How many Volkswagen Variant cars are left?

Name: Volkswagen Variant 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 69 licensed and 41 SORN vehicles in the UK within the Volkswagen Variant generic-model group.

Looking at a Variant?

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

Is the Variant disappearing?

Licensed numbers peaked at 80 in 2024 Q3 and stand at 69 in 2026 Q1, down 14%. That is down 4% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 41 are declared SORN — 1 in 3 of the 110 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 110 Variant vehicles still on the DVLA record, 1 in 3 is SORN (41 at 2026 Q1). A car that has been laid up needs a closer look at brakes, tyres and the MOT history.
Check the actual Variant — 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	69	41
2025 Q4	69	41
2025 Q3	71	39
2025 Q2	71	39
2025 Q1	75	35
2024 Q4	77	33
2024 Q3	80	29
2024 Q2	77	32
2024 Q1	77	32
2023 Q4	77	31
2023 Q3	76	30
2023 Q2	80	29
2023 Q1	78	29
2022 Q4	78	29
2022 Q3	78	30
2022 Q2	79	30
2022 Q1	74	32
2021 Q4	74	31
2021 Q3	73	31
2021 Q2	73	33
2021 Q1	72	31
2020 Q4	69	32
2020 Q3	69	32
2020 Q2	71	30
2020 Q1	76	27
2019 Q4	75	25
2019 Q3	74	26
2019 Q2	71	26
2019 Q1	67	27
2018 Q4	63	25
2018 Q3	62	26
2018 Q2	59	28
2018 Q1	55	32
2017 Q4	55	31
2017 Q3	55	31
2017 Q2	50	33
2017 Q1	49	31
2016 Q4	47	32
2016 Q3	49	30
2016 Q2	46	29
2016 Q1	40	32
2015 Q4	42	30
2015 Q3	42	29
2015 Q2	40	30
2015 Q1	44	27
2014 Q4	41	28
2014 Q3	45	25

Other Volkswagen models

Golf — 953,731 licensed. MOT pass rate
Polo — 684,732 licensed. MOT pass rate
Transporter — 352,853 licensed. MOT pass rate
Tiguan — 353,309 licensed. MOT pass rate
Passat — 175,154 licensed. MOT pass rate
Caddy — 163,434 licensed. MOT pass rate

See how many of every Volkswagen model are left

Common questions

How many Volkswagen Variant cars are left in the UK?

69 were licensed and 41 were SORN at the end of 2026 Q1, according to DfT and DVLA statistics for this generic-model group.

How many Volkswagen Variant cars are SORN?

41 are declared SORN — 1 in 3 of the 110 still on the DVLA record at the end of 2026 Q1.

Is the Variant disappearing?

Does this say whether one Variant 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.