Land Rover Defender common problems and MOT pass rate

In 2025, DVSA recorded 125,949 initial MOT tests on the Land Rover Defender in Great Britain, and 72.8% passed first time. Here is where the rest failed.

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Land Rover Defender at the MOT, 2025

Initial MOT tests: 125,949
Passed first timeAll cars and vans: 72.1%: 72.8%
Failed at firstIncluding 4.7% repaired at the test and passed (PRS): 27.2%
Had a dangerous defectAll cars and vans: 7.3%: 5.5%
Licensed in the UKEnd of 2026 Q2, plus 26,973 off the road (SORN): 96,038

Contains DVSA MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0, year 2025.

Failure areas

Where the Defender fails its MOT

The share of initial tests in 2025 with at least one fail or PRS item in each part of the MOT. A test can fail in more than one area, so these do not add up to the fail rate.

1Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
14.4%
Headlamps and their aim, brake lights, indicators, fog and reversing lamps, warning lights, battery and wiringAll cars and vans: 10.8%
2Suspension
7.8%
Springs, shock absorbers, suspension arms and bushes, anti-roll bars, wheel bearings and axlesAll cars and vans: 9.0%
3Brakes
7.2%
Pedal and handbrake, pipes and hoses, discs, pads and drums, and how well the car stopsAll cars and vans: 6.4%
4Body, chassis and structure
6.1%
Corrosion and damage to the structure, the exhaust system, fuel system, doors, seats, towbar, bumpers and engine mountingsAll cars and vans: 3.3%
5Steering
6.0%
Steering rack, joints and linkages, power steering, the steering wheel and columnAll cars and vans: 2.0%
6Visibility
5.5%
The driver's view, windscreen damage, wipers, washers and mirrorsAll cars and vans: 4.4%
7Noise, emissions and leaks
2.3%
Exhaust emissions and smoke, exhaust noise and fluid leaksAll cars and vans: 3.2%
8Tyres
2.0%
Tread depth, cuts and bulges, the right size and type, valves and tyre pressure warning systemsAll cars and vans: 6.2%
9Seat belts and airbags
1.6%
Seat belts, airbags and the airbag warning lightAll cars and vans: 1.0%
10Registration plates and VIN
0.8%
Number plates and the vehicle identification numberAll cars and vans: 0.3%

This modelAll cars and vans

Parts

The parts that fail most

Share of initial tests with a fail or PRS item on each part, 2025.

Steering linkage componentsSteering5.1%
Headlamp aimLamps and electrics4.0%
Position lampsLamps and electrics3.5%
WashersVisibility3.2%
Stop lampLamps and electrics3.2%
Brake performanceBrakes3.1%
Shock absorbersSuspension2.8%
Front and rear fog lampsLamps and electrics2.4%

By age

Pass rate by year first used

Older cars fail more often, so compare a car with others of its year. Cars up to 25 years old; years with fewer than 250 tests are left out.

First used	Tests	Passed first time	Dangerous defect
2023	525	97.1%	0.6%
2022	10,001	92.0%	1.8%
2021	8,737	91.1%	2.3%
2020	4,207	88.7%	2.7%
2016	1,833	83.5%	2.7%
2015	6,719	79.0%	4.2%
2014	5,933	75.8%	3.9%
2013	4,461	72.1%	4.7%
2012	3,925	71.1%	5.0%
2011	4,179	69.7%	5.6%
2010	4,001	68.3%	5.7%
2009	3,526	67.9%	5.9%
2008	3,863	68.3%	6.0%
2007	4,013	67.3%	6.3%
2006	3,925	66.3%	6.8%
2005	4,209	67.3%	6.5%
2004	4,317	64.2%	7.9%
2003	4,435	65.2%	6.8%
2002	3,877	66.0%	6.8%
2001	3,110	65.0%	7.1%
2000	2,985	64.5%	7.1%

Mileage

Defender mileage by age

The median reading at the test: half the cars of that age had covered more, half less. Estimated from 1,000-mile bands, for cars up to 25 years old.

A car well above or below the typical figure is not a problem in itself, but the readings should rise steadily from one MOT to the next. A fall, or a long gap, is worth asking about.

Check a car's mileage record

Age at test	Median mileage	Readings
2 years	27,500 miles	7,188
3 years	34,200 miles	8,356
4 years	42,700 miles	6,511
5 years	47,700 miles	1,403
8 years	33,700 miles	689
9 years	42,500 miles	4,726
10 years	53,200 miles	6,414
11 years	61,800 miles	5,037
12 years	68,500 miles	4,191
13 years	75,800 miles	3,903
14 years	83,500 miles	4,193
15 years	86,700 miles	3,771
16 years	92,400 miles	3,398
17 years	100,500 miles	4,275
18 years	101,900 miles	3,706
19 years	109,700 miles	4,129
20 years	114,400 miles	4,216
21 years	121,900 miles	4,423
22 years	128,000 miles	4,310
23 years	128,600 miles	3,422
24 years	132,100 miles	2,874
25 years	135,500 miles	3,139

Checking a particular Defender?

Averages tell you what to look at. The registration tells you about this car: every MOT since 2005 with its failures and advisories, each mileage reading, and whether it is taxed.

Questions

Land Rover Defender: common questions

Contains DVSA MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0, year 2025.

What is the most common MOT failure on the Land Rover Defender?

In DVSA's 2025 test records, the area that failed most often on the Land Rover Defender was lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: 14.4% of initial tests had at least one fail or PRS item there, against 10.8% for all cars and vans. Next came suspension (7.8%) and brakes (7.2%).

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

72.8% of 125,949 initial MOT tests on the Land Rover Defender in 2025 were a pass first time. Another 4.7% passed after small repairs made at the test station within the hour (PRS). Across all cars and vans, 72.1% passed first time.

Does a lower pass rate mean the Land Rover Defender is unreliable?

Not on its own. MOT results depend on age, mileage and upkeep as much as on design, so a model with many older cars on the road will usually fail more often. The table by year compares cars of a similar age. What matters most is the record of the car you are looking at, so check its MOT history before you buy.

What counts as a dangerous defect?

One the tester judges to be a direct and immediate risk to road safety, or to have a serious impact on the environment. The car fails and should not be driven until it is repaired. 5.5% of initial tests on the Land Rover Defender found at least one, against 7.3% for all cars and vans.

Where do these figures come from?

From DVSA's anonymised MOT test data for 2025, published under the Open Government Licence. We count initial tests on cars and light vans in Great Britain, as DVSA does in its own statistics: retests, appeals and abandoned tests are left out, and so are advisories and minor defects.

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