UK vehicle statistics / JCB

How many JCB 3sth trucks are left?

At the end of 2026 Q1, DfT recorded 750 licensed and 452 SORN vehicles in the UK within the JCB 3sth generic-model group.

Looking at a 3sth?

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 3sth is off the road? A free SORN check shows whether it is currently SORN, taxed or untaxed.

Is the 3sth disappearing?

750 are licensed as of 2026 Q1 — the highest count in the published series, so the 3sth is still arriving on UK roads rather than leaving them. That is up 221% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 452 are declared SORN — 1 in 3 of the 1,202 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.

Recent quarterly trend

QuarterLicensedSORN
2026 Q1750452
2025 Q4715438
2025 Q3706388
2025 Q2629370
2025 Q1630340
2024 Q4627315
2024 Q3628272
2024 Q2552265
2024 Q1506256
2023 Q4497239
2023 Q3523180
2023 Q2475177

Other JCB models

  • 540 — 6,880 licensed
  • 535 — 3,283 licensed
  • 531 — 2,003 licensed
  • 3CX — 2,418 licensed
  • 525 — 1,820 licensed
  • Tm320 — 2,380 licensed

See how many of every JCB model are left

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.