Safari
Nissan · on record 2002 to 2025
The Nissan Safari is a Japanese and overseas name closely associated with the Nissan Patrol heavy duty 4 wheel drive family, so British examples are usually imports. The Safari appealed to buyers wanting extra versatility and a higher seating position than a conventional family car. Later survival of the Safari reflects both continued usefulness and enthusiast interest, especially where towing, rural use or genuine 4 wheel drive still gives the vehicle a practical role.
STABLE
Red List classification, from population, five year trajectory and survival against peak. Reviewed each census.
3
licensed vehicles
2025 census
2025 census
23.1% of the peak fleet remains licensed
2
declared SORN
total surviving
peak 13 in 2006 · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| A rigid brake pipe excessively chafed, corroded or damaged | 26 | 6.4% |
| A mandatory rear fog lamp inoperative or less than 50% of the light sources illuminating | 24 | 5.9% |
| 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 | 20 | 4.9% |
| Any deliberate modification, excessive corrosion, damage, cracks or inadequate repair of a load bearing body or chassis member which seriously affects its strength within 30cm of the body mountings | 13 | 3.2% |
| An obligatory lamp inoperative or less than 50% of the light sources illuminating | 10 | 2.4% |
| Significant braking effort recorded on a road wheel, even though the brake is not applied, indicating that a brake is binding | 9 | 2.2% |
| 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 | 9 | 2.2% |
| Significant braking effort recorded on a road wheel, even though the brake is not applied, indicating that a brake is binding | 9 | 2.2% |
Counted across every recorded test, 2005 to 2025. Advisories are excluded.
Where the Safari 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 |
|---|---|---|
| EX | 2 | 50% |
| SA | 2 | 50% |
| WF | 1 | 100% |
| SG | 1 | 100% |
| ST | 1 | 100% |
| NG | 1 | 100% |
| CO | 1 | 100% |
| PL | 1 | 100% |
| PE | 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 DEFINITIONNISSAN SAFARI
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.