Off-road Britain · 2025
Which cars are being laid up?
Every UK car is either taxed for the road or declared off it (SORN). The share of a model's fleet sitting on SORN tells two very different stories: on an enthusiast car it means cherished examples wintered in garages — the Vauxhall Frontera leads at 45.5% — while a rising share is an early warning that cars are becoming uneconomic to repair or run, with the Saab 9-3 climbing fastest, up 11.6 percentage points in three years. Computed from the same DfT-derived licensing history behind every profile.
Highest off-road share
| # | Model | Off-road share | UK fleet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vauxhall Frontera | 45.5% | 9,325 |
| 2 | Saab 9-5 | 44.3% | 10,715 |
| 3 | Saab 9-3 | 37.5% | 45,045 |
| 4 | Honda Accord | 36.1% | 32,740 |
| 5 | Porsche 718 Boxster | 33.4% | 32,576 |
| 6 | BMW M5 | 31.8% | 9,007 |
| 7 | Mazda MX-5 | 31.7% | 116,444 |
| 8 | Aston Martin Vantage | 29.5% | 9,772 |
| 9 | BMW 7 Series | 29.4% | 26,123 |
| 10 | Mercedes-Benz S-Class | 28% | 31,665 |
| 11 | Toyota Avensis | 27.8% | 76,960 |
| 12 | BMW M3 | 27.4% | 38,386 |
| 13 | Porsche 911 | 27.2% | 72,017 |
| 14 | Suzuki Jimny | 26.7% | 32,235 |
| 15 | Renault Megane E-Tech | 26% | 132,936 |
Rising fastest — the early warnings
| # | Model | Off-road share | 3-yr change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saab 9-3 | 37.5% | +11.6 pp |
| 2 | Saab 9-5 | 44.3% | +11.6 pp |
| 3 | Honda Accord | 36.1% | +10.1 pp |
| 4 | Toyota Avensis | 27.8% | +8.5 pp |
| 5 | Peugeot 207 | 15.4% | +7.5 pp |
| 6 | Audi A8 | 25.1% | +7.2 pp |
| 7 | Porsche 718 Boxster | 33.4% | +7 pp |
| 8 | Vauxhall Antara | 11.5% | +7 pp |
| 9 | Audi TT | 22.7% | +6.8 pp |
| 10 | Ford Mondeo | 24.6% | +6.6 pp |
| 11 | Porsche 718 Cayman | 20.7% | +6.4 pp |
| 12 | Mercedes-Benz S-Class | 28% | +6.3 pp |
| 13 | Vauxhall Zafira Tourer | 17.7% | +6.3 pp |
| 14 | Bentley Continental GT | 21.2% | +6 pp |
| 15 | BMW M5 | 31.8% | +5.8 pp |
Off-road share is SORN ÷ (taxed + SORN) in the latest licensing year, for models with at least 5,000 vehicles on the UK register. Sports cars and classics lead the share table by nature; the change table is where the trouble signals live.