UK vehicle statistics / Subaru

How many Subaru cars are left?

At the end of 2026 Q1, DfT recorded 54,756 licensed and 28,622 SORN Subaru vehicles in the UK, across 16 published model groups. That means 1 in 3 surviving Subaru is currently off the road.

Is the Subaru fleet shrinking?

Adding up every published Subaru model group: Licensed numbers peaked at 83,484 in 2014 Q3 and stand at 54,756 in 2026 Q1, down 34%. That is down 13% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 28,622 are declared SORN — 1 in 3 of the 83,378 still on the DVLA record is off the road, laid up, part-restored or waiting to be sold.

Subaru MOT pass rate

In 2024, 73.7% of 46,734 Subaru MOTs passed first time — above the 71.2% UK average.

The items most often behind a first-test failure across published Subaru model groups:

• Exhaust Emissions — 5.9% of tests. The car exceeded its emissions limits. Can be a sensor or a service, but on a diesel it can also mean an expensive filter or catalyst.
• Position Lamps — 3.5% of tests. A side or tail light out. Usually a bulb.
• Headlamp Aim — 3.2% of tests. Headlights pointing too high or low. Cheap to adjust, and common on every make.
• Suspension Arms — 3.1% of tests. Worn arms or bushes. A common age-related repair that affects handling and tyre wear.

See every model on the Subaru MOT pass rate page.

Before you buy

• Exhaust Emissions — 5.9% of tests in 2024. The car exceeded its emissions limits. Can be a sensor or a service, but on a diesel it can also mean an expensive filter or catalyst.
• Position Lamps — 3.5% of tests in 2024. A side or tail light out. Usually a bulb.
• Headlamp Aim — 3.2% of tests in 2024. Headlights pointing too high or low. Cheap to adjust, and common on every make.
• Suspension Arms — 3.1% of tests in 2024. Worn arms or bushes. A common age-related repair that affects handling and tyre wear.
• Ask why it was off the road — Of the 83,378 Subaru vehicles still on the DVLA record, 1 in 3 is SORN (28,622 at 2026 Q1). A car that has been laid up needs a closer look at brakes, tyres and the MOT history.
• Budget for a shrinking fleet — Licensed numbers are down 34% from the 2014 Q3 peak of 83,484. Fewer cars on the road usually means fewer donor parts and fewer specialists.
• Check the actual Subaru — These figures describe the model group. Enter the registration for that vehicle's free MOT, tax and mileage record before you pay a deposit.

Rarest Subaru models

The published Subaru model groups with the smallest surviving populations.

• Crosstrek LTD Ebxr SYM AWD CVT — 111 licensed, 0 SORN
• 1.8 — 9 licensed, 115 SORN
• SVX — 29 licensed, 107 SORN
• Tribeca B9 — 130 licensed, 149 SORN
• Levorg — 760 licensed, 18 SORN

Every Subaru model

How to read these numbers

Licensed means taxed and legal to use on the road at the end of the quarter. SORN means the keeper has declared it off the road — it still exists, but it is not in use. A model group's total is the best available proxy for how many survive, and a shrinking one means fewer donor cars, fewer specialists and slower parts supply.

Common questions

How many Subaru cars are left in the UK?

54,756 Subaru vehicles were licensed and 28,622 were SORN at the end of 2026 Q1, across 16 published model groups, according to DfT and DVLA statistics.

Which Subaru is rarest?

Of the published Subaru model groups, the Crosstrek LTD Ebxr SYM AWD CVT has the smallest surviving population at 111 licensed and 0 SORN.

Is the Subaru fleet shrinking?

Licensed numbers peaked at 83,484 in 2014 Q3 and stand at 54,756 in 2026 Q1, down 34%. That is down 13% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 28,622 are declared SORN — 1 in 3 of the 83,378 still on the DVLA record is off the road, laid up, part-restored or waiting to be sold.

What is the Subaru MOT pass rate?

73.7% of 46,734 class-4 initial MOT tests on Subaru cars passed first time in 2024 — above the 71.2% UK average.

What do Subaru cars fail the MOT on?

Across published Subaru model groups, the most common initial failure categories in 2024 are exhaust emissions (5.9% of tests), position lamps (3.5% of tests), headlamp aim (3.2% of tests). DVSA publishes each model group's six most common categories, so this ranks the biggest published causes.

Does a Subaru population figure describe the car I am looking at?

No. It describes the model group. Enter the registration for that car's 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.