How many Reliant 21 E cars are left?

Name: Reliant 21 E 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 74 licensed and 87 SORN vehicles in the UK within the Reliant 21 E generic-model group.

Looking at a 21 E?

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

Is the 21 E disappearing?

Licensed numbers peaked at 82 in 2025 Q1 and stand at 74 in 2026 Q1, down 10%. That is up 4% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 87 are declared SORN — 1 in 2 of the 161 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 161 21 E vehicles still on the DVLA record, 1 in 2 is SORN (87 at 2026 Q1). A car that has been laid up needs a closer look at brakes, tyres and the MOT history.
Check the actual 21 E — 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	74	87
2025 Q4	76	86
2025 Q3	75	85
2025 Q2	79	79
2025 Q1	82	76
2024 Q4	78	76
2024 Q3	77	77
2024 Q2	76	77
2024 Q1	77	78
2023 Q4	76	77
2023 Q3	75	78
2023 Q2	79	74
2023 Q1	77	77
2022 Q4	76	77
2022 Q3	73	79
2022 Q2	76	77
2022 Q1	78	76
2021 Q4	75	78
2021 Q3	75	73
2021 Q2	76	72
2021 Q1	71	76
2020 Q4	72	75
2020 Q3	75	74
2020 Q2	76	72
2020 Q1	74	71
2019 Q4	71	74
2019 Q3	73	72
2019 Q2	74	66
2019 Q1	72	69
2018 Q4	73	70
2018 Q3	71	69
2018 Q2	65	69
2018 Q1	54	78
2017 Q4	55	78
2017 Q3	55	76
2017 Q2	49	79
2017 Q1	55	70
2016 Q4	53	70
2016 Q3	53	71
2016 Q2	56	67
2016 Q1	58	63
2015 Q4	60	61
2015 Q3	60	59
2015 Q2	63	56
2015 Q1	66	53
2014 Q4	68	51
2014 Q3	70	48

Other Reliant models

Scimitar — 1,589 licensed
Robin — 788 licensed
Rialto — 356 licensed
Kitten — 188 licensed
Regal — 154 licensed
FOX — 35 licensed

See how many of every Reliant model are left

Common questions

How many Reliant 21 E cars are left in the UK?

74 were licensed and 87 were SORN at the end of 2026 Q1, according to DfT and DVLA statistics for this generic-model group.

How many Reliant 21 E cars are SORN?

87 are declared SORN — 1 in 2 of the 161 still on the DVLA record at the end of 2026 Q1.

Is the 21 E disappearing?

Does this say whether one 21 E 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.