Car statistics
Volkswagen Beetle Dark Flint statistics
How many Volkswagen Beetle Dark Flints are still on the road in Great Britain, how many are declared off the road, and how the Dark Flint compares with other versions of the Volkswagen Beetle. Built from DVLA licensing records, with MOT results for the Volkswagen Beetle.
- Licensed in Great Britain 96 −8.6% on a year earlier
- Declared SORN 53 Off the road, not taxed
- Still registered 67.7% Other Volkswagen Beetle versions 44.2%
- Licensed in 2005 225 when this data begins
- Share of Volkswagen Beetles 0.3% of those licensed or SORN
- Declared off the road 35.6% of those still registered are SORN
How many Volkswagen Beetle Dark Flints are left in Great Britain?
There were 96 Volkswagen Beetle Dark Flints licensed in Great Britain at the end of June 2026, and a further 53 declared off the road (SORN). The licensed count is 57.3% lower than the 225 in 2005, when this data begins.
Volkswagen Beetle Dark Flints licensed and SORN in Great Britain
This data records SORN from 2007, so the SORN line starts there.
| Year | Licensed | Declared SORN |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 225 | – |
| 2006 | 223 | – |
| 2007 | 218 | 3 |
| 2008 | 213 | 5 |
| 2009 | 212 | 5 |
| 2010 | 207 | 10 |
| 2011 | 207 | 10 |
| 2012 | 209 | 6 |
| 2013 | 207 | 8 |
| 2014 | 203 | 10 |
| 2015 | 203 | 11 |
| 2016 | 196 | 12 |
| 2017 | 184 | 18 |
| 2018 | 183 | 19 |
| 2019 | 172 | 28 |
| 2020 | 162 | 37 |
| 2021 | 151 | 37 |
| 2022 | 142 | 35 |
| 2023 | 121 | 48 |
| 2024 | 103 | 47 |
| 2025 | 100 | 53 |
| 2026 | 96 | 53 |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Fuel type
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
How many Volkswagen Beetle Dark Flints have survived?
67.7% of the Volkswagen Beetle Dark Flints first registered since 2001 are still registered, licensed or SORN. For other versions of the Volkswagen Beetle first registered in the same years, the figure is 44.2%, so Volkswagen Beetle Dark Flints are 1.5 times as likely to have survived.
Share still registered (licensed or SORN)
Compared with 3 other versions of the Volkswagen Beetle first registered in the same years.
| Version | Share still registered |
|---|---|
| Volkswagen Beetle Dark Flint | 67.7% |
| Other Volkswagen Beetle versions of the same age | 44.2% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Volkswagen Beetle Dark Flint engine sizes and fuel types
Of the 103 Volkswagen Beetle Dark Flints licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, 58.3% have an engine of 1,501cc to 1,600cc, and 25.2% have an engine of 1,801cc to 1,900cc.
Engine sizes, end of 2025
DVLA records engine size in 100cc bands.
| Engine size | Share of those licensed |
|---|---|
| 1,501cc to 1,600cc 60 licensed | 58.3% |
| 1,801cc to 1,900cc 26 licensed | 25.2% |
| 1,901cc to 2,000cc 17 licensed | 16.5% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2014 to end of 2025 Updated
| Engine size | Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,501–1,600cc | Petrol | 60 | 58.3% |
| 1,801–1,900cc | Diesel | 26 | 25.2% |
| 1,901–2,000cc | Petrol | 17 | 16.5% |
Fuel type, 2014 to 2025
Share of those licensed at the end of each year.
| Year | Petrol | Diesel |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 74.4% | 25.6% |
| 2015 | 74.9% | 25.1% |
| 2016 | 75.5% | 24.5% |
| 2017 | 76.5% | 23.5% |
| 2018 | 78.0% | 22.0% |
| 2019 | 75.6% | 24.4% |
| 2020 | 78.2% | 21.8% |
| 2021 | 76.3% | 23.7% |
| 2022 | 74.7% | 25.3% |
| 2023 | 74.8% | 25.2% |
| 2024 | 73.3% | 26.7% |
| 2025 | 74.8% | 25.2% |
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 Volkswagen Beetle page covers every version. How we use engine sizes.
Volkswagen Beetle MOT reliability
In 2025, 59.1% of Volkswagen Beetle MOT tests were passed first time, against 72.8% for all cars. Cars of the same ages pass 64.5% of the time, so the Volkswagen Beetle does worse than average for its age, by 5.4 points.
DVSA's MOT results name the model, not the version, so these figures cover all Volkswagen Beetles tested, the Dark Flint among them. For the full breakdown, including defects in detail and results year by year, see the Volkswagen Beetle page.
MOT first-time pass rate by age: Volkswagen Beetle vs all cars
Each bar pair covers cars of the same age, so an older fleet does not count against the model.
| Vehicle age | Volkswagen Beetle | All cars |
|---|---|---|
| 6–7 years | 79.9% | 83.0% |
| 8–10 years | 69.9% | 75.7% |
| 11–14 years | 65.0% | 65.5% |
| 15–19 years | 50.1% | 58.0% |
| 20+ years | 53.2% | 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 Volkswagen Beetle fails. A failed test can have defects in more than one category.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 45.6% |
| Suspension | 40.2% |
| Brakes | 21.3% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 18.9% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 16.9% |
| Visibility | 15.3% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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 | 149 Volkswagen Beetle Dark Flint 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 | 40,521 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 “BEETLE DARK FLINT”, “BEETLE DARK FLINT TDI”, “BEETLE DARK FLINT AUTO”. 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 number first registered since 2001. Other versions are those of the same model with the same average year of first registration.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.