Car statistics

Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth statistics

How many Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworths are still on the road in Great Britain, how many are declared off the road, and how the Sapphire Cosworth compares with other versions of the Ford Sierra. Built from DVLA licensing records, with MOT results for the Ford Sierra.

A version of the Ford Sierra. Recorded by DVLA as “SIERRA SAPPHIRE COSWORTH”.

Last updated
Records analysed
1,423 Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth records (licensed and SORN)
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed in Great Britain 361 −2.2% on a year earlier
  • Declared SORN 1,062 Off the road, not taxed
  • Still registered 49.0% Other Ford Sierra versions 1.0%
  • Licensed in 1994 2,885 when this data begins
  • Share of Ford Sierras 11.8% of those licensed or SORN
  • Declared off the road 74.6% of those still registered are SORN

How many Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworths are left in Great Britain?

There were 361 Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworths licensed in Great Britain at the end of June 2026, and a further 1,062 declared off the road (SORN). The licensed count is 87.5% lower than the 2,885 in 1994, when this data begins. More are declared SORN than are licensed: 74.6% of those still registered are off the road.

Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworths licensed and SORN in Great Britain

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

Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworths licensed and declared SORN in Great Britain at the end of each year
Year LicensedDeclared SORN
1994 2,885–
1995 2,759–
1996 2,568–
1997 2,416–
1998 2,235–
1999 2,103–
2000 1,874–
2001 1,776–
2002 1,627–
2003 1,510–
2004 1,418–
2005 1,277–
2006 1,033–
2007 940663
2008 768713
2009 661755
2010 565790
2011 493845
2012 449810
2013 380996
2014 362975
2015 368975
2016 375995
2017 3161,087
2018 2741,134
2019 2811,152
2020 2681,181
2021 2521,182
2022 2711,166
2023 2501,177
2024 2171,176
2025 2301,171
2026 3611,062

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Fuel type

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

How many Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworths have survived?

49.0% of Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworths 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 Sierra from the same era, the figure is 1.0%, so Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworths are 48.5 times as likely to have survived.

Share still registered (licensed or SORN)

Compared with 42 other versions of the Ford Sierra from the same era.

Share of Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworths still registered compared with other Ford Sierra versions of the same age
Version Share still registered
Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth 49.0%
Other Ford Sierra versions of the same age 1.0%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth engine sizes and fuel types

Of the 236 Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworths licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, 99.6% have an engine of 1,901cc to 2,000cc.

Engine sizes, end of 2025

DVLA records engine size in 100cc bands.

Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworths licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, by engine size
Engine size Share of those licensed
1,901cc to 2,000cc 235 licensed 99.6%
Other sizes 1 licensed 0.4%

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

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 Sierra page covers every version. How we use engine sizes.

Ford Sierra MOT reliability

In 2025, 88.3% of Ford Sierra MOT tests were passed first time, against 72.8% for all cars. Cars of the same ages pass 61.0% of the time, so the Ford Sierra does better than average for its age, by 27.3 points.

DVSA's MOT results name the model, not the version, so these figures cover all Ford Sierras tested, the Sapphire Cosworth among them. For the full breakdown, including defects in detail and results year by year, see the Ford Sierra page.

MOT first-time pass rate by age: Ford Sierra vs all cars

Each bar pair covers cars of the same age, so an older fleet does not count against the model.

MOT first-time pass rate by vehicle age, Ford Sierra compared with all cars
Vehicle age Ford SierraAll cars
20+ years 88.3%61.0%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Most common MOT failure categories

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the most common reason a Ford Sierra fails. A failed test can have defects in more than one category.

Share of failed Ford Sierra MOT tests with at least one defect in each category
Defect category Share of failed tests
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 40.9%
Noise, emissions and leaks 27.7%
Suspension 26.4%
Brakes 23.4%
Body, chassis, structure 20.1%
Visibility 17.2%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Other versions of the Ford Sierra

Versions of the Ford Sierra with their own page. The Ford Sierra page covers all 2,231 licensed, whatever the version.

Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth compared with other versions of the Ford Sierra
Version Licensed SORN Still registered
Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 687 2,069 56.5%
Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth 361 1,062 49.0%
Ford Sierra XR4x4 170 1,136 7.1%
Ford Sierra XR4i 283 600 11.8%
Ford Sierra Ghia 4x4 21 190 3.6%
Ford Sierra Sapphire Azura 22 120 2.7%
Ford Sierra GLS 4x4 10 92 6.4%

Data stories to read next

All insights

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 June 2026 1,423 Ford Sierra Sapphire Cosworth records (licensed and SORN) 2 October 2026
MOT results (whole model) Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
Derived statistics UK Motoring
2025 2,592 MOT tests 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 “SIERRA SAPPHIRE COSWORTH”. 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.