Nearly 115,000 Older Motorcycles Aren’t Registered Historic – But What’s Really Behind the Number?

Nearly 115,000 motorcycles manufactured in 1985 or earlier are recorded by the DVLA but are not in the Historic Vehicle taxation class, according to figures obtained by Motorbike Mad under the Freedom of Information Act.

At first glance, that's an extraordinary number.

Could thousands of classic motorcycle owners be paying Vehicle Excise Duty when their bikes could qualify for the £0 Historic Vehicle rate? Possibly.

But after digging deeper, speaking to the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs and hearing directly from classic motorcycle owners, we've discovered that the answer is considerably more complicated.

And that's precisely why the numbers are worth examining properly.

DVLA Reveals 114,963 Older Motorcycles Outside the Historic Tax Class

Motorbike Mad asked the DVLA how many motorcycles manufactured more than 40 years ago remained in a taxation class other than Historic Vehicle.

Its response gave us a surprisingly large figure.

As of May 2026, 114,963 motorcycles manufactured in 1985 or earlier were not recorded in the Historic Vehicle tax class.

The DVLA's definition includes motorcycles, scooters, mopeds and motorcycles with sidecars. Where the year of manufacture wasn't recorded, the date of first registration was used instead.

The year-by-year figures supplied to Motorbike Mad included:

• 1985 – 15,796
• 1984 – 11,726
• 1983 – 11,250
• 1982 – 12,951
• 1981 – 14,266
• 1980 – 12,962
• 1979 – 9,666
• 1978 – 7,291
• 1977 – 5,751
• 1976 – 4,903
• 1975 – 3,515
• 1974 – 2,009
• 1973 – 1,630

But there's a crucial qualification.

The DVLA told Motorbike Mad that its figures include motorcycles that are currently licensed as well as those declared SORN.

That distinction changes the story considerably.

Nearly 115,000 Does Not Mean 115,000 Riders Are Overpaying Tax

It would be very easy to look at the headline number and conclude that nearly 115,000 classic motorcycle owners are unnecessarily paying road tax.

That isn't what the data says.

Some motorcycles may not meet all the requirements for Historic Vehicle taxation despite their age, while potentially large numbers will simply be sitting off the road on SORN.

We received an excellent real-world example of this after discussing the figures with classic motorcycle owners.

One owner told Motorbike Mad:

"I have about 12 of them. Projects awaiting completion."

His motorcycles are precisely the sort of machines that could be included in the DVLA figures: old enough to potentially qualify for Historic taxation, but sitting off the road as restoration projects.

He suggested that motorcycles in similar circumstances could account for the majority of the 114,963.

We can't establish whether that's the case from the available data, but his experience highlights an important weakness in interpreting the headline number.

Britain undoubtedly has thousands of old motorcycles sitting in garages, sheds and collections awaiting restoration. Some haven't turned a wheel on the road for decades.

For those owners, Historic taxation may simply not be something they've needed to deal with yet.

Why SORN Makes Such a Difference

A motorcycle being old enough to qualify for Historic Vehicle taxation doesn't mean its owner must immediately change its taxation class.

If the motorcycle is being kept off the public road, it can remain SORN.

This is particularly relevant to classic motorcycles because they can spend years undergoing restoration or simply being stored.

The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC) raised exactly this point when Motorbike Mad approached it about the issue.

FBHVC Secretary Mel Holley told us that many motorcycles on SORN aren't insured for road use, although some may have specialist "laid-up" insurance while being stored or restored.

There's another important distinction here.

A motorcycle can already be in the Historic Vehicle tax class and subsequently be declared SORN. SORN doesn't remove its Historic tax classification.

When the motorcycle eventually returns to road use, however, it must be properly taxed—even though Historic Vehicle tax is charged at £0—and appropriately insured.

In other words, Historic taxation, SORN and insurance are connected, but they're not the same thing.

That's precisely why simply counting every old motorcycle outside the Historic taxation class produces a misleading picture.

Being 40 Years Old Doesn't Automatically Mean a Bike Qualifies

FBHVC also warned us against assuming that age alone guarantees eligibility.

A motorcycle reaching the relevant age doesn't necessarily mean it can automatically be treated as a Historic Vehicle in every circumstance.

There are restrictions and exceptions, including certain commercial uses.

That means some of the 114,963 motorcycles identified by DVLA may have perfectly legitimate reasons for remaining outside the Historic taxation class.

Again, that's why we're deliberately not describing the figure as 114,963 riders paying unnecessary tax.

But another part of our investigation raises a different question.

DVLA Does Not Automatically Change Your Motorcycle to Historic

Motorbike Mad asked DVLA whether eligible vehicles are automatically moved into the Historic Vehicle taxation class when they reach the appropriate age.

They aren't.

DVLA told us:

"the DVLA does not automatically change eligible vehicles into the historic vehicle taxation class."

Instead, responsibility rests with the registered keeper to apply for the change and ensure the vehicle's record is correct.

That means simply owning a motorcycle until it reaches the qualifying age doesn't result in the DVLA computer automatically changing its taxation class to Historic.

The owner needs to know that the concession exists and take the appropriate action.

Which led us to another obvious question.

Does DVLA Tell Owners When Their Motorcycle Becomes Eligible?

We specifically asked.

The answer is no.

DVLA told Motorbike Mad:

"the DVLA does not notify registered keepers when a vehicle becomes eligible for historic vehicle taxation class."

Again, responsibility rests with the keeper.

That's perhaps the most interesting finding from our investigation.

Someone who belongs to a classic motorcycle club is quite likely to know about the rolling Historic Vehicle rules. FBHVC told us that it and its member clubs regularly make owners aware of them.

But plenty of people who own old motorcycles aren't members of classic vehicle organisations.

Someone might simply have owned the same bike for 30 years.

Another rider might inherit an old motorcycle.

Someone else might finally finish a restoration project that's been sitting under a sheet in the garage since Tony Blair was Prime Minister.

When that motorcycle eventually returns to the road, the owner needs to know that Historic Vehicle taxation is something they must actively deal with.

DVLA won't automatically change it for them.

And it won't send them a notification telling them that their motorcycle may now qualify.

So How Many Are Actually Paying Road Tax?

This is the number we'd really like to know.

Of those 114,963 older motorcycles outside the Historic Vehicle taxation class, how many are currently licensed in a paid taxation class rather than sitting on SORN?

Unfortunately, the figures supplied to Motorbike Mad don't separate the two groups.

That leaves us unable to determine how many owners might currently be paying VED on motorcycles that could potentially qualify for Historic taxation.

And there's another interesting gap.

Motorbike Mad asked DVLA whether it had ever estimated how much Vehicle Excise Duty had been paid by motorcycle owners whose machines would have qualified for Historic Vehicle status but hadn't changed taxation class.

DVLA told us:

"no such estimates have been made."

So we don't know how much unnecessary VED, if any, is currently being collected from otherwise eligible classic motorcycles.

Neither does DVLA appear to have calculated it.

DVLA Can't Tell Us How Many Motorcycles Change to Historic Each Year Either

We also asked how many motorcycles had been reclassified into the Historic Vehicle taxation class in each of the previous ten years.

Surprisingly, DVLA couldn't provide the answer.

The agency explained that its vehicle record doesn't contain a field recording the date on which a vehicle was moved into the Historic Vehicle taxation class.

Consequently, it couldn't determine how many motorcycles had been reclassified during the period we requested.

That creates an unusual situation.

DVLA can tell us that 114,963 motorcycles manufactured in 1985 or earlier were outside the Historic Vehicle taxation class in May 2026.

But from the information supplied to us, we can't establish how many are SORN and how many are currently licensed.

DVLA doesn't notify owners when their vehicle becomes eligible.

It doesn't automatically change the taxation class.

It couldn't tell us how many motorcycles moved into Historic taxation during each of the previous ten years.

And it hasn't estimated how much VED may be paid by owners who could potentially qualify but haven't applied.

Are Classic Motorcycle Owners Actually Missing Out?

Almost certainly some will be.

But the evidence doesn't allow us to say how many.

And that's an important distinction.

Our reader with 12 restoration projects provides a perfect example of why responsible interpretation matters. His motorcycles could potentially contribute 12 to that headline figure while none represents an owner unnecessarily paying road tax.

Multiply that situation across Britain's classic motorcycle community and SORN could account for a significant proportion of the total.

But we don't know whether it accounts for 10%, 50% or the vast majority.

Without separating SORN motorcycles from licensed motorcycles, nobody can responsibly claim otherwise.

What we can establish is that the system places responsibility firmly on the owner.

If your motorcycle becomes eligible, DVLA doesn't automatically move it into the Historic taxation class and doesn't contact you specifically to tell you that it has become eligible.

You need to know.

Check Your Own Motorcycle Before Paying VED

So perhaps the most useful conclusion from our investigation isn't that thousands of riders are definitely being overcharged.

It's much simpler.

If you own an older motorcycle, check.

Don't assume that because your motorcycle has passed the qualifying age its taxation class has automatically changed.

Look at your V5C and establish what taxation class the motorcycle is currently recorded under.

If it's a restoration project safely tucked away in the garage on SORN, there may be absolutely nothing wrong.

If it's already Historic and you subsequently take it off the road, it can be declared SORN without losing that Historic tax classification.

But if you're putting an eligible classic motorcycle back on the road—or you've been paying VED on one for years—it's worth checking whether it qualifies for Historic Vehicle taxation before handing over any more money.

The Number That Started an Investigation

We began looking into this after reports suggested thousands of motorcycles were becoming eligible for Historic Vehicle taxation.

Our FOI request subsequently uncovered something much larger: 114,963 motorcycles manufactured in 1985 or earlier sitting outside the Historic Vehicle tax class.

Initially, that sounded extraordinary. Now we know there's considerably more behind the number.

Some are restoration projects.

Some are SORN.

Some won't qualify.

Some owners will already understand exactly what they're doing.

But amongst almost 115,000 motorcycles, could there also be riders paying tax simply because nobody ever told them they needed to apply for Historic status?

We think that's entirely possible.

What we won't do is pretend we know how many.

And perhaps that's the most interesting finding of all.

At the moment, the available figures simply don't tell us.

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