Land Rover Freelander MOT failure rate and common faults
101,133 Land Rover Freelander cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 34.0% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 38.9% of the time, which makes the Land Rover Freelander 12% less likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
34.0%
failed first time
101,133 MOT tests in 2025
-12%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 38.9%
78 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
111.6
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 134.8
What fails on a Land Rover Freelander 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 Freelander MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play | Steering | 40.6 |
| Position lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 38.1 |
| Stop lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 32.3 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 30.2 |
| Linkage ball joints: ball joint excessively worn | Suspension | 27.2 |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 26.7 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 26.4 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength | Suspension | 25.8 |
| Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak | Suspension | 23.7 |
| Ball joint excessively worn | Suspension | 22.6 |
Land Rover Freelander 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 11,532 | 22.6% | 31.4% | 93,500 |
| 2013 | 13,006 | 27.2% | 34.3% | 104,500 |
| 2012 | 10,299 | 28.7% | 36.6% | 109,900 |
| 2011 | 12,042 | 31.1% | 38.8% | 119,700 |
| 2010 | 13,428 | 35.9% | 40.7% | 126,300 |
| 2009 | 9,315 | 36.9% | 41.8% | 131,500 |
| 2008 | 9,851 | 39.9% | 42.9% | 139,500 |
| 2007 | 12,210 | 40.4% | 42.7% | 144,600 |
| 2006 | 4,960 | 46.6% | 43.0% | 130,600 |
| 2005 | 4,419 | 48.6% | 42.4% | 127,400 |
Advisories to look for in a Land Rover Freelander'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 Freelander, 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 edge296.8
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened155.6
- Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened134.4
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement123.3
- Brake pads: wearing thin102.7
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material79.4
Checking a used Land Rover Freelander before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Land Rover Freelander fails more often than average on steering. 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.
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.
Land Rover Freelander MOT questions
What is the Land Rover Freelander MOT failure rate?
34.0% of Land Rover Freelander cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 101,133 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 38.9% of the time, so the Land Rover Freelander was 12% less likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Land Rover Freelander MOT?
Lights and electrics caused the most failure items, at 228 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play", recorded 40.6 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Land Rover Freelander year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2014 registrations did best: 22.6% failed against an average of 31.4% 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 Freelander will pass?
No. These are averages across every Land Rover Freelander 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
- Range Rover19.6% failed
- Land Rover Defender22.1% failed
Ranked close to the Land Rover Freelander
- Smart Fortworank 75
- Audi A4rank 76
- Hyundai Ioniqrank 77
- Skoda Kamiqrank 79
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 Freelander 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.