UK vehicle statistics / VDL

How many VDL Futura buses are left?

At the end of 2026 Q1, DfT recorded 414 licensed and 7 SORN vehicles in the UK within the VDL Futura generic-model group.

Looking at a Futura?

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

Is the Futura disappearing?

414 are licensed as of 2026 Q1 — the highest count in the published series, so the Futura is still arriving on UK roads rather than leaving them. That is up 98% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 7 are declared SORN — 1 in 60 of the 421 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 and when it shows up in the statistics

DfT codes every vehicle in the VDL Futura generic-model group as diesel.

VDL Futura first appears in the published DfT series in 2015 Q1. Earlier quarters in this file do not include it, so that quarter is not a production start date.

Quarterly licensed and SORN counts

Every quarter DfT has published for this model group, newest first.

QuarterLicensedSORN
2026 Q14147
2025 Q44097
2025 Q34074
2025 Q24043
2025 Q13818
2024 Q43675
2024 Q33577
2024 Q23564
2024 Q13523
2023 Q43463
2023 Q33474
2023 Q23433
2023 Q13363
2022 Q43234
2022 Q33238
2022 Q23248
2022 Q131115
2021 Q429924
2021 Q329029
2021 Q226549
2021 Q120997
2020 Q421398
2020 Q322879
2020 Q2131160
2020 Q1191117
2019 Q42964
2019 Q32932
2019 Q22883
2019 Q12612
2018 Q42352
2018 Q32340
2018 Q22230
2018 Q12020
2017 Q41761
2017 Q31742
2017 Q21690
2017 Q11390
2016 Q41100
2016 Q31050
2016 Q21030
2016 Q1760
2015 Q4590
2015 Q3540
2015 Q2400
2015 Q1140
2014 Q400
2014 Q300

Other VDL models

See how many of every VDL model are left

Common questions

How many VDL Futura buses are left in the UK?

414 were licensed and 7 were SORN at the end of 2026 Q1, according to DfT and DVLA statistics for this generic-model group.

How many VDL Futura buses are SORN?

7 are declared SORN — 1 in 60 of the 421 still on the DVLA record at the end of 2026 Q1.

Is the Futura disappearing?

414 are licensed as of 2026 Q1 — the highest count in the published series, so the Futura is still arriving on UK roads rather than leaving them. That is up 98% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 7 are declared SORN — 1 in 60 of the 421 still on the DVLA record is off the road, laid up, part-restored or waiting to be sold.

What fuel is the Futura coded as?

DfT codes every vehicle in the VDL Futura generic-model group as diesel.

When does the Futura appear in the UK statistics?

VDL Futura first appears in the published DfT series in 2015 Q1. Earlier quarters in this file do not include it, so that quarter is not a production start date.

Does this say whether one Futura 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.