The National Motor Museum Trust Limited
Analysis
The National Motor Museum Trust Limited is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Hampshire. It was registered in January 2005, 21 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, arts/culture/heritage/science and environment/conservation/heritage, which this site groups under arts, culture, heritage and science. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 05316070). It says it provides buildings/facilities/open space and sponsors or undertakes research.
In the financial year ending December 2025, The National Motor Museum Trust Limited reported income of £3.2m and spending of £3.9m, spending 120% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income grew from £2.9m to £3.2m (+11%), an average of +2.8% a year. Over the whole period it spent 102% of the income it received.
Among 17,634 England and Wales charities whose main cause is arts, culture, heritage and science and that reported income, The National Motor Museum Trust Limited sits at the 98th percentile: it is larger than about 98% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 97th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include The SVH Foundation (£3.2m), Shakespeare North Trust (£3.3m) and Ballet Rambert Limited (£3.2m).
In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 80%, donations and legacies 13%, trading 5.1% and investments 1.1%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £50k. Charitable activities took 84% of spending and raising funds 12%. Reserves of £876k would cover about 3 months of spending at that rate. It employed 24 people.
Income and spending
Where the income comes from
- Donations 11%
- Legacies 1.5%
- Charitable activities 80%
- Trading 5.1%
- Investments 1.1%
- Other 1.0%
In the charity's own words
The National Motor Museum Trust is dedicated to preserving and promoting motoring history. It has a world famous collection of vehicles and associated motoring items, many of which are on display at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu. The Trust has an educational mission and cares for very large collections of objects, images, documents and books in its Collections Centre.
Similar-sized charities, same cause
| Charity | Location | Income |
|---|---|---|
| The SVH Foundation | London | £3.2m |
| Shakespeare North Trust | Merseyside | £3.3m |
| Ballet Rambert Limited | 99 Upper Ground | £3.2m |
| Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals | London | £3.3m |