Car statistics by year

1997 Porsche 911

Porsche 911 cars first registered in 1997: how they did at their 2025 MOT, what failed them, how far they have been driven and how many are still on the road. Compared with every car first registered in 1997, so like is set against like.

A year of the Porsche 911. “1997” is the year of first registration.

Last updated
Records analysed
705 MOT tests of 1997 Porsche 911 cars
Methodology
View methodology
  • MOT first-time pass rate, 2025 87.8% All 1997 cars 68.5%
  • Typical mileage at the MOT 73,400 miles; all 1997 cars 94,900
  • Left at the end of 2025 872 96.6% of the 903 at the end of 2014
  • Tests with an advisory 23.3% All 1997 cars 58.2%
  • MOT tests in 2025 705 normal tests in Great Britain

How do 1997 Porsche 911s do at their MOT?

In 2025, at about 28 years old, 87.8% of 1997 Porsche 911 MOT tests were passed first time, against 68.5% for all cars first registered in 1997. 1997 Porsche 911s did better than average for their age, by 19.3 points. A year earlier the same cars passed 87.5% of the time (all 1997 cars 67.2%).

MOT pass rate by year of first registration: Porsche 911 vs all cars

Each pair of bars is one year of first registration, tested in 2025. Older cars pass less often, so compare each Porsche 911 bar with the all-cars bar beside it.

MOT first-time pass rate in 2025 by year of first registration, Porsche 911 compared with all cars
First registered Porsche 911All cars
’89 85.7%76.5%
’90 87.1%75.5%
’94 89.4%73.1%
’95 88.1%71.5%
’96 88.8%70.0%
’97 87.8%68.5%
’98 82.1%67.1%
’99 80.2%65.4%
’00 80.2%63.1%
’01 82.9%61.5%
’02 80.3%59.7%
’03 81.1%58.9%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Most common MOT advisories on the 1997 Porsche 911

An advisory is something the tester noticed that did not fail the test but may need work soon. 23.3% of 1997 Porsche 911 tests had at least one (all 1997 cars 58.2%). These are the things to check on one you are thinking of buying.

Most common advisories

Most common MOT advisories on 1997 Porsche 911 tests, 2025
Advisory Share of tests
Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks 10.5%
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres 4.8%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes 4.0%
Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres 2.8%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

What mileage is normal for a 1997 Porsche 911?

Half of the 1997 Porsche 911s tested in 2025 had covered fewer than 73,400 miles. A quarter had covered fewer than 53,100 and a quarter more than 94,800. For all cars first registered in 1997, the middle figure was 94,900 miles, so 1997 Porsche 911s have been driven 22.7% less far than average.

Mileage at the 2025 MOT

Odometer readings at each car’s latest MOT of the year. The bar covers the middle half of cars; the line the middle 80%.

Odometer readings at the 2025 MOT, 1997 Porsche 911 and all 1997 cars, by percentile
10% 25% Median 75% 90% Cars
1997 Porsche 911 34,900 53,100 73,400 94,800 119,300 684
All 1997 cars 43,000 65,700 94,900 129,600 166,500 27,354
miles

Half of the 1997 Porsche 911s tested in 2025 had covered fewer than 73,400 miles.

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

How many 1997 Porsche 911s are left?

At the end of 2014, 903 1997 Porsche 911s were on the DVLA record in the United Kingdom (these counts start in 2014). By the end of 2025, 872 were: 457 licensed and 415 declared off the road (SORN). That is 96.6% still on the record, against 33.7% for all cars first registered in 1997.

Share still on the record since 2014

Cars licensed or SORN at each year end, as a share of the number at the end of 2014. Cars scrapped or exported leave the record. Late registrations and imports can push the share above 100%.

1997 Porsche 911s on the DVLA record at each year end as a share of the number at the end of 2014, compared with all 1997 cars
Year end 1997 Porsche 911All 1997 cars
2014 100.0%100.0%
2015 99.3%83.2%
2016 99.9%70.3%
2017 99.8%60.0%
2018 101.0%52.5%
2019 100.8%47.4%
2020 99.1%44.1%
2021 98.3%41.0%
2022 97.9%39.0%
2023 96.5%37.2%
2024 95.9%34.9%
2025 96.6%33.7%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2025 Updated

Recalls that may affect cars built around 1997

1 of the Porsche 911’s 37 recalls in DVSA’s records covers cars built during 1997. 12 have no build dates, so could apply to any year.

The 1997 on this page is the year of first registration, not the year the car was built. A car first registered early in 1997 may have been built in 1996, and recalls apply to particular build dates and VINs, so check the recalls either side too.

Porsche 911 recalls whose build dates include 1997
Launched Concern Built Vehicles
29 Mar 2005 The locking mechanism for convertible top may fail 1 Feb 1994 to 1 Feb 1998 806

Every Porsche 911 recall · Check a specific car on GOV.UK · How we match recalls

Recall details come from manufacturers through DVSA. “Vehicles” is the number the manufacturer reported; “all models” means the figure covers everything in the recall. A recall listed here may not apply to a particular car: only the manufacturer or GOV.UK can say for its VIN.

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis January 1992 to September 2026 Updated

Other years of the Porsche 911

31 years of the Porsche 911, by year of first registration, have their own page with MOT results, common faults, mileage and how many are left. Against all cars of the same age, the 2008 cars did best at their 2025 MOT (89.3% passed first time) and the 2022 cars worst (95.3%).

Porsche 911s by year of first registration
Year Registered Left Pass rate All cars
1989 322 85.7% 76.5%
1990 887 87.1% 75.5%
1994 561 89.4% 73.1%
1995 698 88.1% 71.5%
1996 1,063 88.8% 70.0%
1997 872 87.8% 68.5%
1998 1,167 82.1% 67.1%
1999 1,125 80.2% 65.4%
2000 987 80.2% 63.1%
2001 1,675 82.9% 61.5%
2002 2,535 80.3% 59.7%
2003 2,784 81.1% 58.9%
2004 2,633 84.4% 57.9%
2005 2,957 86.1% 57.7%
2006 2,924 86.7% 56.9%
2007 2,484 87.3% 57.3%
2008 1,900 89.3% 57.0%
2009 1,509 89.9% 58.2%
2010 1,826 90.5% 59.3%
2011 1,332 91.5% 61.5%
2012 1,576 93.4% 63.6%
2013 1,298 95.1% 66.0%
2014 1,703 1,593 93.4% 69.1%
2015 1,819 1,728 94.4% 72.6%
2016 1,995 1,743 94.0% 75.6%
2017 2,028 1,927 93.5% 79.1%
2018 2,252 2,159 94.6% 81.8%
2019 2,746 2,454 94.7% 84.4%
2020 1,956 1,685 95.7% 86.9%
2021 2,106 1,845 97.0% 88.4%
2022 2,924 2,746 95.3% 89.4%

Registered: cars on the DVLA record at the end of the year they were first registered (these counts start in 2014, so older years show a dash). Left: licensed or declared SORN at the end of 2025. Both cover the United Kingdom. Pass rate: first-time passes at normal MOT tests in Great Britain in 2025; all cars: every car first registered the same year.

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
MOT results and mileage Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
Derived statistics UK Motoring
2025 705 MOT tests of 1997 Porsche 911 cars 15 September 2026
Cars on the record Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of 2025 872 cars still on the record (licensed or SORN) 15 September 2026
  • MOT figures cover normal tests in Great Britain in 2025 of Porsche 911 cars first registered in 1997; retests are excluded. “All cars” means every car we match to a model, first registered in 1997.
  • Year of first registration is DVSA’s first-use date: when the car was first registered, in the UK or abroad.
  • Defects and advisories are DVSA’s descriptions made readable. Where on the car a defect was found (side, front or rear) is ignored, so the same fault on any wheel counts once per test.
  • Mileage is the odometer reading at each car’s latest normal MOT of the year, as recorded by the tester. A few readings are in kilometres or mistyped; percentiles are not thrown by a handful of outliers.
  • Cars on the record come from DfT table VEH0124 and cover the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland; MOT figures cover Great Britain only.
  • DVSA records the model name typed in at the test. We match those names to DVLA’s generic models, so a handful of tests may be counted under a close relative.

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