The UK’s fastest vanishing cars: Kia, Hyundai and Fiat among models at risk of extinction

With as few as 20 examples left, these are the makes and models of car fast approaching the end of the road

There are more cars on the UK’s roads than ever before as the population grows and becomes more reliant on personal transport. Between 2002 and 2021, the number of cars registered in the UK rose from 28.5 million to 35m, according to the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders. But while the overall number is rising quickly, some models of car are vanishing even more rapidly.

A new study of DVLA data by comparison site Confused has found that some makes have seen a decline of up to 90% over the last decade and some models have dropped in numbers by up to 95%.

Among the brands, short-lived Korean oddity Daewoo is the fastest vanishing, seeing a 90% decline since 2001, just ahead of Sao - a South African brand that sold a grand total of six rebadged Mazdas in the early 1990s. Just one still exists, equating to a 83% decline. Other relative minnows such as Proton, Tata and Chrysler are also rapidly vanishing, alongside more famous but now-defunct names such as Rover and Saab.

But we wanted to get right down to the nitty gritty, so here are the 10 individual models that have declined in numbers the most since 2012.

Among the brands, short-lived Korean oddity Daewoo is the fastest vanishing, seeing a 90% decline since 2001, just ahead of Sao - a South African brand that sold a grand total of six rebadged Mazdas in the early 1990s. Just one still exists, equating to a 83% decline. Other relative minnows such as Proton, Tata and Chrysler are also rapidly vanishing, alongside more famous but now-defunct names such as Rover and Saab.

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