Land Rover Discovery Sport MOT failure rate and common faults

113,821 Land Rover Discovery Sport cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 19.0% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 20.6% of the time, which makes the Land Rover Discovery Sport 8% less likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.

19.0%

failed first time

113,821 MOT tests in 2025

-8%

vs same age average

average car of this age mix: 20.6%

96 of 208

age adjusted rank

among cars; 1 fails least

75.3

dangerous defects per 1,000

same age average: 84.0

What fails on a Land Rover Discovery Sport 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.

Tyres82 about average
Lights and electrics65 20% below average
Brakes50 18% below average
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors40 about average
Engine, emissions and leaks34 1.6x average
Suspension30 55% below average
Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts7 56% below average
Number plates and VIN4 1.3x average
Seat belts and airbags4 24% below average
Wheels4 about average
Steering2 88% below average

The most common Land Rover Discovery Sport MOT failures

The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.

Failure itemAreaPer 1,000 tests
Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cordsTyres31.7
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectivelyWindscreen, wipers and mirrors26.9
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunctionEngine, emissions and leaks24.5
Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thickBrakes22.4
Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mmTyres17.2
Tyres: has ply or cords exposedTyres16.5
Rear fog lamp: not workingLights and electrics9.9
Coil spring: fractured or brokenSuspension9.8
Headlamp aim: too lowLights and electrics9.8
Headlamp: not working on dipped beamLights and electrics9.6
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Land Rover Discovery Sport 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 registeredTestsFailedSame age averageAverage mileage
20221,94516.8%11.4%31,600
20215,41117.6%12.8%39,800
202011,46717.3%14.1%43,200
201916,75717.9%16.5%52,600
201818,87918.0%19.1%61,800
201722,72618.9%21.8%70,900
201621,69421.1%25.1%78,700
201514,85720.7%28.1%89,600

Advisories to look for in a Land Rover Discovery Sport'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 Discovery Sport, per 1,000 tests. If the car you are looking at has one of these, ask whether it has been fixed since.

  • Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge277.9
  • Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened206.0
  • Brake pads: wearing thin149.7
  • Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing90.2
  • Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement53.7
  • Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil31.6

Checking a used Land Rover Discovery Sport before you buy

Against cars of the same age, the Land Rover Discovery Sport fails more often than average on engine, emissions and leaks. Start there.

  • Engine, emissions and leaks

    Start the car from cold and watch the exhaust for smoke, look underneath for oil or fuel leaks, and make sure the engine warning light comes on with the ignition and goes out once the engine runs.

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 Discovery Sport cars tested: Diesel 90%, Petrol 6%, Hybrid 4%. Average age at test 7.4 years, average recorded mileage 65,700.

Land Rover Discovery Sport MOT questions

What is the Land Rover Discovery Sport MOT failure rate?

19.0% of Land Rover Discovery Sport cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 113,821 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 20.6% of the time, so the Land Rover Discovery Sport was 8% less likely to fail.

What fails most often on a Land Rover Discovery Sport MOT?

Tyres caused the most failure items, at 82 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords", recorded 31.7 times per 1,000 tests.

Which Land Rover Discovery Sport year has the best MOT record?

Measured against cars of the same age, 2015 registrations did best: 20.7% failed against an average of 28.1% 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 Discovery Sport will pass?

No. These are averages across every Land Rover Discovery Sport 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

Ranked close to the Land Rover Discovery Sport

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 Discovery Sport 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.