Car statistics

Ford Cortina 1600 L statistics

How many Ford Cortina 1600 Ls are still on the road in Great Britain, how many are declared off the road, and how the 1600 L compares with other versions of the Ford Cortina. Built from DVLA licensing records.

A version of the Ford Cortina. Recorded by DVLA as “CORTINA 1600 L”, “CORTINA 1600 L AUTO”.

Last updated
Records analysed
244 Ford Cortina 1600 L records (licensed and SORN)
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed in Great Britain 127 −3.1% on a year earlier
  • Declared SORN 117 Off the road, not taxed
  • Still registered 9.7% Other Ford Cortina versions 4.2%
  • Licensed in 1994 2,493 when this data begins
  • Share of Ford Cortinas 3.0% of those licensed or SORN
  • Declared off the road 48.0% of those still registered are SORN

How many Ford Cortina 1600 Ls are left in Great Britain?

There were 127 Ford Cortina 1600 Ls licensed in Great Britain at the end of March 2026, and a further 117 declared off the road (SORN). The licensed count is 94.9% lower than the 2,493 in 1994, when this data begins.

Ford Cortina 1600 Ls licensed and SORN in Great Britain

This data records SORN from 2007, so the SORN line starts there.

Ford Cortina 1600 Ls licensed and declared SORN in Great Britain at the end of each year
Year LicensedDeclared SORN
1994 2,493
1995 1,477
1996 1,018
1997 717
1998 512
1999 397
2000 297
2001 240
2002 210
2003 179
2004 148
2005 133
2006 108
2007 9688
2008 8890
2009 7795
2010 7391
2011 8290
2012 7898
2013 66119
2014 69111
2015 84107
2016 85110
2017 91126
2018 111103
2019 12597
2020 12996
2021 13199
2022 134101
2023 131107
2024 135105
2025 131112
2026 127117

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Fuel type

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

How many Ford Cortina 1600 Ls have survived?

9.7% of Ford Cortina 1600 Ls are still registered (licensed or SORN), measured against the most on the road at any year end since 1994. For other versions of the Ford Cortina from the same era, the figure is 4.2%, so Ford Cortina 1600 Ls are 2.3 times as likely to have survived.

Share still registered (licensed or SORN)

Compared with 26 other versions of the Ford Cortina from the same era.

Share of Ford Cortina 1600 Ls still registered compared with other Ford Cortina versions of the same age
Version Share still registered
Ford Cortina 1600 L 9.7%
Other Ford Cortina versions of the same age 4.2%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Ford Cortina 1600 L engine sizes and fuel types

Of the 132 Ford Cortina 1600 Ls licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, 48.5% have an engine of 1,601cc to 1,700cc, and 36.4% have an engine of 1,501cc to 1,600cc.

Engine sizes, end of 2025

DVLA records engine size in 100cc bands.

Ford Cortina 1600 Ls licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, by engine size
Engine size Share of those licensed
1,601cc to 1,700cc 64 licensed 48.5%
1,501cc to 1,600cc 48 licensed 36.4%
2,001cc to 2,100cc 8 licensed 6.1%
1,901cc to 2,000cc 3 licensed 2.3%
2,901cc to 3,000cc 3 licensed 2.3%
2,801cc to 2,900cc 2 licensed 1.5%
Other sizes 4 licensed 3.0%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2014 to end of 2025 Updated

Engine size and fuel together, end of 2025
Engine size Fuel Licensed Share
1,601–1,700cc Petrol 64 48.5%
1,501–1,600cc Petrol 48 36.4%
2,001–2,100cc Petrol 8 6.1%
1,901–2,000cc Petrol 3 2.3%
2,901–3,000cc Petrol 3 2.3%
2,801–2,900cc Petrol 2 1.5%

United Kingdom figures from DfT table VEH0220 (licensed cars at the end of each year, SORN excluded), so they differ slightly from the Great Britain counts elsewhere on this page. This covers cars DVLA records under this version’s name only; the Ford Cortina page covers every version. How we use engine sizes.

Other versions of the Ford Cortina

Versions of the Ford Cortina with their own page. The Ford Cortina page covers all 4,762 licensed, whatever the version.

Ford Cortina 1600 L compared with other versions of the Ford Cortina
Version Licensed SORN Still registered
Ford Cortina DE Luxe 444 288 98.3%
Ford Cortina MK2 1600E 302 176 100.0%
Ford Cortina Super 211 176 95.6%
Ford Cortina 1600 L 127 117 9.7%
Ford Cortina 1600 GT 105 68 100.0%
Ford Cortina 1600 XL 94 78 24.0%
Ford Cortina 2000E 95 77 29.5%
Ford Cortina 1600 Base 67 71 22.7%
Ford Cortina 2000 GXL 75 56 53.7%
Ford Cortina MK1 GT 74 26 100.0%

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
Licensed and SORN counts Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of March 2026 244 Ford Cortina 1600 L records (licensed and SORN) 15 September 2026
  • Figures cover Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). Northern Ireland is not included.
  • 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, from 2007.
  • This version groups DVLA’s detailed model names “CORTINA 1600 L”, “CORTINA 1600 L AUTO”. Engine size, gearbox, number of doors and fuel are ignored, so every engine and gearbox counts together.
  • Survival compares the number still registered (licensed or SORN) with the most licensed at any year end since 1994, plus any first registered after that year. Other versions are those of the same model whose licensed count peaked in the same years, up to 2001.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.