How many Wolseley 18/85 cars are left?

Name: Wolseley 18/85 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 90 licensed and 53 SORN vehicles in the UK within the Wolseley 18/85 generic-model group.

Looking at a 18/85?

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 18/85 is off the road? A free SORN check shows whether it is currently SORN, taxed or untaxed.

Is the 18/85 disappearing?

Licensed numbers peaked at 96 in 2022 Q1 and stand at 90 in 2026 Q1, down 6%. That is down 3% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 53 are declared SORN — 1 in 3 of the 143 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

DfT codes every vehicle in the Wolseley 18/85 generic-model group as petrol.

Before you buy

Ask why it was off the road — Of the 143 18/85 vehicles still on the DVLA record, 1 in 3 is SORN (53 at 2026 Q1). A car that has been laid up needs a closer look at brakes, tyres and the MOT history.
Check the actual 18/85 — 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	90	53
2025 Q4	87	53
2025 Q3	87	52
2025 Q2	89	51
2025 Q1	91	52
2024 Q4	90	52
2024 Q3	91	52
2024 Q2	91	51
2024 Q1	90	51
2023 Q4	87	54
2023 Q3	87	52
2023 Q2	89	50
2023 Q1	92	50
2022 Q4	91	52
2022 Q3	89	51
2022 Q2	92	52
2022 Q1	96	50
2021 Q4	93	51
2021 Q3	95	48
2021 Q2	91	48
2021 Q1	93	48
2020 Q4	91	47
2020 Q3	91	48
2020 Q2	93	47
2020 Q1	94	46
2019 Q4	93	46
2019 Q3	94	47
2019 Q2	94	46
2019 Q1	92	48
2018 Q4	91	48
2018 Q3	88	51
2018 Q2	87	53
2018 Q1	86	54
2017 Q4	85	54
2017 Q3	82	56
2017 Q2	83	54
2017 Q1	82	55
2016 Q4	83	52
2016 Q3	87	47
2016 Q2	91	41
2016 Q1	90	42
2015 Q4	89	43
2015 Q3	94	39
2015 Q2	88	45
2015 Q1	89	46
2014 Q4	86	45
2014 Q3	87	46

Other Wolseley models

1500 — 534 licensed
Hornet — 459 licensed
16/60 — 201 licensed
4/44 — 146 licensed
15/50 — 113 licensed
6/110 — 101 licensed

See how many of every Wolseley model are left

Common questions

How many Wolseley 18/85 cars are left in the UK?

90 were licensed and 53 were SORN at the end of 2026 Q1, according to DfT and DVLA statistics for this generic-model group.

How many Wolseley 18/85 cars are SORN?

53 are declared SORN — 1 in 3 of the 143 still on the DVLA record at the end of 2026 Q1.

Is the 18/85 disappearing?

What fuel is the 18/85 coded as?

DfT codes every vehicle in the Wolseley 18/85 generic-model group as petrol.

Does this say whether one 18/85 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.