Car statistics
Rover car statistics
How many Rover cars are on the road in Great Britain, every Rover 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 28,415 −7.6% on a year earlier
- Rank among makes No. 44 0.08% of licensed cars
- MOT first-time pass rate, 2025 66.8% Cars of the same ages 60.9%
- New registrations in 2025 31 0.0% of all new cars
- Most common fuel Petrol 86.8% of those licensed
- Safety recalls since 1992 5 naming 4 Rover models
How many Rover cars are on the road?
There were 28,415 Rover cars licensed in Great Britain at the end of June 2026, and a further 70,736 declared off the road (SORN). That is 0.08% of all licensed cars, making Rover the No. 44 make on the road. That is 98.5% fewer than the peak of 1.93 million in 1999. Petrol makes up 86.8% of licensed Rover cars, against 54.2% of all cars.
Rover cars licensed in Great Britain
The highest year-end count was 1.93 million in 1999.
| Year | Licensed |
|---|---|
| 1994 | 1,439,835 |
| 1995 | 1,589,250 |
| 1996 | 1,722,548 |
| 1997 | 1,833,554 |
| 1998 | 1,891,551 |
| 1999 | 1,932,936 |
| 2000 | 1,902,594 |
| 2001 | 1,848,149 |
| 2002 | 1,756,481 |
| 2003 | 1,624,774 |
| 2004 | 1,491,390 |
| 2005 | 1,313,354 |
| 2006 | 1,111,208 |
| 2007 | 936,872 |
| 2008 | 776,318 |
| 2009 | 638,015 |
| 2010 | 523,953 |
| 2011 | 426,012 |
| 2012 | 345,239 |
| 2013 | 275,146 |
| 2014 | 217,250 |
| 2015 | 172,270 |
| 2016 | 135,135 |
| 2017 | 103,970 |
| 2018 | 81,407 |
| 2019 | 65,600 |
| 2020 | 53,835 |
| 2021 | 45,298 |
| 2022 | 39,569 |
| 2023 | 34,163 |
| 2024 | 30,272 |
| 2025 | 27,536 |
| 2026 | 28,415 |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Fuel type
Rover cars
All cars in Great Britain
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Rover models
21 Rover models have a page of their own. The most common is the Rover Mini, with 8,040 licensed: 28.3% of all Rover 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mini | 8,040 | −1.9% | 20,691 | Petrol | 72.2% |
| 75 | 5,047 | −16.9% | 8,289 | Diesel | 59.9% |
| 25 | 1,842 | −22.7% | 6,032 | Petrol | 62.0% |
| Range Rover | 1,463 | +4.1% | 5,676 | Petrol | – |
| 3500 | 1,463 | −0.3% | 1,512 | Petrol | – |
| 100 Series | 1,376 | −2.5% | 2,713 | Petrol | – |
| 200 Series | 1,311 | −9.6% | 7,705 | Petrol | – |
| 45 | 1,136 | −19.9% | 3,288 | Petrol | 58.6% |
| 2000 Series | 1,045 | +0.4% | 1,042 | Petrol | – |
| 3.5 Litre | 630 | +1.0% | 430 | Petrol | – |
| 400 Series | 472 | −8.0% | 3,526 | Petrol | – |
| 600 Series | 408 | −10.1% | 1,597 | Petrol | – |
| Metro | 404 | −4.5% | 2,418 | Petrol | – |
| 3 Litre | 284 | −0.7% | 156 | Petrol | – |
| 90 | 253 | +0.8% | 134 | Petrol | – |
| 800 Series | 240 | −3.2% | 1,322 | Petrol | – |
| Streetwise | 226 | −23.1% | 559 | Petrol | – |
| 80 | 186 | −3.1% | 123 | Petrol | – |
| 95 | 178 | +0.6% | 109 | Petrol | – |
| 60 | 138 | −2.1% | 72 | Petrol | – |
| Sterling | 102 | 0.0% | 326 | 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 Rover cars registered each year
Registrations of new Rover cars in Great Britain were highest at 81,426 in 2001, when this data begins. In 2025, 31 were registered for the first time: 0.0% of all new cars, against 3.1% in 2001, Rover’s best year for share of new cars.
Registered for the first time, by year
| Year | First registrations |
|---|---|
| ’01 | 81,426 |
| ’02 | 66,242 |
| ’03 | 58,891 |
| ’04 | 44,352 |
| ’05 | 14,860 |
| ’06 | 3,227 |
| ’07 | 360 |
| ’08 | 241 |
| ’09 | 140 |
| ’10 | 101 |
| ’11 | 76 |
| ’12 | 49 |
| ’13 | 49 |
| ’14 | 36 |
| ’15 | 79 |
| ’16 | 88 |
| ’17 | 67 |
| ’18 | 60 |
| ’19 | 78 |
| ’20 | 47 |
| ’21 | 53 |
| ’22 | 41 |
| ’23 | 25 |
| ’24 | 25 |
| ’25 | 31 |
Source:DfT / DVLA 2001 to 2025 Updated
Share of all new cars
Rover’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 | 3.1% |
| 2002 | 2.5% |
| 2003 | 2.2% |
| 2004 | 1.7% |
| 2005 | 0.6% |
| 2006 | 0.1% |
| 2007 | 0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.0% |
| 2024 | 0.0% |
| 2025 | 0.0% |
Source:DfT / DVLA 2001 to 2025 Updated
Rover MOT reliability
In 2025, 66.8% of MOT tests of Rover cars were passed first time, from 22,949 tests. Cars of the same ages pass 60.9% of the time, so Rover does better than average for the age of its cars, by 5.9 points. That ranks Rover No. 10 of the 50 makes with enough tests to compare. 6.3% of Rover tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 7.3% for all cars.
Among Rover models with enough tests, the Mini does best for its age (+11.2 points against cars of the same ages) and the 45 does worst (−2.3 points). Average age at test for Rover cars: 27.3 years.
Every make and model ranked on MOT results
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
Rover safety recalls
DVSA lists 5 safety recalls naming a Rover car model since 1992, across 4 models. 0 were launched from 2016 to 2025. A recall naming several Rover models counts once.
Recalls launched each year, 2006 to 2025
| Year | Recalls |
|---|---|
| ’06 | 0 |
| ’07 | 0 |
| ’08 | 0 |
| ’09 | 0 |
| ’10 | 0 |
| ’11 | 0 |
| ’12 | 0 |
| ’13 | 0 |
| ’14 | 0 |
| ’15 | 0 |
| ’16 | 0 |
| ’17 | 0 |
| ’18 | 0 |
| ’19 | 0 |
| ’20 | 0 |
| ’21 | 0 |
| ’22 | 0 |
| ’23 | 0 |
| ’24 | 0 |
| ’25 | 0 |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis January 1992 to September 2026 Updated
Models with the most recalls
| Model | Recalls |
|---|---|
| Rover 75 | 2 |
| Rover 600 Series | 1 |
| Rover Cityrover | 1 |
| Rover Mini | 1 |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis January 1992 to September 2026 Updated
Latest Rover recalls
- 12 May 2004 Possible damage and deflation of tyre due to road spring Rover 75
- 11 Jul 2002 Front suspension spring concern Rover 75
- 3 Oct 2001 Rear wheel bearing may fail Rover Mini
- 10 May 1996 Possible insecurity of steering gearbox Rover 600 Series
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 Rover. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Saab | 34,478 | −14.0% | Petrol | +4.4 pts |
| 42 | Triumph | 30,481 | −0.4% | Petrol | – |
| 43 | Abarth | 29,704 | −1.1% | Petrol | 0.0 pts |
| 44 | Rover | 28,415 | −7.6% | Petrol | +5.9 pts |
| 45 | Austin | 27,792 | 0.0% | Petrol | – |
| 46 | Bentley | 26,832 | +0.5% | Petrol | +21.7 pts |
| 47 | Morris | 26,325 | −0.4% | Petrol | – |
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed and SORN counts | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of June 2026 | 37,519,147 car records (licensed and SORN) | 2 October 2026 |
| Registered for the first time | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | 2001 to 2025 | – | 2 October 2026 |
| MOT results | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 29,122,953 car MOT tests | 19 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 529 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.