Car statistics
Volkswagen Golf R32 statistics
How many Volkswagen Golf R32s are still on the road in Great Britain, how many are declared off the road, and how the R32 compares with other versions of the Volkswagen Golf. Built from DVLA licensing records, with MOT results for the Volkswagen Golf.
- Licensed in Great Britain 4,062 −4.5% on a year earlier
- Declared SORN 2,142 Off the road, not taxed
- Still registered 72.6% Other Volkswagen Golf versions 37.0%
- Peak year 2009 7,515 licensed
- Share of Volkswagen Golfs 0.6% of those licensed or SORN
- New registrations in 2025 32 registered for the first time
How many Volkswagen Golf R32s are left in Great Britain?
There were 4,062 Volkswagen Golf R32s licensed in Great Britain at the end of June 2026, and a further 2,142 declared off the road (SORN). The licensed count is 45.9% lower than its peak of 7,515 in 2009.
Volkswagen Golf R32s licensed and SORN in Great Britain
This data records SORN from 2007, so the SORN line starts there.
| Year | Licensed | Declared SORN |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 12 | – |
| 2003 | 1,895 | – |
| 2004 | 2,204 | – |
| 2005 | 2,515 | – |
| 2006 | 4,464 | – |
| 2007 | 5,764 | 122 |
| 2008 | 7,139 | 175 |
| 2009 | 7,515 | 124 |
| 2010 | 7,351 | 184 |
| 2011 | 7,200 | 218 |
| 2012 | 7,075 | 228 |
| 2013 | 6,939 | 298 |
| 2014 | 6,686 | 308 |
| 2015 | 6,478 | 369 |
| 2016 | 6,244 | 517 |
| 2017 | 6,016 | 679 |
| 2018 | 5,657 | 869 |
| 2019 | 5,435 | 1,032 |
| 2020 | 5,124 | 1,270 |
| 2021 | 4,923 | 1,382 |
| 2022 | 4,614 | 1,660 |
| 2023 | 4,395 | 1,831 |
| 2024 | 4,112 | 2,038 |
| 2025 | 3,957 | 2,258 |
| 2026 | 4,062 | 2,142 |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Fuel type
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
How many Volkswagen Golf R32s have survived?
72.6% of the Volkswagen Golf R32s 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 37.0%, so Volkswagen Golf R32s are 2.0 times as likely to have survived.
Share still registered (licensed or SORN)
Compared with 7 other versions of the Volkswagen Golf first registered in the same years.
| Version | Share still registered |
|---|---|
| Volkswagen Golf R32 | 72.6% |
| Other Volkswagen Golf versions of the same age | 37.0% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Volkswagen Golf R32 registrations over time
Registrations of Volkswagen Golf R32s for the first time in Great Britain peaked at 2,117 in 2006. In 2025, 32 were registered.
Registered for the first time, by year
| Year | First registrations |
|---|---|
| ’02 | 12 |
| ’03 | 1,915 |
| ’04 | 371 |
| ’05 | 331 |
| ’06 | 2,117 |
| ’07 | 1,505 |
| ’08 | 1,524 |
| ’09 | 457 |
| ’10 | 5 |
| ’11 | 1 |
| ’12 | 3 |
| ’13 | 6 |
| ’14 | 3 |
| ’15 | 5 |
| ’16 | 3 |
| ’17 | 1 |
| ’18 | 6 |
| ’19 | 18 |
| ’20 | 24 |
| ’21 | 57 |
| ’22 | 44 |
| ’23 | 49 |
| ’24 | 47 |
| ’25 | 32 |
Source:DfT / DVLA 2001 to 2025 Updated
Volkswagen Golf R32 engine sizes and fuel types
Of the 4,047 Volkswagen Golf R32s licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, 79.7% have an engine of 3,201cc to 3,300cc, and 20.2% have an engine of 3,101cc to 3,200cc.
Engine sizes, end of 2025
DVLA records engine size in 100cc bands.
| Engine size | Share of those licensed |
|---|---|
| 3,201cc to 3,300cc 3,227 licensed | 79.7% |
| 3,101cc to 3,200cc 818 licensed | 20.2% |
| Other sizes 2 licensed | 0.0% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2014 to end of 2025 Updated
| Engine size | Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3,201–3,300cc | Petrol | 3,227 | 79.7% |
| 3,101–3,200cc | Petrol | 816 | 20.2% |
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 MOT reliability
In 2025, 75.0% of Volkswagen Golf MOT tests were passed first time, against 72.8% for all cars. Cars of the same ages pass 70.7% of the time, so the Volkswagen Golf does better than average for its age, by 4.3 points.
DVSA's MOT results name the model, not the version, so these figures cover all Volkswagen Golfs tested, the R32 among them. For the full breakdown, including defects in detail and results year by year, see the Volkswagen Golf page.
MOT first-time pass rate by age: Volkswagen Golf 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 Golf | All cars |
|---|---|---|
| 3 years | 91.9% | 89.5% |
| 4–5 years | 90.4% | 87.6% |
| 6–7 years | 86.5% | 83.0% |
| 8–10 years | 83.6% | 75.7% |
| 11–14 years | 71.9% | 65.5% |
| 15–19 years | 59.9% | 58.0% |
| 20+ years | 58.3% | 61.0% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
Most common MOT failure categories
Suspension is the most common reason a Volkswagen Golf fails. A failed test can have defects in more than one category.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Suspension | 37.6% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 31.8% |
| Tyres | 25.1% |
| Brakes | 22.9% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 13.7% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 12.7% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
Other versions of the Volkswagen Golf
Versions of the Volkswagen Golf with their own page. The Volkswagen Golf page covers all 899,678 licensed, whatever the version.
| Version | Licensed | SORN | Still registered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volkswagen Golf GTI | 39,831 | 19,644 | – |
| Volkswagen Golf R | 36,065 | 1,168 | 85.3% |
| Volkswagen Golf R32 | 4,062 | 2,142 | 72.6% |
| Volkswagen Golf GTI Cabriolet | 821 | 1,871 | 50.4% |
| Volkswagen Golf Clipper Cabriolet | 784 | 1,661 | 50.4% |
| Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 30 | 1,348 | 421 | 77.6% |
| Volkswagen Golf VR6 | 301 | 1,298 | 21.0% |
| Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet | 264 | 760 | 21.1% |
| Volkswagen Golf Avantgarde Cabriolet | 182 | 501 | 21.6% |
| Volkswagen Golf VR6 Highline | 130 | 498 | 33.0% |
| Volkswagen Golf Anniversary T | 235 | 285 | 64.7% |
| Volkswagen Golf Anniversary | 217 | 272 | 53.1% |
| Volkswagen Golf GL Cabriolet | 136 | 245 | 33.4% |
| Volkswagen Golf GTI Rivage | 121 | 196 | 59.4% |
| Volkswagen Golf GTI Sportline | 76 | 160 | 67.0% |
| Volkswagen Golf GTI Anniversary | 37 | 178 | 30.7% |
| Volkswagen Golf CC Cabriolet | 35 | 125 | 45.7% |
| Volkswagen Golf Syncro | 12 | 116 | 19.8% |
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 | 6,204 Volkswagen Golf R32 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 | 875,265 MOT tests | 15 September 2026 |
| Registered for the first time | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | 2001 to 2025 | – | 2 October 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 “GOLF R32”, “GOLF R32 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.