Land Rover Defender MOT failure rate and common faults
70,636 Land Rover Defender cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 22.1% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 29.1% of the time, which makes the Land Rover Defender 24% less likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
22.1%
failed first time
70,636 MOT tests in 2025
-24%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 29.1%
36 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
56.9
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 105.2
What fails on a Land Rover Defender MOT
Failure items recorded per 1,000 tests, by part of the car, set against an average car with exactly the same spread of ages. A figure well above average is a weak spot worth checking before you buy.
The most common Land Rover Defender MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Position lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 33.0 |
| Shock absorbers: has an excessively worn bush | Suspension | 30.3 |
| Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded | Brakes | 26.4 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 21.4 |
| Stop lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 19.8 |
| Headlamp aim: too high | Lights and electrics | 18.7 |
| Headlamp aim: too low | Lights and electrics | 16.5 |
| Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 12.4 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 11.6 |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps | Lights and electrics | 11.5 |
Land Rover Defender MOT failure rate by year
Every car fails more often as it ages, so each registration year is compared with the average for all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 500 tests are left out.
| First registered | Tests | Failed | Same age average | Average mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 9,830 | 8.0% | 11.4% | 30,400 |
| 2021 | 8,580 | 8.9% | 12.8% | 41,100 |
| 2020 | 4,193 | 11.3% | 14.1% | 46,700 |
| 2016 | 1,762 | 16.4% | 25.1% | 38,400 |
| 2015 | 6,466 | 20.9% | 28.1% | 52,600 |
| 2014 | 5,677 | 24.2% | 31.4% | 62,900 |
| 2013 | 4,228 | 27.8% | 34.3% | 69,900 |
| 2012 | 3,766 | 28.5% | 36.6% | 74,800 |
| 2011 | 3,851 | 30.0% | 38.8% | 85,000 |
| 2010 | 3,818 | 31.5% | 40.7% | 87,200 |
| 2009 | 3,341 | 31.7% | 41.8% | 92,600 |
| 2008 | 3,580 | 31.5% | 42.9% | 99,500 |
| 2007 | 3,814 | 32.9% | 42.7% | 105,000 |
| 2006 | 3,660 | 33.4% | 43.0% | 110,200 |
| 2005 | 4,040 | 32.8% | 42.4% | 116,500 |
Advisories to look for in a Land Rover Defender's MOT history
An advisory is a tester's warning that something is wearing but has not failed yet. These are the ones written most often on the Land Rover Defender, per 1,000 tests. If the car you are looking at has one of these, ask whether it has been fixed since.
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material167.6
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge101.5
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened93.3
- Seat belts: webbing slightly damaged or frayed89.5
- Shock absorbers: has a slightly worn bush81.6
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing72.5
Checking a used Land Rover Defender before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Land Rover Defender fails more often than average on steering and number plates and vin. Start there.
Steering
With the engine running, rock the wheel gently: there should be almost no free play. Listen for knocks on full lock and look for power steering fluid leaks.
Number plates and VIN
Make sure both number plates are legal and match the logbook, and that the VIN on the car matches the V5C.
Averages only take you so far. The specific car's MOT history shows whether it has already failed on any of these, how often advisories were ignored, and whether the mileage climbs steadily from test to test. Read our guide to reading a car's MOT history before you go to view it.
Fuel mix of the Land Rover Defender cars tested: Diesel 93%, Petrol 5%. Average age at test 10.9 years, average recorded mileage 67,800.
Land Rover Defender MOT questions
What is the Land Rover Defender MOT failure rate?
22.1% of Land Rover Defender cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 70,636 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 29.1% of the time, so the Land Rover Defender was 24% less likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Land Rover Defender MOT?
Lights and electrics caused the most failure items, at 187 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Position lamp: not working", recorded 33.0 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Land Rover Defender year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2016 registrations did best: 16.4% failed against an average of 25.1% for cars that age. Older cars always fail more often, so compare a year with its age group rather than with newer cars.
Does this tell me whether a particular Land Rover Defender will pass?
No. These are averages across every Land Rover Defender tested in 2025. The car in front of you has its own record: its full MOT history shows every pass, failure and advisory it has had, and it is free to view by registration.
Other Land Rover models
- Range Rover Evoque17.7% failed
- Land Rover Discovery23.3% failed
- Range Rover Sport19.3% failed
- Land Rover Discovery Sport19.0% failed
- Land Rover Freelander34.0% failed
- Range Rover19.6% failed
Ranked close to the Land Rover Defender
- BMW 4 Seriesrank 33
- BMW X1rank 34
- Honda CR-Vrank 35
- Toyota Priusrank 37
How these figures are calculated
Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 release. We count first tests of cars and small vans (class 4) aged 3 to 20, so a car that fails and is retested is counted once. A failure includes faults fixed and passed within the same visit. The same age average weights the national failure rate for each age by how many Land Rover Defender cars of that age were tested, so a model is never penalised for having an older fleet. Make and model are as recorded at the test; trim levels are combined. Full method and rankings.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.