How many Indian Chieftain motorcycles are left?

Name: Indian Chieftain 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 161 licensed and 53 SORN vehicles in the UK within the Indian Chieftain generic-model group.

Looking at a Chieftain?

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

Is the Chieftain disappearing?

Licensed numbers peaked at 187 in 2025 Q2 and stand at 161 in 2026 Q1, down 14%. That is up 32% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 53 are declared SORN — 1 in 4 of the 214 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.

Fuel

DfT codes every vehicle in the Indian Chieftain generic-model group as petrol.

Before you buy

Ask why it was off the road — Of the 214 Chieftain vehicles still on the DVLA record, 1 in 4 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 Chieftain — 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	161	53
2025 Q4	155	62
2025 Q3	185	31
2025 Q2	187	23
2025 Q1	162	44
2024 Q4	153	49
2024 Q3	169	29
2024 Q2	173	26
2024 Q1	155	25
2023 Q4	143	35
2023 Q3	169	15
2023 Q2	166	14
2023 Q1	152	23
2022 Q4	143	33
2022 Q3	154	15
2022 Q2	151	18
2022 Q1	140	20
2021 Q4	134	27
2021 Q3	143	16
2021 Q2	142	18
2021 Q1	122	11
2020 Q4	114	19
2020 Q3	121	15
2020 Q2	116	13
2020 Q1	112	16
2019 Q4	106	18
2019 Q3	111	7
2019 Q2	105	4
2019 Q1	88	3
2018 Q4	77	12
2018 Q3	78	4
2018 Q2	76	1
2018 Q1	66	1
2017 Q4	52	4
2017 Q3	52	1
2017 Q2	43	2
2017 Q1	34	4
2016 Q4	34	4
2016 Q3	33	2
2016 Q2	31	2
2016 Q1	29	2
2015 Q4	23	3
2015 Q3	24	1
2015 Q2	25	1
2015 Q1	24	0
2014 Q4	25	0
2014 Q3	26	0

Other Indian models

Scout — 2,145 licensed
Chief — 631 licensed
FTR — 560 licensed
Roadmaster — 143 licensed
101 Scout — 115 licensed
Springfield — 86 licensed

See how many of every Indian model are left

Common questions

How many Indian Chieftain motorcycles are left in the UK?

161 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 Indian Chieftain motorcycles are SORN?

53 are declared SORN — 1 in 4 of the 214 still on the DVLA record at the end of 2026 Q1.

Is the Chieftain disappearing?

What fuel is the Chieftain coded as?

DfT codes every vehicle in the Indian Chieftain generic-model group as petrol.

Does this say whether one Chieftain 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.