Car statistics
Volkswagen Golf R statistics
How many Volkswagen Golf Rs are still on the road in Great Britain, how many are declared off the road, and how the R compares with other versions of the Volkswagen Golf. Built from DVLA licensing records.
- Licensed in Great Britain 35,845 +0.8% on a year earlier
- Declared SORN 1,174 Off the road, not taxed
- Still registered 85.4% Other Volkswagen Golf versions 90.8%
- Licensed count At its peak highest since 2009
- Share of Volkswagen Golfs 3.6% of those licensed or SORN
- New registrations in 2025 1,447 registered for the first time
How many Volkswagen Golf Rs are left in Great Britain?
There were 35,845 Volkswagen Golf Rs licensed in Great Britain at the end of March 2026, and a further 1,174 declared off the road (SORN). That is the most licensed at any year end since 2009.
Volkswagen Golf Rs licensed and SORN in Great Britain
This data records SORN from 2010, so the SORN line starts there.
| Year | Licensed | Declared SORN |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 3 | – |
| 2010 | 493 | 5 |
| 2011 | 699 | 12 |
| 2012 | 959 | 31 |
| 2013 | 1,078 | 11 |
| 2014 | 4,366 | 22 |
| 2015 | 10,307 | 49 |
| 2016 | 15,698 | 221 |
| 2017 | 21,004 | 220 |
| 2018 | 25,354 | 232 |
| 2019 | 29,953 | 383 |
| 2020 | 31,171 | 417 |
| 2021 | 31,731 | 454 |
| 2022 | 32,705 | 539 |
| 2023 | 33,896 | 724 |
| 2024 | 35,010 | 913 |
| 2025 | 35,685 | 1,090 |
| 2026 | 35,845 | 1,174 |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated
Fuel type
Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated
How many Volkswagen Golf Rs have survived?
85.4% of the Volkswagen Golf Rs first registered since 2001 are still registered, licensed or SORN. For other versions of the Volkswagen Golf first registered in the same years, the figure is 90.8%, much the same.
Share still registered (licensed or SORN)
Compared with 11 other versions of the Volkswagen Golf first registered in the same years.
| Version | Share still registered |
|---|---|
| Volkswagen Golf R | 85.4% |
| Other Volkswagen Golf versions of the same age | 90.8% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated
Volkswagen Golf R registrations over time
Registrations of Volkswagen Golf Rs for the first time in Great Britain peaked at 6,296 in 2015. In 2025, 1,447 were registered.
Registered for the first time, by year
| Year | First registrations |
|---|---|
| ’09 | 4 |
| ’10 | 507 |
| ’11 | 228 |
| ’12 | 307 |
| ’13 | 113 |
| ’14 | 3,405 |
| ’15 | 6,296 |
| ’16 | 5,939 |
| ’17 | 6,069 |
| ’18 | 4,854 |
| ’19 | 5,588 |
| ’20 | 1,564 |
| ’21 | 1,900 |
| ’22 | 940 |
| ’23 | 2,089 |
| ’24 | 1,684 |
| ’25 | 1,447 |
Source:DfT / DVLA 2001 to 2025 Updated
Volkswagen Golf R engine sizes and fuel types
Of the 37,190 Volkswagen Golf Rs licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, 99.9% have an engine of 1,901cc to 2,000cc.
Engine sizes, end of 2025
DVLA records engine size in 100cc bands.
| Engine size | Share of those licensed |
|---|---|
| 1,901cc to 2,000cc 37,141 licensed | 99.9% |
| Other sizes 49 licensed | 0.1% |
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 Golf page covers every version. How we use engine sizes.
Volkswagen Golf R fuel economy and CO2
The Vehicle Certification Agency’s new car data lists the Volkswagen Golf R from 2010, and still lists it. On the WLTP test (listings 2025 to 2026), official combined fuel economy for its petrol versions ranges from 34.0 to 34.9 mpg, with CO2 of 183 to 189 g/km. On the older NEDC test (listings 2010 to 2018), official combined fuel economy for its petrol versions ranges from 33.2 to 40.9 mpg, with CO2 of 159 to 199 g/km.
| Engine and fuel | Combined mpg | CO2 g/km | Listed | Euro standard | Versions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0 petrol | 34.0–34.9 | 183–189 | 2025–2026 | Euro 6 | 3 |
Older NEDC figures, listed 2010 to 2018 (1 engine and fuel group)
| Engine and fuel | Combined mpg | CO2 g/km | Listed | Euro standard | Versions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0 petrol | 33.2–40.9 | 159–199 | 2010–2018 | Euro 5 to Euro 6 | 16 |
Source:VCA July 2000 to 15 September 2026 Updated
- 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.
- NEDC figures (in VCA’s data until September 2018) and WLTP figures (from the 2019 guide) come from different tests, so they are shown separately and should not be compared.
- VCA’s data has no Volkswagen versions for 2019 to 2024, so the years listed may leave out years the Volkswagen Golf R was on sale.
- These are the VCA listings we could match to the Volkswagen Golf R by name. The Volkswagen Golf page covers every version.
- 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 “Golf”, “Golf Estate”, “Golf Cabriolet”, “New Golf, 2013”. How we use VCA’s figures.
Other versions of the Volkswagen Golf
Versions of the Volkswagen Golf with their own page. The Volkswagen Golf page covers all 900,884 licensed, whatever the version.
| Version | Licensed | SORN | Still registered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volkswagen Golf GTI | 39,080 | 20,061 | – |
| Volkswagen Golf R | 35,845 | 1,174 | 85.4% |
| Volkswagen Golf R32 | 3,919 | 2,273 | 72.5% |
| Volkswagen Golf GTI Cabriolet | 595 | 2,100 | 50.4% |
| Volkswagen Golf Clipper Cabriolet | 539 | 1,901 | 50.3% |
| Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 30 | 1,353 | 429 | 78.2% |
| Volkswagen Golf VR6 | 258 | 1,336 | 20.9% |
| Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet | 233 | 796 | 21.2% |
| Volkswagen Golf Avantgarde Cabriolet | 167 | 522 | 21.8% |
| Volkswagen Golf VR6 Highline | 119 | 514 | 33.3% |
| Volkswagen Golf Anniversary T | 239 | 285 | 65.2% |
| Volkswagen Golf Anniversary | 223 | 266 | 53.1% |
| Volkswagen Golf GL Cabriolet | 107 | 274 | 33.4% |
| Volkswagen Golf GTI Rivage | 87 | 229 | 59.2% |
| Volkswagen Golf GTI Sportline | 47 | 186 | 66.6% |
| Volkswagen Golf GTI Anniversary | 37 | 181 | 31.1% |
| Volkswagen Golf CC Cabriolet | 27 | 130 | 44.9% |
| Volkswagen Golf Syncro | 12 | 116 | 19.8% |
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed and SORN counts | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of March 2026 | 37,019 Volkswagen Golf R records (licensed and SORN) | 15 September 2026 |
| Registered for the first time | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | 2001 to 2025 | – | 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 2010.
- This version groups DVLA’s detailed model names “GOLF R DSG”, “GOLF R TSI S-A”, “GOLF R TSI 4MOTION S-A”, “GOLF R”, “GOLF R TSI”, “GOLF R DSG S-A”. 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.
- First registrations count vehicles registered in Great Britain for the first time, including used imports.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.