How many Bedford SB3s are left in New Zealand?
Scarce 1 in 18,699 on the road Built 1952-1985 Sold new in New Zealand
Updated from the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register, counted as at 31 August 2026. Recounted every month.
A petrol-engined version of the Bedford SB, the front-engined bus and coach chassis introduced in 1950 and built for more than three decades. The SB was sold all over the world and carried bodies by many different coachbuilders, so no two fleets looked quite alike.
Still on the road, by model year
The most are from 1966: 21 still registered. Every year is listed under the chart.
Every model year
| Model year | Still registered |
|---|---|
| 1952 | 2 |
| 1955 | 2 |
| 1956 | 5 |
| 1957 | 8 |
| 1958 | 14 |
| 1959 | 13 |
| 1960 | 10 |
| 1961 | 11 |
| 1962 | 10 |
| 1963 | 14 |
| 1964 | 17 |
| 1965 | 20 |
| 1966 | 21 |
| 1967 | 19 |
| 1968 | 7 |
| 1969 | 11 |
| 1970 | 7 |
| 1971 | 10 |
| 1972 | 11 |
| 1973 | 5 |
| 1974 | 3 |
| 1975 | 4 |
| 1976 | 8 |
| 1977 | 4 |
| 1978 | 1 |
| 1979 | 1 |
| 1980 | 2 |
| 1982 | 7 |
| 1984 | 1 |
| 1985 | 2 |
What Scarce means
Spotto grades every car by how many are still registered in New Zealand. With 250 still registered, the Bedford SB3 is Scarce: the grade for cars with 175 to 1,199 left.
By how many are left it ranks 3rd of the 12 Bedford models and equal 766th of all 2,903 cars in Spotto's catalogue.
The six grades: Common, 8,000 or more · Uncommon, 1,200 to 7,999 · Scarce, 175 to 1,199 · Rare, 25 to 174 · Super rare, 5 to 24 · Unicorn, fewer than 5.
Seen one?
Spotto grades every car on New Zealand roads by how many are still registered, down to the generation and the badge. Log the ones you spot, build a collection, and see who else has found one.