The classic 1990s cars still surviving on Britain’s roads

The 1990s cars that are still being driven on British roads can be revealed.

A relative handful of formerly popular vehicles remain on the road 30 years after leaving the production lines, according to Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) records analysed by The Telegraph.

There are just a few hundred Austin Metros and Vauxhall Cavaliers, while the Fiat Regata and the Hyundai Stellar have both dwindled to double-digit numbers.

Experts claim many of the motors have survived because millennials want “authentic driving experiences”, and older drivers remember the old cars with “misty-eyed affection”.

There are now just over 900 driveable Cavaliers in Britain, down significantly on the 1.2 million registered in the mid-1990s when it was the nation’s third most popular car.

Similarly, there are just 243 Austin (Rover) Metros now, whereas there were more than half a million in use in 1994, 14 years after the model’s launch.

Produced from 1980 to 1997, the Metro was withdrawn from sale after receiving a one-star rating – the lowest available – in Euro NCAP crash safety testing.

Jane Miller, the vice-chairman of the Cavalier and Chevette owners’ club, said: “It is the very ubiquity of vehicles like the Cavalier that makes for its downfall.

“Specialist or luxury models often hold their value and/or acquire a fan club of enthusiasts while relatively young. There is, by comparison, not much kudos in owning a 15-year-old vehicle that is mainly remembered for being in every firm’s car park and on every street corner.”

Rod Dennis, the senior policy officer at the RAC, said: “Alongside the Ford Sierra, Vauxhall’s Mk3 Cavalier was one of the most popular family cars of its time but is an incredibly rare sight today – as is Rover’s Metro.

“But both models occupy important places in British automotive history, with the Cavalier synonymous with Vauxhall’s Luton plant, and the Metro inextricably linked to Rover’s famous plant at Longbridge.”

He added: “In spite of the costs of keeping older cars running, it will be with misty-eyed affection that some drivers are keeping these 1990s stalwarts on Britain’s roads.”

‘Authentic driving experiences’

It is not just the Cavalier which is now a rare sight. The number of Ford Orions – of which there were almost 450,000 registered examples in 1994 – has shrunk by 99.9 per cent to just under 200 today.

And there are just 200 surviving British models of the cult classic Fiat Cinquecento, the yellow four-wheeled star of 2000s TV series The Inbetweeners.

Nicknamed The Yellow Peril by the comedy show’s cast, the three-door, 0.9-litre car featured on the show is still taxed and MOT’d today, according to the government website, having last changed hands at auction for £15,000 in 2021.

Dale Keller, the chief executive of the Historic and Classic Vehicles Alliance, said one reason that these older cars are still with us in the third decade of the 21st century is because millennials are seeking them out for “authentic driving experiences” – and to burnish their green credentials.

“It’s often the case that the most prolific cars become rarer over time than low-volume higher-value cars, simply because as everyday drivers they succumbed to hard use, high mileages and being driven and stored in all weathers,” he said.

“Survivors are limited to the few low-mileage examples that lived cherished lives, or in the hands of DIY enthusiasts, since restoration costs in most cases are uneconomic.

“But these 1990s underdogs were the first decade of truly modern constructed vehicles that offered economy, performance, and durability if well serviced, and are now affordable to purchase, maintain and insure.

“As such, these 1990s vehicles are becoming increasingly sought after by millennials seeking an individual and authentic driving experience, aligning with their sustainability principles of a circular economy that promotes repair and re-use.”

[Source: Daily Telegraph]