Car statistics

Ford Sierra XR4x4 statistics

How many Ford Sierra XR4x4s are still on the road in Great Britain, how many are declared off the road, and how the XR4x4 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 XR4X4 I”, “SIERRA XR4X4”, “SIERRA XR 4X4”.

Last updated
Records analysed
1,306 Ford Sierra XR4x4 records (licensed and SORN)
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed in Great Britain 170 +5.6% on a year earlier
  • Declared SORN 1,136 Off the road, not taxed
  • Still registered 7.1% Other Ford Sierra versions 1.0%
  • Licensed in 1994 18,383 when this data begins
  • Share of Ford Sierras 10.8% of those licensed or SORN
  • Declared off the road 87.0% of those still registered are SORN

How many Ford Sierra XR4x4s are left in Great Britain?

There were 170 Ford Sierra XR4x4s licensed in Great Britain at the end of June 2026, and a further 1,136 declared off the road (SORN). The licensed count is 99.1% lower than the 18,383 in 1994, when this data begins. More are declared SORN than are licensed: 87.0% of those still registered are off the road.

Ford Sierra XR4x4s licensed and SORN in Great Britain

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

Ford Sierra XR4x4s licensed and declared SORN in Great Britain at the end of each year
Year LicensedDeclared SORN
1994 18,383–
1995 17,269–
1996 16,979–
1997 15,932–
1998 14,445–
1999 12,789–
2000 10,435–
2001 8,384–
2002 6,372–
2003 4,616–
2004 3,362–
2005 2,360–
2006 1,583–
2007 1,1491,153
2008 8441,096
2009 6741,017
2010 561950
2011 478964
2012 398904
2013 3251,017
2014 3031,015
2015 2771,037
2016 2551,053
2017 2251,101
2018 2161,109
2019 1951,111
2020 1651,147
2021 1621,151
2022 1561,158
2023 1391,172
2024 1391,160
2025 1281,173
2026 1701,136

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Fuel type

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

How many Ford Sierra XR4x4s have survived?

7.1% of Ford Sierra XR4x4s 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 XR4x4s are 6.9 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 XR4x4s still registered compared with other Ford Sierra versions of the same age
Version Share still registered
Ford Sierra XR4x4 7.1%
Other Ford Sierra versions of the same age 1.0%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Ford Sierra XR4x4 engine sizes and fuel types

Of the 136 Ford Sierra XR4x4s licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, 55.9% have an engine of 2,901cc to 3,000cc, and 35.3% have an engine of 2,701cc to 2,800cc.

Engine sizes, end of 2025

DVLA records engine size in 100cc bands.

Ford Sierra XR4x4s licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, by engine size
Engine size Share of those licensed
2,901cc to 3,000cc 76 licensed 55.9%
2,701cc to 2,800cc 48 licensed 35.3%
1,901cc to 2,000cc 10 licensed 7.4%
Other sizes 2 licensed 1.5%

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

Engine size and fuel together, end of 2025
Engine size Fuel Licensed Share
2,901–3,000cc Petrol 76 55.9%
2,701–2,800cc Petrol 48 35.3%
1,901–2,000cc Petrol 10 7.4%

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 XR4x4 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 XR4x4 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 1,306 Ford Sierra XR4x4 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 XR4X4 I”, “SIERRA XR4X4”, “SIERRA XR 4X4”. 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.