Datsun

Nissan · on record 2002 to 2025

The Nissan Datsun is a broad registration label reflecting Nissan's former export brand rather than one single model, so it can cover several historic cars and light commercial vehicles. It appealed to buyers who wanted the particular mix of space, image and engineering represented by the Datsun rather than a generic transport choice. As the Datsun ages, condition, continued usefulness and the strength of owner interest increasingly determine which examples remain rather than its original position in the new car market.

EXTINCT ON ROAD

Red List classification, from population, five year trajectory and survival against peak. Reviewed each census.

0 licensed vehicles
2025 census

0.0% of the peak fleet remains licensed

declared SORN

total surviving

peak 10 in 2009 · −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 SOURCE DVLA VEH0120 / VEH0220

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 2022.

Pass rate by year

Failure reason	Failures	Share of all tests
Amalgamation of failures for all headlamp testers	4	8.2%
Little or no braking effort is recorded from the brake on any wheel, indicating clearly that the brake is not functioning correctly	3	6.1%
A spring with an unsafe modification	2	4.1%
An exhaust system mounting missing, or in such condition that it does not fully support the exhaust system	2	4.1%
A ball joint dust cover missing or excessively damaged, deteriorated or insecure to the extent that it would no longer prevent the ingress of dirt etc	2	4.1%
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 panelling within 30 cms of a seat belt ancho	2	4.1%
The calculated out-of-balance of the brakes across an axle is greater than 30%	2	4.1%
A rigid brake pipe excessively chafed, corroded or damaged	2	4.1%

Counted across every recorded test, 2005 to 2022. Advisories are excluded.

Where the Datsun remains

Based on MOT test locations, 2022. 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
CT	1	100%

How this record was calculated

LATEST CENSUS2025

POPULATION SOURCEDVLA VEH0220 annual

HISTORY SOURCEDVLA VEH0120 GB · to 2013

MOT SOURCEDVSA results · to 2022

FAMILY DEFINITIONNISSAN DATSUN

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.