Land Rover Defender MOT pass rate: 74.1% (97,893 tests, 2025)

The Land Rover Defender passed 74.1% of its 97,893 MOT tests in 2025 — 3.4 points below the UK average of 77.5%. The median tested example was 21 years old with 104,317 miles on the clock.
74.1%Pass rate (2025)
97,893MOT tests analysed
104,317 miMedian mileage at test
21 yrsMedian age at test

How the Defender compares

Land Rover Defender

74.1%

UK average (all Class 4 vehicles)

77.5% across 33.1 million tests

Land Rover average (all models)

81.1%

What fails most on the Land Rover Defender

Across failed and rectified tests in 2025, these vehicle systems produced the most defects on the Defender:

#SystemDefects recordedShare
1Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment24,34027.6%
2Suspension16,39318.6%
3Brakes13,94515.8%
4Body, chassis, structure11,52213.1%
5Steering10,01011.3%
6Visibility6,7297.6%

Pre-MOT checklist for Defender owners

Based on the failure profile above, ten minutes with a torch before your test removes the most likely fail items:

  • Walk round with all lights on: one blown bulb is the most avoidable fail there is
  • Bounce each corner and listen for clonks over speed bumps — suspension is this model’s (and the UK’s) top failure system
  • Feel for a spongy pedal or pulling to one side; check pad wear through the wheel spokes if visible
  • Look underneath for corrosion around sills and subframes, especially on older cars
  • With the engine running, turn lock to lock: knocks or stiff spots are testable defects
Check the engine before the tester does

A stored fault code with the engine light on is an automatic Major defect. Scan and clear resolved faults before booking.

Defender pass rate by registration year

Strongest age-adjusted years: 2008, 2016. Full ranking and method: Land Rover Defender years to avoid.

Registration yearTestsPass rateVs same-ageMedian mileage
2001 9,097 69.3% +2.6 pts 125,584
2002 11,219 70.2% +4.4 pts 126,528
2003 12,764 69.6% +4.5 pts 122,206
2004 12,371 70.3% +5.8 pts 114,905
2005 12,125 71.3% +6.7 pts 108,217
2006 10,960 71.3% +6.8 pts 102,398
2007 11,539 72.1% +6.9 pts 97,138
2008 10,796 73.7% +8.6 pts 92,153
2009 10,105 72.7% +6.3 pts 84,805
2010 11,504 74.0% +6.7 pts 80,284
2011 11,554 75.4% +6.3 pts 76,526
2012 11,247 78.0% +6.8 pts 66,728
2013 12,694 79.7% +6.4 pts 61,066
2014 16,998 82.7% +6.9 pts 53,552
2015 19,338 85.6% +6.9 pts 42,921
2016 5,237 89.1% +7.7 pts 29,210

Check a specific Defender before you buy

Pass rates describe the model; they can’t tell you about the one car you’re looking at. Run its plate through our free MOT history check to see its personal record of failures, advisories and mileage readings.

Other Land Rover models

Range Rover Evoque83.5% pass rate · 129,387 tests Discovery77.2% pass rate · 124,039 tests Freelander70.8% pass rate · 110,042 tests Range Rover Sport82.9% pass rate · 108,892 tests Discovery Sport84.4% pass rate · 89,568 tests Range Rover81.1% pass rate · 79,119 tests Range Rover Velar86.8% pass rate · 27,440 tests Range Rover Evoque R-Dyn S D A87.7% pass rate · 6,101 tests

FAQs

What is the MOT pass rate for a Land Rover Defender?

In 2025, 74.1% of 97,893 first MOT tests on the Land Rover Defender were passes (UK average: 77.5%). Data: DVSA anonymised MOT results.

What does the Defender fail its MOT on most?

The biggest defect group is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment (27.6% of its recorded defects), followed by suspension.

Is the Land Rover Defender reliable?

MOT pass rate is one lens on durability: at 74.1% it performs below the national average at a median age of 21 years and 104,317 miles. Always check the individual car's history too.

Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 extract (Class 4 initial tests only; retests excluded). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures rounded to one decimal place.