UK vehicle statistics / Volkswagen

How many Volkswagen Transporter cars are left?

At the end of 2026 Q1, DfT recorded 352,853 licensed and 34,342 SORN vehicles in the UK within the Volkswagen Transporter generic-model group.

Looking at a Transporter?

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

Is the Transporter disappearing?

Licensed numbers peaked at 354,266 in 2025 Q3 and stand at 352,853 in 2026 Q1, flat 0%. That is up 19% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 34,342 are declared SORN — 1 in 11 of the 387,195 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.

Transporter MOT pass rate

In 2024, 65% of 217,793 Volkswagen Transporter MOTs passed first time — below the 71.2% UK average. Pass rate moves with age: 81.7% of cars aged 3–5 years passed first time, against 55.8% aged 15–30 years.

  • Brake Performance — 4.9% of tests. The brakes underperformed on the rolling road. Expect brake work rather than an adjustment.
  • Suspension Arms — 4.6% of tests. Worn arms or bushes. A common age-related repair that affects handling and tyre wear.
  • Headlamp Aim — 4.4% of tests. Headlights pointing too high or low. Cheap to adjust, and common on every make.
  • Anti-roll Bars — 4.2% of tests. Worn anti-roll bar links or bushes. Inexpensive but often recurring.

Full age bands and failure notes are on the Volkswagen Transporter MOT pass rate page.

Before you buy

  • Brake Performance — 4.9% of tests in 2024. The brakes underperformed on the rolling road. Expect brake work rather than an adjustment.
  • Suspension Arms — 4.6% of tests in 2024. Worn arms or bushes. A common age-related repair that affects handling and tyre wear.
  • Headlamp Aim — 4.4% of tests in 2024. Headlights pointing too high or low. Cheap to adjust, and common on every make.
  • Anti-roll Bars — 4.2% of tests in 2024. Worn anti-roll bar links or bushes. Inexpensive but often recurring.
  • Check the actual Transporter — 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.

QuarterLicensedSORN
2026 Q1352,85334,342
2025 Q4351,39732,933
2025 Q3354,26627,832
2025 Q2351,63527,697
2025 Q1345,65631,549
2024 Q4345,46430,114
2024 Q3348,87725,020
2024 Q2345,12923,701
2024 Q1339,13825,283
2023 Q4335,36726,197
2023 Q3336,85621,499
2023 Q2333,34420,449
2023 Q1327,27622,093
2022 Q4323,69323,695
2022 Q3323,42319,388
2022 Q2319,60118,398
2022 Q1313,74820,219
2021 Q4311,67121,234
2021 Q3312,50917,447
2021 Q2307,91017,200
2021 Q1296,48120,365
2020 Q4292,38720,962
2020 Q3289,79117,877
2020 Q2278,60819,268
2020 Q1276,68222,804
2019 Q4277,99719,029
2019 Q3277,66115,505
2019 Q2272,73514,589
2019 Q1265,01015,608
2018 Q4260,41716,827
2018 Q3259,47913,435
2018 Q2253,82212,807
2018 Q1246,16114,030
2017 Q4240,65214,851
2017 Q3239,32311,737
2017 Q2233,78311,243
2017 Q1226,50111,915
2016 Q4220,77612,606
2016 Q3217,4329,642
2016 Q2212,3279,222
2016 Q1204,25411,012
2015 Q4199,87910,985
2015 Q3199,0918,265
2015 Q2194,6307,782
2015 Q1186,8728,770
2014 Q4181,9739,743
2014 Q3182,3596,936

Other Volkswagen models

See how many of every Volkswagen model are left

Common questions

How many Volkswagen Transporter cars are left in the UK?

352,853 were licensed and 34,342 were SORN at the end of 2026 Q1, according to DfT and DVLA statistics for this generic-model group.

How many Volkswagen Transporter cars are SORN?

34,342 are declared SORN — 1 in 11 of the 387,195 still on the DVLA record at the end of 2026 Q1.

Is the Transporter disappearing?

Licensed numbers peaked at 354,266 in 2025 Q3 and stand at 352,853 in 2026 Q1, flat 0%. That is up 19% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 34,342 are declared SORN — 1 in 11 of the 387,195 still on the DVLA record is off the road, laid up, part-restored or waiting to be sold.

What is the Volkswagen Transporter MOT pass rate?

In 2024, 65% of 217,793 Volkswagen Transporter MOTs passed first time — below the 71.2% UK average.

What does the Transporter fail its MOT on?

The most common initial failure categories in 2024 are brake performance (4.9% of tests), suspension arms (4.6% of tests), headlamp aim (4.4% of tests).

Does this say whether one Transporter 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.