UK vehicle statistics / Volkswagen

How many Volkswagen UP cars are left?

At the end of 2026 Q1, DfT recorded 131,514 licensed and 1,702 SORN vehicles in the UK within the Volkswagen UP generic-model group.

Looking at a UP?

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

Is the UP disappearing?

Licensed numbers peaked at 131,635 in 2025 Q4 and stand at 131,514 in 2026 Q1, flat 0%. That is up 8% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 1,702 are declared SORN — 1 in 78 of the 133,216 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.

UP MOT pass rate

In 2024, 79.4% of 103,157 Volkswagen UP MOTs passed first time — above the 71.2% UK average. Pass rate moves with age: 90.6% of cars aged 3–5 years passed first time, against 76.3% aged 10–14 years.

  • Brake Performance — 3.7% of tests. The brakes underperformed on the rolling road. Expect brake work rather than an adjustment.
  • Headlamp Aim — 2.7% of tests. Headlights pointing too high or low. Cheap to adjust, and common on every make.
  • Condition — 2.5% of tests. Corrosion, damage or wear on a tested component. Worth seeing in person, as the cost ranges from trivial to structural.
  • Wipers — 2.1% of tests. Worn wiper blades. Minutes to fix, and a fair hint that servicing was skipped.

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

Before you buy

  • Brake Performance — 3.7% of tests in 2024. The brakes underperformed on the rolling road. Expect brake work rather than an adjustment.
  • Headlamp Aim — 2.7% of tests in 2024. Headlights pointing too high or low. Cheap to adjust, and common on every make.
  • Condition — 2.5% of tests in 2024. Corrosion, damage or wear on a tested component. Worth seeing in person, as the cost ranges from trivial to structural.
  • Wipers — 2.1% of tests in 2024. Worn wiper blades. Minutes to fix, and a fair hint that servicing was skipped.
  • Check the actual UP — 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 Q1131,5141,702
2025 Q4131,6351,598
2025 Q3131,5791,506
2025 Q2131,3591,435
2025 Q1131,1611,400
2024 Q4131,3541,231
2024 Q3131,3911,043
2024 Q2131,516995
2024 Q1131,565956
2023 Q4131,520875
2023 Q3131,022780
2023 Q2130,275727
2023 Q1129,641725
2022 Q4129,344719
2022 Q3128,420654
2022 Q2128,230614
2022 Q1127,449634
2021 Q4126,405722
2021 Q3124,836715
2021 Q2123,404681
2021 Q1122,102809
2020 Q4121,661757
2020 Q3121,284580
2020 Q2120,204668
2020 Q1119,669626
2019 Q4119,453616
2019 Q3118,492545
2019 Q2116,426544
2019 Q1114,426498
2018 Q4111,264490
2018 Q3109,291385
2018 Q2105,212326
2018 Q1102,715338
2017 Q498,571357
2017 Q396,187284
2017 Q292,383244
2017 Q190,275268
2016 Q485,830293
2016 Q383,191243
2016 Q279,693216
2016 Q176,464215
2015 Q472,924228
2015 Q370,803291
2015 Q265,677207
2015 Q161,384123
2014 Q456,770146
2014 Q353,466236

Other Volkswagen models

See how many of every Volkswagen model are left

Common questions

How many Volkswagen UP cars are left in the UK?

131,514 were licensed and 1,702 were SORN at the end of 2026 Q1, according to DfT and DVLA statistics for this generic-model group.

How many Volkswagen UP cars are SORN?

1,702 are declared SORN — 1 in 78 of the 133,216 still on the DVLA record at the end of 2026 Q1.

Is the UP disappearing?

Licensed numbers peaked at 131,635 in 2025 Q4 and stand at 131,514 in 2026 Q1, flat 0%. That is up 8% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 1,702 are declared SORN — 1 in 78 of the 133,216 still on the DVLA record is off the road, laid up, part-restored or waiting to be sold.

What is the Volkswagen UP MOT pass rate?

In 2024, 79.4% of 103,157 Volkswagen UP MOTs passed first time — above the 71.2% UK average.

What does the UP fail its MOT on?

The most common initial failure categories in 2024 are brake performance (3.7% of tests), headlamp aim (2.7% of tests), condition (2.5% of tests).

Does this say whether one UP 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.