2016 Land Rover Defender MOT pass rate: 89.1% (5,237 tests)

2016-registered Land Rover Defenders passed 89.1% of 5,237 MOT tests in 2023–2025 — 7.7 points better than all UK cars registered in 2016 (81.3%). This is one of the strongest Defender years in the age-adjusted MOT ranking, although the individual car still matters more.

89.1%Pass rate, 2016 cars

107.7Age-adjusted index (100 = average)

5,237Tests analysed

29,210 miMedian mileage at test

90.8% / 89.0%Petrol vs diesel pass rate

Is the 2016 Defender getting worse?

Pass rate of 2016-registered cars across recent test years:

Test year	Pass rate
2023	89.8% +6.6 vs same-age
2024	88.1% +6.9 vs same-age
2025	89.3% +9.7 vs same-age

The raw rate normally falls as cars age. The “vs same-age” figure compares this cohort with all UK cars registered in the same year, so normal ageing is not mistaken for a bad model year.

What fails on a 2016 Defender

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	487	33.8%
2	Suspension	256	17.8%
3	Brakes	244	16.9%
4	Visibility	153	10.6%
5	Tyres	95	6.6%
6	Steering	64	4.4%

All Defender years compared

Registration year	Tests	Pass rate	Vs same-age	Median 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 (this page)	5,237	89.1%	+7.7 pts	29,210

Weighing up which year to buy? See the full ranking: Land Rover Defender years to avoid.

Buying a 2016 Defender? Two checks first

Free MOT history checkThe exact car’s failures, advisories and mileage trail — sellers can’t edit it
Topdon OBD2 scannersTopdon diagnostic scanners with full-system readouts
XTOOL diagnostic toolsXTOOL code readers for petrol and diesel cars
Autel UK testersAutel professional-grade diagnostic testers

FAQs

Is a 2016 Land Rover Defender reliable?

2016-registered examples passed 89.1% of their MOT tests (5,237 tests, 2023–2025), +7.7 points versus all UK cars registered in the same year. At roughly 10 years old with a median 29,210 miles, condition now varies car by car — always check the individual MOT history.

What mileage is too high for a 2016 Defender?

The median tested example shows 29,210 miles. Anything far beyond that isn't automatically bad — a motorway-mile car with consistent service records often beats a low-mileage school-run car — but price accordingly and scrutinise the mileage trail for gaps or drops.

Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023–2025 extracts (96 million Class 4 initial tests; retests excluded). Only vehicles old enough for a routine first MOT are included. Age-adjusted figures compare the model-year cohort with all vehicles of the same registration year tested in the same calendar year. Contains public sector information licensed under OGL v3.0.