How many Volkswagen Golf are left?
900,884. That is how many Volkswagen Golf were still licensed in Great Britain at the end of 2026 Q1, according to DVLA records. One in every 37 cars on the road is one of these, and a further 122,944 are registered but declared off-road (SORN).
Numbers peaked at 1,020,501 in 2017. 12% of that peak has since left the road. The grey sliver is cars declared off-road. Great Britain figures, DfT table VEH0120.
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Survival, year by year
The same model ages very differently depending on when it was first registered. For each year of first registration since 2014, this is the most of that year's cars that were ever licensed at once, and how many of them are still licensed today. The three youngest years are shown without a percentage: their peak is still today's count, so it would read 100% and mean nothing.
| First registered | Most on the road | Licensed in 2025 | Survival |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 73,651 | 64,757 | 87.9% |
| 2015 | 74,575 | 68,164 | 91.4% |
| 2016 | 70,357 | 65,318 | 92.8% |
| 2017 | 74,815 | 70,347 | 94.0% |
| 2018 | 64,752 | 61,487 | 95.0% |
| 2019 | 57,441 | 56,546 | 98.4% |
| 2020 | 42,980 | 41,812 | 97.3% |
| 2021 | 29,377 | 28,103 | 95.7% |
| 2022 | 26,216 | 24,754 | 94.4% |
| 2023 | 27,638 | 27,344 | too new |
| 2024 | 31,417 | 31,417 | too new |
| 2025 | 31,498 | 31,498 | too new |
United Kingdom figures, DfT table VEH0124 (2025); the year-of-first-use dataset begins in 2014. The hardest-worn cohort so far is 2014, at 87.9% surviving.
When they sold
New registrations per quarter: the selling life of the model, which is why the fleet curve above rises when it does. Great Britain figures, DfT table VEH0160.
What the survivors run on
Licensed cars by engine size band and fuel. United Kingdom figures, DfT table VEH0220 (2025). 66% of the survivors are manuals.
The trims that lasted
Share of today's licensed fleet, by DVLA model designation.
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Sources: DfT/DVLA vehicle licensing statistics, tables VEH0120 and VEH0160 (Great Britain, 2026 Q1) and VEH0124 and VEH0220 (United Kingdom, 2025). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Cells of 1–4 vehicles are suppressed at source, so very small counts can read slightly low. Download the full dataset (CSV, every model).