Makes / Aston Martin / DB5
DB5
Aston Martin · on record 1994 to 2025
The Aston Martin DB5 was a refined development of the DB4 and became the marque's most recognisable model through its association with James Bond. Beneath the cultural fame it was a 4 litre straight 6 grand tourer designed for fast long distance travel with 2 plus 2 accommodation. High values and international collector demand mean surviving DB5s are preserved at a rate unlike ordinary cars of the same age.
VULNERABLE
Red List classification, from population, five year trajectory and survival against peak. Reviewed each census.
296
licensed vehicles
2025 census
2025 census
94.3% of the peak fleet remains licensed
83
declared SORN
total surviving
peak 314 in 2023 · −3 vehicles a year, five year trend
Population history
Licensed and SORN vehicles at each census. The filters below apply to the family population, MOT and registration figures. They do not alter the generation history above.
Licensed
SORN
Latest census observation
At the average decline recorded over the latest five years, the licensed fleet would reach zero around 2120.
Illustrative projection only; vehicle populations rarely decline linearly. Late fleets typically flatten as surviving examples enter preservation.
Inside the surviving fleet
AutoCensus parses every DVLA variant description, so the fleet can be read by fuel and specification rather than as one number.
First registrations by year
When surviving examples first joined the British fleet.
Recent UK first registrations
This family is no longer sold new. These figures are imports and historic vehicles joining the British register for the first time.
MOT reliability
DVSA test results for this family, 2005 to 2025.
Pass rate by year
| Failure reason | Failures | Share of all tests |
|---|---|---|
| The windscreen washers do not provide enough liquid to clear the windscreen in conjunction with the wiper(s) | 56 | 1.3% |
| The calculated parking brake efficiency is too low | 55 | 1.3% |
| A stop lamp inoperative or less than 50% of the light sources illuminating | 53 | 1.2% |
| A wiper blade insecure, missing or in such a condition that it does not clear the windscreen effectively to give the driver an adequate view of the road (through the windscreen) to the left and right sides of the vehicle, as well as to the front | 33 | 0.8% |
| Amalgamation of failures for all headlamp testers | 26 | 0.6% |
| An insecure, split or missing steering rack gaiter | 24 | 0.6% |
| Amalgamation of failures for all headlamp testers | 24 | 0.6% |
| The horn inoperative | 22 | 0.5% |
Counted across every recorded test, 2005 to 2025. Advisories are excluded.
Where the DB5 remains
Based on MOT test locations, 2025. Test location is a proxy: a vehicle is counted where it was last tested, not where it is kept.
| Postcode area | Vehicles tested | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| MK | 12 | 92% |
| KT | 9 | 100% |
| NE | 7 | 57% |
| NN | 4 | 100% |
| DE | 4 | 100% |
| SG | 4 | 100% |
| RG | 3 | 100% |
| TA | 3 | 100% |
| GU | 3 | 67% |
| TN | 2 | 100% |
| HP | 2 | 100% |
| PO | 1 | 100% |
| IG | 1 | 100% |
| PE | 1 | 100% |
| SE | 1 | 100% |
| LN | 1 | 100% |
| LA | 1 | 100% |
| SP | 1 | 100% |
| TW | 1 | 100% |
| EX | 1 | 100% |
| BS | 1 | 100% |
| BN | 1 | 0% |
| RH | 1 | 100% |
| UB | 1 | 100% |
| LU | 1 | 100% |
| SY | 1 | 100% |
| TS | 1 | 100% |
| SN | 1 | 100% |
| ME | 1 | 100% |
| CT | 1 | 100% |
How this record was calculated
LATEST CENSUS2025
POPULATION SOURCEDVLA VEH0220 annual
HISTORY SOURCEDVLA VEH0120 GB · to 2013
MOT SOURCEDVSA results · to 2025
FAMILY DEFINITIONASTON MARTIN DB5
PROCESSED20 Sep 2026
Full methodology
Population history combines DVLA VEH0120 Q4 census observations through 2013 with the annual VEH0220 census from 2014 onward. Figures before 2014 cover Great Britain only. Historical VEH0120 is used only when its overlapping UK observations reconcile to the current canonical family definition. Vehicles are grouped into this family using the DVLA GenModel together with durable routing rules for known inconsistencies.
Variant figures are parsed from raw DVLA model descriptions and the original string is always retained. Configuration is only assigned where the model description explicitly identifies it; a blank configuration is not treated as a two door Wrangler. Blank transmission fields are shown as manual because DVLA records the field for automatic vehicles.
MOT figures count tests, not vehicles, and geographic figures count each vehicle at its most recent test location. The decline projection is a straight line fitted to the latest five years and is illustrative only.