3 Litre
Austin · on record 1994 to 2025
The Austin 3 Litre was a large rear wheel drive saloon built around a body related visually to the front wheel drive 1800 but using very different mechanical engineering. A 6 cylinder engine and self levelling rear suspension aimed it at the executive market above ordinary Austins. Sales were limited and the model had a short life, making surviving cars rare examples of BMC's attempt to create a traditional large Austin.
STABLE
Red List classification, from population, five year trajectory and survival against peak. Reviewed each census.
61
licensed vehicles
2025 census
2025 census
69.3% of the peak fleet remains licensed
34
declared SORN
total surviving
peak 88 in 1997 · 0 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
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.
New registrations
Vehicles first registered each year. A fleet still being sold shows here; a finished one shows only imports.
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) | 17 | 3.1% |
| Deliberate modification which significantly reduces the original strength, excessive corrosion, severe distortion, a fracture or an inadequate repair of a load bearing member or its supporting structure or supporting panelling within 30cm of any sub- | 16 | 2.9% |
| An insecure, split or missing steering rack gaiter | 12 | 2.2% |
| An obligatory headlamp inoperative, excessively damaged or deteriorated or has a product on the lens or light source so that the light output is well below that required to illuminate the road ahead | 11 | 2.0% |
| A stop lamp inoperative or less than 50% of the light sources illuminating | 9 | 1.6% |
| 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 | 8 | 1.5% |
| The calculated out-of-balance of the brakes across an axle is greater than 30% | 8 | 1.5% |
| A major leak of exhaust gases from any part of the system | 7 | 1.3% |
Counted across every recorded test, 2005 to 2025. Advisories are excluded.
Where the 3 Litre 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 |
|---|---|---|
| SY | 2 | 50% |
| BH | 2 | 100% |
| AB | 1 | 100% |
| NR | 1 | 100% |
| PL | 1 | 100% |
| OX | 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 DEFINITIONAUSTIN 3 LITRE
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.