Car statistics
Volkswagen Golf VR6 statistics
How many Volkswagen Golf VR6s are still on the road in Great Britain, how many are declared off the road, and how the VR6 compares with other versions of the Volkswagen Golf. Built from DVLA licensing records, with MOT results for the Volkswagen Golf.
- Licensed in Great Britain 301 +0.7% on a year earlier
- Declared SORN 1,298 Off the road, not taxed
- Still registered 21.0% Other Volkswagen Golf versions 4.3%
- Peak year 1998 7,522 licensed
- Share of Volkswagen Golfs 0.2% of those licensed or SORN
- Declared off the road 81.2% of those still registered are SORN
How many Volkswagen Golf VR6s are left in Great Britain?
There were 301 Volkswagen Golf VR6s licensed in Great Britain at the end of June 2026, and a further 1,298 declared off the road (SORN). The licensed count is 96.0% lower than its peak of 7,522 in 1998. More are declared SORN than are licensed: 81.2% of those still registered are off the road.
Volkswagen Golf VR6s licensed and SORN in Great Britain
This data records SORN from 2007, so the SORN line starts there.
| Year | Licensed | Declared SORN |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 3,025 | – |
| 1995 | 4,133 | – |
| 1996 | 5,745 | – |
| 1997 | 7,372 | – |
| 1998 | 7,522 | – |
| 1999 | 7,472 | – |
| 2000 | 7,260 | – |
| 2001 | 7,201 | – |
| 2002 | 6,971 | – |
| 2003 | 6,711 | – |
| 2004 | 6,516 | – |
| 2005 | 6,193 | – |
| 2006 | 5,629 | – |
| 2007 | 5,094 | 608 |
| 2008 | 4,406 | 780 |
| 2009 | 3,738 | 876 |
| 2010 | 3,007 | 918 |
| 2011 | 2,284 | 999 |
| 2012 | 1,787 | 990 |
| 2013 | 1,369 | 1,078 |
| 2014 | 1,118 | 1,069 |
| 2015 | 906 | 1,164 |
| 2016 | 746 | 1,244 |
| 2017 | 634 | 1,287 |
| 2018 | 542 | 1,322 |
| 2019 | 456 | 1,351 |
| 2020 | 425 | 1,367 |
| 2021 | 380 | 1,392 |
| 2022 | 328 | 1,403 |
| 2023 | 289 | 1,421 |
| 2024 | 270 | 1,343 |
| 2025 | 250 | 1,335 |
| 2026 | 301 | 1,298 |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Fuel type
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
How many Volkswagen Golf VR6s have survived?
21.0% of Volkswagen Golf VR6s are still registered (licensed or SORN), measured against the most on the road at any year end since 1994. For other versions of the Volkswagen Golf from the same era, the figure is 4.3%, so Volkswagen Golf VR6s are 4.9 times as likely to have survived.
Share still registered (licensed or SORN)
Compared with 12 other versions of the Volkswagen Golf from the same era.
| Version | Share still registered |
|---|---|
| Volkswagen Golf VR6 | 21.0% |
| Other Volkswagen Golf versions of the same age | 4.3% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Volkswagen Golf VR6 engine sizes and fuel types
Of the 255 Volkswagen Golf VR6s licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, 99.2% have an engine of 2,701cc to 2,800cc.
Engine sizes, end of 2025
DVLA records engine size in 100cc bands.
| Engine size | Share of those licensed |
|---|---|
| 2,701cc to 2,800cc 253 licensed | 99.2% |
| Other sizes 2 licensed | 0.8% |
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 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 VR6 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 | 1,599 Volkswagen Golf VR6 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 |
- 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 VR6”, “GOLF VR6 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 most licensed at any year end since 1994, plus any first registered after that year. Other versions are those of the same model whose licensed count peaked in the same years, up to 2001.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.