Samurai
Suzuki · on record 1994 to 2025
The Suzuki Samurai was the export name for later versions of Suzuki's small SJ 4 wheel drive, using a separate chassis and simple mechanicals for genuine off road use. The Samurai appealed to buyers wanting extra versatility and a higher seating position than a conventional family car. The Samurai can remain useful long after its first ownership cycle, so condition, parts support and continued demand for its utility increasingly decide which examples stay on the road.
VULNERABLE
Red List classification, from population, five year trajectory and survival against peak. Reviewed each census.
136
licensed vehicles
2025 census
2025 census
2.1% of the peak fleet remains licensed
1,204
declared SORN
total surviving
peak 6,500 in 1995 · −15 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
At the average decline recorded over the latest five years, the licensed fleet would reach zero around 2033.
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 2025.
Pass rate by year
| Failure reason | Failures | Share of all tests |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 75 | 9.8% |
| 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 | 68 | 8.9% |
| The calculated parking brake efficiency is too low | 40 | 5.2% |
| 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 | 33 | 4.3% |
| A low braking effort is recorded from the parking brake on any wheel, indicating clearly that the brake is not functioning correctly | 29 | 3.8% |
| A rigid brake pipe excessively chafed, corroded or damaged | 28 | 3.7% |
| A major leak of exhaust gases from any part of the system | 25 | 3.3% |
| A mandatory rear fog lamp inoperative or less than 50% of the light sources illuminating | 25 | 3.3% |
Counted across every recorded test, 2005 to 2025. Advisories are excluded.
Where the Samurai 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 |
|---|---|---|
| BN | 2 | 50% |
| TA | 2 | 50% |
| KY | 1 | 100% |
| WD | 1 | 100% |
| DL | 1 | 100% |
| NE | 1 | 100% |
| BB | 1 | 100% |
| EX | 1 | 100% |
| GU | 1 | 100% |
| HR | 1 | 0% |
| ST | 1 | 100% |
| E | 1 | 100% |
| TN | 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 DEFINITIONSUZUKI SAMURAI
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.