What number of classic vehicles have endured over time? That reply is now revealed by official figures.
Information from the Driver and Car Licencing Company exhibits that about 340,000 vehicles older than 40 are nonetheless registered within the names of their registered keepers, nonetheless not all of them are literally pushed.
Of those, round one in eight are declared off the street by keepers.
LeaseLoco has recognized the variety of traditional vehicles nonetheless in non-public possession in the UK.
In response to the leasing comparability web site’s Freedom of Info request, DVLA data (up to date as of December 15, 2023) reveal that 338,697 classic vehicles are nonetheless owned by drivers in the UK.
Of those, 12 per cent aren’t truly being pushed on the street by their house owners.
About 41,217 classic vehicles had their house owners’ Statutory Off Highway Notifications (SORNs) declared, that means they had been off the street, as of the date the FOI was filed.
Many of those are most likely restorations, initiatives, or worthwhile vehicles that their proprietor isn’t utilizing in an effort to carry onto and improve the price of their future acquisitions.
Though the time period “traditional” automobile has a number of different meanings, it’s mostly used to consult with autos which can be older than 40 years and therefore eligible for a number of perks related to “historic autos.”
Amongst these is exemption from annual MOTs and Car and Excise Responsibility.
However in contrast to the MOT exemption, you don’t instantly cease having to pay street tax as soon as your automobile enters its fourth decade of life.
Alternatively, you have to wait till April 1st earlier than making use of for a street tax exemption, supplied your car was registered 40 years previous to January 1st.
Relating to MOTs, the exclusion stems from the widespread notion that house owners of historic vehicles both keep their very own vehicles or rent consultants to do it for them.
The DVLA feels that this justifies avoiding subjecting them to the yearly street worthiness examination, given their love for his or her autos and the upkeep essential to hold them roadworthy.
Crucially, autos older than 40 years are additionally free from emission zone levies, together with the one within the capital (the ULEZ), the one in Birmingham (the Clear Air Zone), and the Scottish Low Emission Zone (which is presently in impact in Glasgow and can begin charging older drivers in Aberdeen, Dundee, and Edinburgh in a couple of weeks).
In keeping with the DVLA, there are 28,311 MGBs, 10,393 Morris Minors, 5,575 Rolls Royces, and 4,508 Triumph Stags among the many traditional vehicles nonetheless in use at present.
John Wilmot, chief govt of LeaseLoco, mentioned: “Amid the hustle and bustle of contemporary roads, practically 300,000 autos thought-about classics are nonetheless working greater than 40 years after they had been first registered, every a testomony to enduring craftsmanship and automotive historical past.
“From the timeless attract of MGBs to the nostalgic attraction of Morris Minors and the regal presence of Rolls Royces, these traditional vehicles evoke a way of nostalgia and admiration.
“They proceed to seize the creativeness and enrich our motoring panorama, preserving the legacy of bygone eras for generations to return.”
