2.5

Riley · on record 1994 to 2025

Riley used the 2.5 designation across several large sporting and luxury cars, most notably postwar saloons powered by the marque's twin camshaft 4 cylinder engine. These were more expensive and performance focused than ordinary family cars, reflecting Riley's position before its identity was absorbed into BMC. Exact body style depends on year, but surviving examples are historic enthusiast vehicles maintained for engineering interest and rarity.

VULNERABLE

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

274 licensed vehicles
2025 census

86.4% of the peak fleet remains licensed

declared SORN

total surviving

peak 317 in 1996 · −1 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

At the average decline recorded over the latest five years, the licensed fleet would reach zero around 2253.

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 2023.

Pass rate by year

Failure reason	Failures	Share of all tests
An insecure, split or missing steering rack gaiter	5	11.1%
A shock absorber insecurely attached to chassis or axle	2	4.4%
Significant braking effort recorded on a road wheel, even though the brake is not applied, indicating that a brake is binding	2	4.4%
Actuator leaking and braking performance affected	2	4.4%
A flexible brake hose excessively chafed, damaged or deteriorated	2	4.4%
The windscreen washers do not provide enough liquid to clear the windscreen in conjunction with the wiper(s)	1	2.2%
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn	1	2.2%
Excessive steering shaft end float	1	2.2%

Counted across every recorded test, 2005 to 2023. Advisories are excluded.

Where the 2.5 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
ME	1	100%

How this record was calculated

LATEST CENSUS2025

POPULATION SOURCEDVLA VEH0220 annual

HISTORY SOURCEDVLA VEH0120 GB · to 2013

MOT SOURCEDVSA results · to 2023

FAMILY DEFINITIONRILEY 2.5

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.

2.5