How many Ford Prefects are left in New Zealand?
Scarce 1 in 13,319 on the road Built 1938-1962 Sold new in New Zealand
Updated from the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register, counted as at 31 August 2026. Recounted every month.
British Ford's small four-door family car from 1938 to 1961, the slightly bigger and better-equipped companion to the Anglia. Early cars were upright and side-valve, later ones modern in shape, and the last had the overhead-valve engine from the new Anglia. Douglas Adams borrowed the name for a character in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Still on the road, by model year
The most are from 1952: 53 still registered. Every year is listed under the chart.
Every model year
| Model year | Still registered |
|---|---|
| 1938 | 2 |
| 1939 | 7 |
| 1940 | 2 |
| 1941 | 1 |
| 1946 | 1 |
| 1947 | 1 |
| 1948 | 10 |
| 1949 | 9 |
| 1950 | 23 |
| 1951 | 48 |
| 1952 | 53 |
| 1953 | 20 |
| 1954 | 4 |
| 1955 | 13 |
| 1956 | 23 |
| 1957 | 26 |
| 1958 | 10 |
| 1959 | 30 |
| 1960 | 35 |
| 1961 | 30 |
| 1962 | 1 |
What Scarce means
Spotto grades every car by how many are still registered in New Zealand. With 351 still registered, the Ford Prefect is Scarce: the grade for cars with 175 to 1,199 left.
By how many are left it ranks 38th of the 126 Ford models and equal 690th 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.