Car statistics
Volvo 850 R statistics
How many Volvo 850 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 Volvo 850. Built from DVLA licensing records.
- Licensed in Great Britain 106 −9.4% on a year earlier
- Declared SORN 201 Off the road, not taxed
- Still registered 62.8% Other Volvo 850 versions 6.8%
- Peak year 2000 427 licensed
- Share of Volvo 850s 8.7% of those licensed or SORN
- Declared off the road 65.5% of those still registered are SORN
How many Volvo 850 Rs are left in Great Britain?
There were 106 Volvo 850 Rs licensed in Great Britain at the end of March 2026, and a further 201 declared off the road (SORN). The licensed count is 75.2% lower than its peak of 427 in 2000. More are declared SORN than are licensed: 65.5% of those still registered are off the road.
Volvo 850 Rs licensed and SORN in Great Britain
This data records SORN from 2007, so the SORN line starts there.
| Year | Licensed | Declared SORN |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 335 | – |
| 1997 | 407 | – |
| 1998 | 424 | – |
| 1999 | 422 | – |
| 2000 | 427 | – |
| 2001 | 426 | – |
| 2002 | 420 | – |
| 2003 | 411 | – |
| 2004 | 409 | – |
| 2005 | 399 | – |
| 2006 | 376 | – |
| 2007 | 362 | 27 |
| 2008 | 328 | 37 |
| 2009 | 307 | 44 |
| 2010 | 283 | 54 |
| 2011 | 246 | 63 |
| 2012 | 216 | 76 |
| 2013 | 188 | 97 |
| 2014 | 176 | 93 |
| 2015 | 157 | 109 |
| 2016 | 156 | 108 |
| 2017 | 139 | 135 |
| 2018 | 143 | 138 |
| 2019 | 132 | 155 |
| 2020 | 135 | 154 |
| 2021 | 129 | 164 |
| 2022 | 125 | 181 |
| 2023 | 118 | 181 |
| 2024 | 117 | 187 |
| 2025 | 102 | 205 |
| 2026 | 106 | 201 |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated
Fuel type
Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated
How many Volvo 850 Rs have survived?
62.8% of Volvo 850 Rs are still registered (licensed or SORN), measured against the most on the road at any year end since 1996. For other versions of the Volvo 850 from the same era, the figure is 6.8%, so Volvo 850 Rs are 9.2 times as likely to have survived.
Share still registered (licensed or SORN)
Compared with 7 other versions of the Volvo 850 from the same era.
| Version | Share still registered |
|---|---|
| Volvo 850 R | 62.8% |
| Other Volvo 850 versions of the same age | 6.8% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated
Volvo 850 R engine sizes and fuel types
Of the 104 Volvo 850 Rs licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, 98.1% have an engine of 2,301cc to 2,400cc.
Engine sizes, end of 2025
DVLA records engine size in 100cc bands.
| Engine size | Share of those licensed |
|---|---|
| 2,301cc to 2,400cc 102 licensed | 98.1% |
| Other sizes 2 licensed | 1.9% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2014 to end of 2025 Updated
| Engine size | Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,301–2,400cc | Petrol | 101 | 97.1% |
| 2,201–2,300cc | Petrol | 2 | 1.9% |
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 Volvo 850 page covers every version. How we use engine sizes.
Other versions of the Volvo 850
Versions of the Volvo 850 with their own page. The Volvo 850 page covers all 1,247 licensed, whatever the version.
| Version | Licensed | SORN | Still registered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volvo 850 R | 106 | 201 | 62.8% |
| Volvo 850 CD | 83 | 125 | 12.6% |
| Volvo 850 T5CD | 78 | 92 | 17.3% |
| Volvo 850 T5R | 53 | 108 | 54.9% |
| Volvo 850 T-5 | 37 | 78 | 11.6% |
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed and SORN counts | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of March 2026 | 307 Volvo 850 R records (licensed and SORN) | 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 “850 R AUTO”, “850 R”. 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.