Land Rover Defender MOT pass rate and common failures
In 2025, 71.8% of Land Rover Defender MOT tests were a first-time pass, across 113,961 tests in Great Britain. For all cars it was 71.5%.
Compared with cars of the same age
Older cars fail more often, so a model that’s mostly a few years old will look better than one that’s mostly 12. These figures compare like with like.
At 3–5 years
90.6%
All cars: 86.1% (4.5 points better). 16,025 tests.
At 6–10 years
78.9%
All cars: 76.1% (2.8 points better). 11,375 tests.
At 11 years and over
67.3%
All cars: 61.3% (6 points better). 86,548 tests.
Pass rate by age
Figures by age, with typical mileage
| Age (years) | Tests | First-time pass | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 8,184 | 91.5% | 87.8% | 33,750 miles |
| 4 | 6,487 | 89.9% | 86.4% | 43,750 miles |
| 5 | 1,354 | 88.0% | 84.5% | 48,750 miles |
| 8 | 652 | 83.4% | 76.3% | 33,750 miles |
| 9 | 4,544 | 80.3% | 73.1% | 41,250 miles |
| 10 | 6,179 | 77.4% | 70.0% | 53,750 miles |
| 11 | 4,795 | 74.7% | 66.9% | 61,250 miles |
| 12 | 4,012 | 71.3% | 64.4% | 68,750 miles |
| 13 | 3,640 | 70.8% | 62.1% | 73,750 miles |
| 14 | 3,936 | 69.1% | 60.2% | 81,250 miles |
| 15 | 3,592 | 67.9% | 58.6% | 86,250 miles |
| 16 | 3,197 | 68.9% | 57.5% | 91,250 miles |
| 17 | 3,993 | 67.2% | 57.2% | 98,750 miles |
| 18 | 3,520 | 67.0% | 57.0% | 101,250 miles |
| 19 | 3,895 | 66.9% | 57.2% | 108,750 miles |
| 20+ | 51,968 | 65.9% | 61.4% | 133,750 miles |
Typical mileage is the median reading at the test, to the nearest 2,500 miles.
What fails most often
The share of Land Rover Defender MOT tests that failed on at least one item in each area, against all cars. A test can fail on several areas at once.
| Area | Defender | All cars |
|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 26.0% | 16.6% |
| Suspension | 14.0% | 13.7% |
| Brakes | 12.2% | 10.2% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 9.9% | 4.2% |
| Steering | 8.8% | 2.5% |
| Visibility | 7.1% | 5.2% |
| Tyres | 2.8% | 8.4% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 2.7% | 4.0% |
Most common reasons for failing
- Position lamp: not working failed 3.9% of tests · what this means
- Shock absorbers: has an excessively worn bush failed 3.3% of tests
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively failed 2.7% of tests · what this means
- Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded failed 2.5% of tests · what this means
- Stop lamp: not working failed 2.4% of tests · what this means
- Rear fog lamp: not working failed 2.2% of tests · what this means
- Headlamp aim: too high failed 2.2% of tests · what this means
- Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength failed 1.9% of tests
- Headlamp aim: too low failed 1.8% of tests · what this means
- Track rod end: ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt failed 1.7% of tests · what this means
Checking a particular Defender?
See its own MOT history, mileage record and advisories in plain English. Free, no sign-up.
About these figures
- They cover every Defender version DVSA records under this name (engines, trims and generations together), on its first MOT test of each visit. A “pass with rectification” (fixed within an hour) counts as a fail, as in DVSA’s own statistics.
- Cars under three years old are left out, because the few tested that young are mostly taxis.
- Fuel mix of the cars tested: diesel 95.2%, petrol 4.1%, hybrid electric (clean) 0.6%.
- A pass rate describes the model, not any one car. How a car has been looked after matters more.
Download these figures (CSV) · Other Land Rover models · All makes
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data for 2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Our own analysis; not produced or endorsed by DVSA.