Once-popular car models 'soon to be extinct' from UK roads

Some of the names on the list were once common sights on British roads - but many of them will be gone soon

A new study has revealed the ten car models that will 'go extinct' in the UK first. The Hyundai Coupe has topped the ranking.

Experts at car parts marketplace Ovoko gathered a list of the most popular petrol and diesel car models from YouGov and calculated their rate of decline from the number of registrations in the UK. They were then able to figure out if the models were in decline or rising and how long it would take each to get to nearly zero registrations or reach ‘extinction’.

At the top of the ranking is the Hyundai Coupe, which will reach nearly zero registrations on August 28, 2026. This means the model has just under two years until its predicted extinction date and has the least time remaining among all popular models.

In second place was the Renault Megane, with an extinction date of July 7, 2029, according to its rate of decline. Therefore, the Megane has only four years and nine months left.

The Ford Mondeo was in third place, with an estimated time of death on May 24, 2033. Once one of the most common cars on UK roads, this leaves the model with approximately eight years and seven months until it reaches a critical number of registrations.

Fourth place, reaching almost no registrations on January 13, 2034, is another Renault model – the Scenic. The Scenic has only nine years and three months left at its current rate of decline.

Another Ford model is next in the ranking, as the Ford Ka takes fifth place. The Ka will have nearly zero registrations on February 18, 2035, leaving the model approximately 10 years and four months until it goes extinct.

In sixth place is the Toyota Avensis model, which is predicted to face extinction on August 19, 2037. This means the Avensis has 12 years and 10 months left.

Also in the ranking is the Audi A2 in seventh place. At its current rate of decline, the A2 will reach next to no registrations on February 28, 2046, giving it 21 years and five months left.

The Kia Carens is predicted to face extinction on January 10, 2049, putting the model eighth in the ranking. This means the Carens has approximately 24 years and three months left.

In ninth place is the Mazda 6, which will be extinct by April 18, 2049, at its current rate of decline. It will take approximately 24 years and six months for this model to reach a critical number of registrations.

Finally, in tenth place is the Jeep Cherokee. This model is likely to face extinction and have next to no registrations on June 3, 2050, leaving it 25 years and eight months until the model reaches extinction.

Vytas Palovis, vice president of growth at Ovoko, said: “Petrol and diesel car models are facing a swift decline as the automotive industry shifts towards electric vehicles. With increasing regulatory pressures, stricter emissions standards, and growing consumer demand for eco-friendly options, many traditional fuel-powered cars are likely to see a critical drop in registrations in the coming years and some models may become extinct altogether.

“Many of these models have become icons, representing decades of automotive design, engineering milestones, and a sense of nostalgia that can't be replaced by modern alternatives. It is bittersweet to witness the gradual extinction of cars that have left such a lasting imprint on driving culture.”

Methodology

Extinction was defined in this analysis as the number of registrations being less than or equal to 15% of the number of registrations at its peak. The most famous car models for Quarter 2 2024 were scraped from YouGov. Per model, the number of registrations per quarter from Q1 2009 - Q1 2024 was gathered from the UK Government.

For each model, the quarter that the maximum number of registrations occurred was its peak. If the peak was less than 10 quarters away from 2024, it used the "Rising" calculation. If not, it used the "In Decline" calculation.

The geometric mean of quarterly post-peak decline was calculated per model and the number of quarters it would take for a model to reach 15% of its peak registrations was calculated. This was converted to years and added onto the year and quarter the peak occurred to give an estimated date of extinction.

From the "In Decline" data, a model was made. This uses peak period, the number of quarters away from a model's peak (negative if before the peak, positive if after). For all "In Decline" models, the average percentage change in registrations from the previous quarter per peak period was calculated.

For all "Rising" models, the most recent percentage change was compared with the average percentage changes per peak period to predict where the data would peak at if it continued. The estimated peak was added to the average number of years to fall to 15% of peak registrations from the "In Decline" calculations to get an estimated date of extinction.

All models were then ranked and sorted from the earliest to the latest date of extinction. All models analysed were petrol or diesel and electric cars were not included.