORN?

95 are declared SORN — 1 in 4 of the 347 still on the DVLA record at the end of 2026 Q1.

Is the Thunderbird disappearing?

Does this say whether one Thunderbird 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.