There are some cars that are so common on our roads they just become part of the background. Repmobiles and superminis that sell in their millions and seem to be everywhere all the time. But even for ubiquitous models like the Ford Mondeo, it turns out that the clock is ticking and they will one day vanish. To see how long some of the UK’s most popular cars have left, insurer Adrian Flux looked at the numbers of licensed vehicles for each quarter from the beginning of 2010 and use this to work out how quickly they are disappearing from our roads. Based on that it created a projection as far ahead as 2029 to see when these best-sellers will vanish for good.
. Ford Mondeo
Extinct by Q2 2028. Once so commonplace that Tony Blair named an entire section of society after it, the Mondeo is still in production but Adrian Flux is predicting its demise within the decade, losing 8,756 cars per quarter. Photo: Ford
. Ford Ka
Extinct by: Q1 2027. Over 10 years and two generations Ford's city car changed and improved radically but it's no longer in production and with 8,000 leaving the roads every quarter it won't see the end of the 2020s. Photo: Ford
. Renault Megane
Extinct by: Q2 2026. Originally famous for its eye-catching rear end, the Megane has mellowed over the years. Back in 2010 there were nearly 360,000 on the roads, now it's half that and more than 25,000 a year are disappearing Photo: Renault
. Peugeot 206
Extinct by: Q2 2022. There were more than 500,000 206s on UK roads in 2010 but within 2 years we might have seen the last of them as a staggering 14,750 fall off the DVLA's records every three months. Photo: Peugeot
. Fiat Punto
Extinct by: Q4 2023. Another former big-seller already on its last legs. The Punto was still on sale in 2017 but within six years of sales ending it may have disappeared completely. Insert your own joke about Italian cars and rust here. Photo: Fiat
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Extinct by: Q1 2029. Not to be confused with the impressive new model, this is the old Corolla, sold in the UK until 2006. Thanks to Toyota's reputation for reliability it'll be the end of the 2020s before the last of those shuffles off Photo: Toyota
1. Ford Mondeo
Extinct by Q2 2028. Once so commonplace that Tony Blair named an entire section of society after it, the Mondeo is still in production but Adrian Flux is predicting its demise within the decade, losing 8,756 cars per quarter. Photo: Ford
2. Ford Ka
Extinct by: Q1 2027. Over 10 years and two generations Ford's city car changed and improved radically but it's no longer in production and with 8,000 leaving the roads every quarter it won't see the end of the 2020s. Photo: Ford
3. Renault Megane
Extinct by: Q2 2026. Originally famous for its eye-catching rear end, the Megane has mellowed over the years. Back in 2010 there were nearly 360,000 on the roads, now it's half that and more than 25,000 a year are disappearing Photo: Renault
4. Peugeot 206
Extinct by: Q2 2022. There were more than 500,000 206s on UK roads in 2010 but within 2 years we might have seen the last of them as a staggering 14,750 fall off the DVLA's records every three months. Photo: Peugeot