Car statistics
Bentley car statistics
How many Bentley cars are on the road in Great Britain, every Bentley model, its share of new cars over time and which fuels they use, how they do at the MOT and their safety recalls. Built from DVLA licensing records and DVSA MOT results.
- Licensed in Great Britain 25,759 +0.6% on a year earlier
- Rank among makes No. 47 0.08% of licensed cars
- MOT first-time pass rate, 2025 91.4% Cars of the same ages 69.7%
- New registrations in 2025 1,220 0.06% of all new cars
- Most common fuel Petrol 91.1% of those licensed
- Safety recalls since 1992 45 naming 8 Bentley models
How many Bentley cars are on the road?
There were 25,759 Bentley cars licensed in Great Britain at the end of March 2026, and a further 9,009 declared off the road (SORN). That is 0.08% of all licensed cars, making Bentley the No. 47 make on the road. That is the most on the road at any year end since 1994. Petrol makes up 91.1% of licensed Bentley cars, against 54.6% of all cars.
Bentley cars licensed in Great Britain
Numbers are still rising: the latest count is the highest in this series.
| Year | Licensed |
|---|---|
| 1994 | 6,925 |
| 1995 | 6,935 |
| 1996 | 8,294 |
| 1997 | 8,799 |
| 1998 | 9,101 |
| 1999 | 9,479 |
| 2000 | 9,513 |
| 2001 | 9,821 |
| 2002 | 9,953 |
| 2003 | 10,174 |
| 2004 | 12,093 |
| 2005 | 13,748 |
| 2006 | 15,197 |
| 2007 | 16,752 |
| 2008 | 17,628 |
| 2009 | 17,885 |
| 2010 | 17,852 |
| 2011 | 18,205 |
| 2012 | 18,688 |
| 2013 | 19,494 |
| 2014 | 20,034 |
| 2015 | 20,753 |
| 2016 | 21,939 |
| 2017 | 22,968 |
| 2018 | 23,709 |
| 2019 | 24,681 |
| 2020 | 24,302 |
| 2021 | 25,081 |
| 2022 | 25,734 |
| 2023 | 25,624 |
| 2024 | 25,562 |
| 2025 | 25,749 |
| 2026 | 25,759 |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated
Fuel type
Bentley cars
All cars in Great Britain
Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated
Bentley models
8 Bentley models have a page of their own. The most common is the Bentley Continental, with 13,200 licensed: 51.2% of all Bentley cars on the road. The totals above also count models too small for a page of their own.
| Model | Licensed | Change on a year | SORN | Main fuel | MOT pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental | 13,200 | +0.6% | 3,608 | Petrol | 91.7% |
| Bentayga | 4,164 | +6.9% | 413 | Petrol | 95.3% |
| Flying Spur | 1,201 | +7.6% | 294 | Petrol | – |
| Arnage | 985 | −7.8% | 750 | Petrol | 86.4% |
| Mulsanne | 669 | +1.5% | 186 | Petrol | – |
| Turbo | 350 | −7.7% | 528 | Petrol | – |
| Brooklands | 270 | −7.8% | 299 | Petrol | – |
| Azure | 150 | +3.4% | 140 | Petrol | – |
MOT pass rates are first-time passes of cars aged three and over in 2025. A dash means too few tests, or a model DVSA’s records do not separate from vans.
New Bentley cars registered each year
Registrations of new Bentley cars in Great Britain peaked at 2,179 in 2016. In 2025, 1,220 were registered for the first time: 0.06% of all new cars, against 0.12% in 2022, Bentley’s best year for share of new cars.
Registered for the first time, by year
| Year | First registrations |
|---|---|
| ’01 | 480 |
| ’02 | 362 |
| ’03 | 346 |
| ’04 | 1,961 |
| ’05 | 2,149 |
| ’06 | 1,973 |
| ’07 | 2,160 |
| ’08 | 1,533 |
| ’09 | 874 |
| ’10 | 1,129 |
| ’11 | 1,181 |
| ’12 | 1,419 |
| ’13 | 1,411 |
| ’14 | 1,676 |
| ’15 | 1,739 |
| ’16 | 2,179 |
| ’17 | 2,150 |
| ’18 | 1,912 |
| ’19 | 1,985 |
| ’20 | 1,522 |
| ’21 | 1,572 |
| ’22 | 1,881 |
| ’23 | 1,607 |
| ’24 | 1,311 |
| ’25 | 1,220 |
Source:DfT / DVLA 2001 to 2025 Updated
Share of all new cars
Bentley’s first registrations as a share of every car registered for the first time in Great Britain that year.
| Year | Share of new cars |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 0.02% |
| 2002 | 0.01% |
| 2003 | 0.01% |
| 2004 | 0.08% |
| 2005 | 0.09% |
| 2006 | 0.08% |
| 2007 | 0.09% |
| 2008 | 0.07% |
| 2009 | 0.04% |
| 2010 | 0.06% |
| 2011 | 0.06% |
| 2012 | 0.07% |
| 2013 | 0.06% |
| 2014 | 0.07% |
| 2015 | 0.07% |
| 2016 | 0.08% |
| 2017 | 0.09% |
| 2018 | 0.08% |
| 2019 | 0.09% |
| 2020 | 0.09% |
| 2021 | 0.10% |
| 2022 | 0.12% |
| 2023 | 0.08% |
| 2024 | 0.07% |
| 2025 | 0.06% |
Source:DfT / DVLA 2001 to 2025 Updated
Bentley MOT reliability
In 2025, 91.4% of MOT tests of Bentley cars were passed first time, from 22,806 tests. Cars of the same ages pass 69.7% of the time, so Bentley does better than average for the age of its cars, by 21.7 points. That ranks Bentley No. 4 of the 50 makes with enough tests to compare. 2.4% of Bentley tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 7.3% for all cars.
Among Bentley models with enough tests, the Arnage does best for its age (+25.9 points against cars of the same ages) and the Bentayga does worst (+12.1 points). Average age at test for Bentley cars: 14.0 years.
| Model | Tests | Pass rate | Same ages | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arnage | 1,397 | 86.4% | 60.5% | +25.9 pts |
| Continental | 14,749 | 91.7% | 68.2% | +23.5 pts |
| Bentayga | 3,217 | 95.3% | 83.2% | +12.1 pts |
Every make and model ranked by MOT pass rate
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
Bentley safety recalls
DVSA lists 45 safety recalls naming a Bentley car model since 1992, across 8 models. 25 were launched from 2016 to 2025, ranking Bentley No. 27 of the makes with recalls in those years. A recall naming several Bentley models counts once.
Recalls launched each year, 2006 to 2025
| Year | Recalls |
|---|---|
| ’06 | 2 |
| ’07 | 1 |
| ’08 | 1 |
| ’09 | 1 |
| ’10 | 1 |
| ’11 | 0 |
| ’12 | 0 |
| ’13 | 1 |
| ’14 | 0 |
| ’15 | 1 |
| ’16 | 2 |
| ’17 | 2 |
| ’18 | 0 |
| ’19 | 5 |
| ’20 | 3 |
| ’21 | 7 |
| ’22 | 2 |
| ’23 | 4 |
| ’24 | 0 |
| ’25 | 0 |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis January 1992 to September 2026 Updated
Models with the most recalls
| Model | Recalls |
|---|---|
| Bentley Continental | 22 |
| Bentley Bentayga | 10 |
| Bentley Arnage | 9 |
| Bentley Flying Spur | 6 |
| Bentley Azure | 3 |
| Bentley Brooklands | 1 |
| Bentley Mulsanne | 1 |
| Bentley Turbo | 1 |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis January 1992 to September 2026 Updated
Latest Bentley recalls
- 3 Jun 2026 RECALL CAMPAIGN – Bentley Continental GT Continental GT Convertible Flying Spur - Incorrect Front Driveshafts (RE26/14 RD93) Bentley Continental, Bentley Flying Spur
- 13 Jan 2026 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid – Software Update For HV Battery Management Controller (RE25/46 RD74) Bentley Bentayga
- 13 Sept 2023 On affected vehicles the electrical connectors on the W12 Fuel Supply Module located in the fuel tank can overheat and melt the flange material. Melting of the Fuel Supply Module flange material could result in a small fuel leak towards the top of the fuel tank. Bentley Bentayga
- 11 May 2023 On affected vehicles the retention bracket holding the rear entertainment screens located in the rear of the front seats may have been installed in the incorrect orientation. Bentley Flying Spur
- 21 Mar 2023 When riveting the airbag deflector bracket to the seat frame a sharp edge on the rivet could be created. In the event of the seat airbags being deployed it is possible that the airbag material could become torn reducing the effectiveness of occupant protection. Bentley Continental
Models mostly registered as vans are left out, as on our recalls hub. A recall applies to vehicles built on particular dates or with particular VINs, not to every Bentley. To check a specific car, use GOV.UK’s vehicle recall check. How we match recalls to models.
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis January 1992 to September 2026 Updated
Makes of a similar size
| Rank | Make | Licensed | Change on a year | Main fuel | MOT vs same ages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44 | Austin | 26,950 | −0.4% | Petrol | – |
| 45 | Rover | 26,887 | −8.7% | Petrol | +5.9 pts |
| 46 | Morris | 26,178 | −1.3% | Petrol | – |
| 47 | Bentley | 25,759 | +0.6% | Petrol | +21.7 pts |
| 48 | Aston Martin | 22,801 | +1.1% | Petrol | +21.4 pts |
| 49 | SsangYong | 21,034 | −4.6% | Diesel | −10.3 pts |
| 50 | Chrysler | 16,339 | −14.0% | Petrol | −1.1 pts |
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed and SORN counts | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of March 2026 | 37,339,879 car records (licensed and SORN) | 15 September 2026 |
| Registered for the first time | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | 2001 to 2025 | – | 15 September 2026 |
| MOT results | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 29,122,953 car MOT tests | 15 September 2026 |
| Safety recalls | Vehicle safety recalls Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | January 1992 to September 2026 | 7,495 road vehicle recalls (R/) | 15 September 2026 |
- Figures cover Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). Northern Ireland is not included.
- Make totals count every car DVLA records under the make, including models too small for a page of their own. The rank is among all 525 makes on the record.
- Licensed counts are vehicles with a current tax or exemption at the end of each year (or the latest quarter). SORN counts are shown separately.
- First registrations count cars registered in Great Britain for the first time, including used imports.
- MOT figures cover normal tests of cars aged three and over; retests are excluded. The same-ages figure is what all cars would score with this make’s mix of ages.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.