24/08/2026

Classic car hotspots in Wales: where are the most classic cars?

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Written By Faryal Raza Bhatti, Marketing Manager, Heritage Car Insurance
Expert commentary by Mark Wilkinson, Managing Director. Heritage Car Insurance
Last updated: August 2026

Wales is home to 65,092 classic cars. We analysed the latest DVLA data to find the exact postcode districts where the most historic vehicles are registered — and how many are still being driven.

At Heritage Car Insurance, we’ve spent more than 60 years insuring classic and specialist vehicles, so we know how much where you live shapes classic car ownership. To map it properly, we obtained a Freedom of Information response from the DVLA covering every vehicle in its historic tax class — cars 40 years or older — and broke Wales down to postcode-district level.

The result is a clear ranking of the classic car hotspots across Wales, showing not just where the most classics are kept, but whether they’re taxed and on the road or tucked away off it.

The top spot goes to SA62 (Haverfordwest), with 1,519 classic cars, ahead of NP7 (Abergavenny) (1,161) and LL53 (Pwllheli) (1,143).

Which postcode has the most classic cars in Wales?

SA62 (Haverfordwest) leads Wales with 1,519 historic vehicles. Of those, 743 are taxed and on the road and 776 are declared off the road on a SORN. The full top 20 is below.

The top 20 classic car hotspots in Wales

Rank Postcode district Taxed SORN Total
1 SA62 (Haverfordwest) 743 776 1,519
2 NP7 (Abergavenny) 566 595 1,161
3 LL53 (Pwllheli) 548 595 1,143
4 SA44 (Llandysul) 512 587 1,099
5 SA18 (Ammanford) 408 632 1,040
6 SA4 411 579 990
7 NP4 (Pontypool) 451 524 975
8 LL11 (Wrexham) 458 470 928
9 SA33 (Whitland) 438 472 910
10 LL14 (Chirk) 357 533 890
11 LL13 428 454 882
12 SA48 (Lampeter) 369 506 875
13 LL65 347 525 872
14 LD1 437 429 866
15 SA15 322 542 864
16 SA14 357 501 858
17 LD3 435 419 854
18 NP16 443 401 844
19 LL18 (Rhyl) 423 408 831
20 SA43 397 417 814

Source: DVLA (FOIR13488), Heritage Car Insurance analysis. Figures combine taxed and SORN vehicles per postcode district.

Are Wales’s classic cars driven or stored?

Across Wales, 46.6% of classic cars are taxed and on the road, while 53.4% are declared off the road on a SORN. That’s a higher off-road rate than the UK average of 47.6%, pointing to a strong local culture of restoration and long-term storage. Nationally, the split between taxed and SORN classics is almost exactly even, and it shifts noticeably from place to place.

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Why do these areas have so many classic cars?

In our experience, classic car hotspots share a few things in common. They tend to be more rural or suburban than inner-city, because classics need space, a garage or off-street parking to keep them dry and secure. They often have quieter, more scenic roads that make ownership rewarding, and long-established local car clubs and specialists that keep older vehicles on the road. That’s why the leading districts in Wales are rarely the busiest town centres, but the areas around them.

Mark Wilkinson, Managing Director of Heritage Car Insurance said:

“Wales has the highest proportion of classic cars off the road of any UK nation, a patient, project-minded scene, particularly in west Wales. That makes laid-up and SORN insurance especially relevant here: a car part-way through restoration is often the one an owner has invested the most in, and it can still be lost to fire or theft while it sits off the road.”

Most Frequently Asked Questions

Which area has the most classic cars in Wales?

SA62 (Haverfordwest) has the most classic cars in Wales, with 1,519 historic vehicles, according to the May 2026 DVLA snapshot.

How many classic cars are there in Wales?

There are 65,092 vehicles in the DVLA’s historic tax class (cars 40 years or older) registered across Wales, based on the May 2026 DVLA snapshot.

 

What counts as a classic car?

For DVLA purposes, a vehicle becomes a historic (classic) vehicle once it is more than 40 years old, based on its date of manufacture. Historic vehicles can be exempt from vehicle tax and, in most cases, the annual MOT.

Do I need insurance if my classic car is SORN?

No, UK law does not require you to insure a vehicle declared SORN and kept off the road. However, a stored classic can still be damaged, stolen or lost to fire, so many owners choose laid-up insurance for protection.

Protect your classic in Wales

Wherever in Wales you keep your classic, it deserves cover built around it. Heritage offers specialist classic car insurance with agreed value protection, plus laid-up cover for cars kept off the road. You can also explore where classics live across the country in our guide to where Britain keeps its classic cars, or browse our other classic car guides.

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Methodology

Figures are drawn from a DVLA Freedom of Information response (FOIR13488, May 2026 snapshot), covering vehicles in the DVLA’s historic taxation class — those 40 years or older with a recorded date of manufacture of 1985 or earlier (where the manufacture date is unavailable, the year of first registration is used). Vehicles are shown by postcode district and by whether they are taxed (on the road) or declared off the road under a SORN. Wales figures combine the relevant postcode areas; rankings reflect total historic vehicles per district.