Other years
New registrations in Europe by year (European Environment Agency) · a year gets its own page when at least three European sources cover it
In the Netherlands
78 first registered in 1997 are on Dutch roads; 1% arrived later as imports.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde18
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen17
- Waarschuwingsinrichting airbag- / gordelsysteem geeft defect11
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld10
- Band beschadigd5
- Remverschil op 1 as te groot4
- Ruitenwisserinstallatie geeft onvoldoende zicht4
- Licht- donkerscheiding dimlicht onduidelijk4
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
117 cars built in 1997 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 1,321 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 217 of these cars first registered in 1997 took their annual MOT test. 61% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 1997 the figure was 64%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 1997 |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 20.3% | 12.2% |
| Brakes | 12.9% | 11.8% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 11.1% | 16.1% |
| Visibility | 10.6% | 6.6% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 8.3% | 3.4% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 6.9% | 9.7% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In Finland
103 of these cars first registered in 1997 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 235,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
38 1997 cars are on the New Zealand register; 29% arrived as used imports, 71% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0