How rare is a 1956 Land Rover Defender?

1956 Land Rover Defender

still registered in Oz

Small counts are adjusted by BITRE; treat as approximate.

How rare is yours?Oz rare cars

Rarity here means how many are still registered today — not how many were built.

About 3 Land Rover Defender vehicles made in 1956 were still registered in Australia on 31 January 2025. Small counts are rounded by BITRE, so treat this as approximate. Cars made in 1956 are <0.1% of every Land Rover Defender still registered (about 21,700 across all years). By count, 1956 ranks 39th of 52 build years for the Defender. The busiest year is 2023 (about 3,130 still registered); 1956 has fewer than 1% as many.

At a glance

Still registered on Aussie roads · BITRE as at 31 Jan 2025

<1%

Versus the busiest Defender year

1956 has fewer than 1% as many still registered as 2023 (about 3,130).

Still registered, year by year: 1956 Land Rover Defender

A year-by-year picture isn’t published for this car.

1956 Land Rover Defender vs peak and average years

Below the average manufacture year for this model — tap bars for counts.

1956 Defender

Peak year (2023)

Average manufacture year

Still registered counts for this model · BITRE as at 31 Jan 2025

Defender manufacture years by registered count

Manufacture years for the Defender, with your year highlighted. Tap a bar for its count.

You

View counts as a table

Manufacture year registration counts
Year made	Still registered
1956	About 3
1961	About 3
1965	About 3
1972	About 3
1973	About 3
1974	About 3
1975	About 3
1977	About 3
1978	About 6
1981	About 3
1982	About 3
1983	About 3
1984	About 3
1985	About 48
1986	About 5
1987	About 31
1988	About 109
1989	About 128
1990	About 102
1991	About 67
1992	About 76
1993	About 201
1994	About 380
1995	About 621
1996	About 646
1997	About 567
1998	About 414
1999	About 469
2000	About 382
2001	About 336
2002	About 335
2003	About 390
2004	About 266
2005	About 133
2006	About 133
2007	About 129
2008	About 351
2009	About 339
2010	About 459
2011	About 498
2012	About 636
2013	About 605
2014	About 626
2015	About 924
2016	About 271
2018	About 3
2019	About 3
2020	About 704
2021	About 2,060
2022	About 2,810
2023	About 3,130
2024	About 2,290

1956 Land Rover Defender registrations by state

Where these still-registered vehicles are recorded by state/territory

NSW

VIC

QLD

TAS

ACT

Tap a bar for its count.

View counts as a table

State registration counts for 1956 Land Rover Defender
State	Still registered
NSW	Not published
VIC	Not published
QLD	Not published
WA	About 3
SA	Not published
TAS	Not published
ACT	Not published
NT	Not published

Most common colour: White

Victorian registrations of this model, all years. National colour isn’t published.

Power / fuel

All years of this Land Rover Defender — a mix for 1956 isn’t published.

PetrolAbout 4,340 registered
DieselAbout 17,100 registered
HybridAbout 123 registered
Battery electricAbout 10 registered
LPG / AutogasAbout 112 registered

What a fill might cost· tap to enter your postcode

A typical suv tank is about 70 L — edit if you know yours.

Estimate only. Nearby pump prices from public fuel-price feeds. Not a valuation.

Questions about the 1956 Land Rover Defender

How does 1956 rank among Defender build years?: 39th of 52 build years by count. About 3 still registered in Australia. Small counts are adjusted by BITRE; treat as approximate.
How many Defender vehicles still registered were made in 1956?: <0.1% — about 3 of about 21,700 across all years.
Which manufacture year has the most Defender still registered?: 2023. The model page has every build year side by side.

Based on BITRE Road Vehicles Australia, January 2021–2025 (CC BY 3.0 AU; the January 2024 release is CC BY 2.5 AU). Colour: Victorian Department of Transport and Planning, Whole Fleet Vehicle Registration Snapshot by Model, Q4 2024 (CC BY 4.0). Oz rare cars is not affiliated with or endorsed by BITRE, the Australian Government or the Victorian Government. Registration counts are not sales, not a valuation, and not advice. Method