How many Volkswagen Beetles are still on the road in Great Britain, how many are declared off the road, how new registrations have changed and which fuels they use. Built from DVLA licensing records and 40,521 DVSA MOT tests.
Licensed in Great Britain41,052−7.4% on a year earlier
Declared SORN17,022Off the road, not taxed
MOT first-time pass rate, 202559.1%Cars of the same ages 64.5%
Rank by number licensedNo. 171of 1,159 models we cover
Peak year201575,987 licensed
Average annual mileage4,776miles a year
How many Volkswagen Beetles are left in Great Britain?
There were 41,052 Volkswagen Beetles licensed in Great Britain at the end of March 2026, and a further 17,022 declared off the road (SORN).
That is 46.0% fewer than the peak of 75,987 in 2015.
Volkswagen Beetles licensed in Great Britain
Numbers peaked in 2015 and have fallen every year since, as older cars are scrapped faster than new ones are registered.
The Volkswagen Beetle Dark Flint has its own page.
The figures above include every version; each version page covers only the cars DVLA records
under that version’s name.
Versions of the Volkswagen Beetle with their own page
In 2025, 59.1% of Volkswagen Beetle MOT tests were passed first time,
against 72.8% for all cars.
Cars of the same ages as the Volkswagen Beetles tested pass 64.5% of the time, so the Volkswagen Beetle does worse than average for its age, by 5.4 points. In 2024 its pass rate was 58.0%.
MOT first-time pass rate by age: Volkswagen Beetle vs all cars
Comparing like with like: each bar pair covers cars of the same age, so an older average age does not count against a model.
0%
50%
100%
6–7 years
8–10 years
11–14 years
15–19 years
20+ years
Volkswagen Beetle
All cars
MOT first-time pass rate by vehicle age, Volkswagen Beetle compared with all cars
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the most common reason a Volkswagen Beetle fails its MOT,
appearing on 45.6% of failed tests. A failed test can have defects in
more than one category, so shares add up to more than 100%.
7.4% of Volkswagen Beetle tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 7.3% for all cars.
Most common MOT failure categories
Share of failed Volkswagen Beetle MOT tests with at least one defect in each category
Most common Volkswagen Beetle MOT defects and advisories
The single most common reason a Volkswagen Beetle failed its MOT in 2025 was
“Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn”, on 11.7% of 16,561 failed tests.
59.3% of tests ended with at least one advisory, a problem to watch that did not fail the test; the most common was “Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge”.
The same fault on any wheel or side counts once.
Most common reasons for failure
Share of failed tests with each defect. A test can fail for more than one.
Most common specific MOT defects on failed Volkswagen Beetle tests, 2025
Defect
Share of failed tests
Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension
11.7%
Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension
11.1%
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks
10.6%
Rear fog lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
9.2%
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility
8.3%
Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
19 years of the Volkswagen Beetle, 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 2012 cars did best at their 2025 MOT (65.4% passed first time) and the 2000 cars worst (48.8%).
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.
Volkswagen Beetle annual mileage
The average Volkswagen Beetle covers 4,776 miles a year,
worked out from odometer readings at consecutive MOT tests.
Average annual mileage by age
0
2k
4k
6k
5,587
6–7 years
5,727
8–10 years
5,484
11–14 years
4,393
15–19 years
3,534
20+ years
Average annual mileage of a Volkswagen Beetle by vehicle age
Registrations of Volkswagen Beetles for the first time in Great Britain were highest at 10,011 in 2001, when this data begins. In 2025, 191 were registered. With almost none registered new, the number on the road is likely to keep falling.
Registered for the first time, by year
0
5k
10k
15k
’01
’02
’03
’04
’05
’06
’07
’08
’09
’10
’11
’12
’13
’14
’15
’16
’17
’18
’19
’20
’21
’22
’23
’24
’25
Volkswagen Beetles registered for the first time in Great Britain, by year
Of the 43,618 Volkswagen Beetles licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, 25.9% have an engine of 1,501cc to 1,600cc, and 22.6% have an engine of 1,901cc to 2,000cc. The share with an engine of 1,101cc to 1,200cc has grown from 5.5% in 2014 to 17.6%. Diesels made up 15.4% of those licensed in 2014 and 23.3% in 2025.
Engine sizes, end of 2025
DVLA records engine size in 100cc bands.
Volkswagen Beetles licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, by engine size
Engine size
Share of those licensed
1,501cc to 1,600cc 11,279 licensed
25.9%
1,901cc to 2,000cc 9,876 licensed
22.6%
1,101cc to 1,200cc 7,667 licensed
17.6%
1,301cc to 1,400cc 7,258 licensed
16.6%
1,801cc to 1,900cc 2,642 licensed
6.1%
1,201cc to 1,300cc 2,484 licensed
5.7%
1,601cc to 1,700cc 1,311 licensed
3.0%
1,701cc to 1,800cc 670 licensed
1.5%
Other sizes 431 licensed
1.0%
Source:DfT / DVLAEnd of 2014 to end of 2025Updated
Engine size and fuel together, end of 2025
Engine size and fuel together, end of 2025
Engine size
Fuel
Licensed
Share
1,501–1,600cc
Petrol
9,409
21.6%
1,101–1,200cc
Petrol
7,667
17.6%
1,301–1,400cc
Petrol
7,258
16.6%
1,901–2,000cc
Diesel
5,659
13.0%
1,901–2,000cc
Petrol
4,213
9.7%
1,801–1,900cc
Diesel
2,617
6.0%
1,201–1,300cc
Petrol
2,483
5.7%
1,501–1,600cc
Diesel
1,866
4.3%
1,601–1,700cc
Petrol
1,311
3.0%
1,701–1,800cc
Petrol
668
1.5%
Engine sizes, 2014 to 2025
Share of those licensed at the end of each year, for the most common sizes.
Volkswagen Beetles licensed in the UK by fuel type, share of each year’s total
Year
Petrol
Diesel
2014
84.6%
15.4%
2015
83.0%
16.9%
2016
81.9%
18.1%
2017
81.1%
18.8%
2018
80.4%
19.6%
2019
79.8%
20.1%
2020
79.3%
20.7%
2021
78.7%
21.3%
2022
78.2%
21.7%
2023
77.7%
22.2%
2024
77.2%
22.7%
2025
76.7%
23.3%
Source:DfT / DVLAEnd of 2014 to end of 2025Updated
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.
How we use engine sizes.
Volkswagen Beetle fuel economy and CO2
The Vehicle Certification Agency’s new car data lists the Volkswagen Beetle from 2000, when the data begins, to 2018. On the NEDC test (listings 2000 to 2018), official combined fuel economy for its petrol and diesel versions ranges from 29.4 to 65.7 mpg, with CO2 of 113 to 230 g/km.
Official NEDC figures by engine and fuel, listed 2000 to 2018
Official NEDC figures by engine and fuel, listed 2000 to 2018
Official figures from laboratory type-approval tests. VCA says they may not be achieved in
real-world driving, and should not be used to rank cars with similar figures.
VCA’s data has no Volkswagen versions for 2019 to 2024, so the years listed may leave out years the Volkswagen Beetle was on sale.
Engine sizes are rounded to the nearest 0.1 litre. A version is one line in
VCA’s data (description, gearbox, engine and fuel), counted once however many years it was
listed.
Matched from VCA’s model names “Beetle”, “Beetle Cabriolet”, “Beetle Cabriolet, 2013”, “New Beetle”. How we use VCA’s figures.
Volkswagen Beetle safety recalls
DVSA lists 9 safety recalls for the Volkswagen Beetle since 1992, the first in 2002. The most recent was launched on 11 March 2026.
USA Imported vehicle Recall Driver side airbag module replacement
Launched 11 March 2026DVSA recall R/2026/104Manufacturer ref. 69BC
Defect
USA Recall for Imported vehicles NITSA 20V785. Volkswagen has detected that on some USA Imported Beetle models that the driver front airbag inflator can explode due to propellant degradation that occurs after exposure to high absolute humidity high temperatures and high temperature cycling. An inflator explosion in these circumstances can result in injury to the driver or other occupants due to the ejection of metal fragments during the airbag explosion.
Remedy
For safety reasons the driver airbag unit must be replaced. The work required will take approximately 1.5 hours and will of course be performed free of charge.
A recall applies to cars built on particular dates or with particular VINs, not to every Volkswagen Beetle. The details come from manufacturers through DVSA, which says they may be delayed or
incomplete. To check a specific car, use GOV.UK’s vehicle recall check or ask the manufacturer or a
dealer. How we match recalls to models.
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.
First registrations count vehicles registered in Great Britain for the first time, including used imports.
Models are grouped by DVLA’s generic model name, so every generation and trim counts together.
MOT figures cover normal tests of cars aged three and over in 2025; retests are excluded. Age is rounded to the nearest year.
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.
