Metrocab
Reliant · on record 1994 to 2025
The Reliant Metrocab was a purpose built taxi developed for the British licensed cab market, using a tall body, substantial passenger space and mechanical components chosen for commercial service. It was a direct alternative to the traditional London taxi rather than a private passenger car. Registrations should therefore be classified as taxis or specialist passenger vehicles, since working mileage, accessibility requirements and fleet replacement governed their lives.
EXTINCT ON ROAD
Red List classification, from population, five year trajectory and survival against peak. Reviewed each census.
0
licensed vehicles
2025 census
2025 census
0.0% of the peak fleet remains licensed
11
declared SORN
total surviving
peak 549 in 1994 · −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 2023.
Pass rate by year
| Failure reason | Failures | Share of all tests |
|---|---|---|
| The calculated parking brake efficiency is too low | 15 | 5.7% |
| After 6 free accelerations, the mean of the last 3 smoke levels is :· for a non-turbocharged engine, more than 2.5m-1 | 12 | 4.6% |
| A stop lamp inoperative or less than 50% of the light sources illuminating | 9 | 3.4% |
| Excessive play in king pin and/or bush such that it is likely to adversely affect the steering of the vehicle | 9 | 3.4% |
| 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 | 8 | 3.1% |
| The calculated out-of-balance of the brakes across an axle is greater than 30% | 7 | 2.7% |
| A mandatory rear fog lamp inoperative or less than 50% of the light sources illuminating | 7 | 2.7% |
| The grooves of the tread pattern are not at least 1.6mm throughout a continuous band comprising the central three-quarters of the breadth of tread, and round the entire outer circumference of the tyre | 7 | 2.7% |
Counted across every recorded test, 2005 to 2023. Advisories are excluded.
Where the Metrocab remains
Based on MOT test locations, 2023. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| PL | 2 | 50% |
How this record was calculated
LATEST CENSUS2025
POPULATION SOURCEDVLA VEH0220 annual
HISTORY SOURCEDVLA VEH0120 GB · to 2013
MOT SOURCEDVSA results · to 2023
FAMILY DEFINITIONRELIANT METROCAB
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.