Revealed: The once everyday cars disappearing from UK roads

Richard Aucock, Contributor
Wed, 30 Jul 2025

Once-popular city car the Daewoo Matiz could disappear entirely from UK roads in just four years’ time, a new study has revealed.

Other 1990s staples such as the Citroen Saxo and Peugeot 306 – a car that was once even built in Britain – could vanish as soon as 2031.

Using official registration data, ALA Insurance looked at more than 24,000 declining vehicle models in the UK. 

It estimated their typical lifespan, enabling it to predict when they are likely to vanish from UK roads, based on current ownership trends.

The Daewoo Matiz is the car expected to vanish first, by 2029, while the Fiat Stilo and Rover 25 are both projected to disappear by 2030.

2031 could see the demise of the MG ZR, along with the Citroen Saxo and Peugeot 306.

The survey was granular enough to look at the car trims that will soon disappear, too – the models that fans of Festival of the Unexceptional may want to keep an eye on.

2029 is likely to see the demise of the Ford Ka 2 and Fiat Punto ELX, while there are 14 other trim levels likely to disappear within a few years.  

"The decline of these models is largely down to age and deterioration," says ALA Insurance’s Aimee Anderson. "As MoT failures continue to rise, most owner draw the line once repair costs outweigh the car’s value."

YouTuber Jim Starling said it was surprising how many cars that were once a common sight on UK roads are already becoming increasingly rare. "Everyday models like the Ford Ka 2 are hardly seen anymore"

The punitive cost of taxing cars with higher emissions is also a factor.

"As much as I’m a fan of electric vehicles, it’s a real shame that changing tax rules are pushing some very cool and quirky cars off our roads sooner than they should.

"Models like the Chrysler Crossfire - which can cost up to £760 a year to tax - will likely end up in the hands of dedicated enthusiasts simply because they will cost more to tax than buy at some point."

The car insurer also analysed the UK’s most popular models between 2014 and 2025, to find which have the best balance between lifespan and replacement cost.   

A Ford Fiesta is projected to have an average lifespan of 146,000 miles, while a Vauxhall Corsa is projected to last 142,000 miles.

These cars top the insurer’s list of cars delivering the most ‘miles per pound’, which calculates expected miles against average 2025 prices.

Two family hatchbacks are expected to have longer lifespans – the Vauxhall Astra should last for 174,000 miles, while the Ford Focus is just behind on 173,000 miles.

A Volkswagen Polo is projected to last for 155,000 miles, placing it fifth in the ‘miles per pound’ ranking.

Ask HJ

Is my father's Citroen Saxo ULEZ compliant?

My father owns a 1996 Citroen Saxo 1.1 which he only drives occasionally. Our problem is that we live in Bexley which is going to be part of the ULEZ at the end of August and we are very confused about the constant revelations and stories in the motoring press in regard to vehicles that are exempt from the ULEZ charge. We have read articles stating that farm vehicles and military vehicles etc are exempt and that we should not regard TFL's website as 'gospel' . One story we read claimed that if your cars emission certificate proves that it meets the requirements you won't need to pay regardless of its age. Is this information correct? We are aware that our council is taking the mayor to court regarding ULEZ and that people have been taking matters into their own hands but we would like some clarification on this.

We wish the situation could be clearer, but unfortunately some of the communication around ULEZ compliance is far from helpful. We do not have the registration of your father's Citroen, but we checked a similar example on four different websites and two of them said it was compliant while the other two said the opposite. However, the TFL website says that it is compliant, and if you attempt to pay the charge for a compliant car online it physically blocks out the button for you to do so. We would suggest checking yourself with the correct registration - if you cannot pay the charge then you don't really have any choice, but you may want to contact TFL directly to get this confirmed for peace of mind.

Answered by David Ross

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