Land Rover Defender MOT pass rates & common failures

Every completed first-attempt MOT on a Land Rover Defender in Great Britain in 2025 — 121,898 tests. Figures cover every Defender first-tested in 2025, all trims grouped. How the Defender ages, what it fails on, and what mileage is normal, computed directly from the official DVSA record of every test.

Pass rate 2025
73.0%
0.7 points above the class-4 average (72.3%); unadjusted for age — the age-matched comparison is below
Tests analysed
121,898
first tests, 2025
Arrived with a dangerous fault
5.4%
of Defender first tests; national 7.3%
Typical mileage at 10 years
46,250
middle half: 28,750–71,250 miles (2,500-mile-band midpoints)

How the Defender ages

First-time pass rate by vehicle age, Defender vs all cars, 2025.

Land Rover DefenderAll cars
50%60%70%80%90%100%3579111315171920Vehicle age (years)Land Rover Defender, vehicle age 3: 92%Land Rover Defender, vehicle age 4: 91.1%Land Rover Defender, vehicle age 5: 88.7%Land Rover Defender, vehicle age 9: 83.6%Land Rover Defender, vehicle age 10: 79.1%Land Rover Defender, vehicle age 11: 75.8%Land Rover Defender, vehicle age 12: 72.2%Land Rover Defender, vehicle age 13: 71.5%Land Rover Defender, vehicle age 14: 70%Land Rover Defender, vehicle age 15: 68.5%Land Rover Defender, vehicle age 16: 68.3%Land Rover Defender, vehicle age 17: 68.5%Land Rover Defender, vehicle age 18: 67.2%Land Rover Defender, vehicle age 19: 66.7%Land Rover Defender, vehicle age 20: 67.2%All cars, vehicle age 3: 88.5%All cars, vehicle age 4: 87.2%All cars, vehicle age 5: 86%All cars, vehicle age 6: 83.5%All cars, vehicle age 7: 80.9%All cars, vehicle age 8: 78.2%All cars, vehicle age 9: 74.9%All cars, vehicle age 10: 71.9%All cars, vehicle age 11: 68.6%All cars, vehicle age 12: 65.8%All cars, vehicle age 13: 63.5%All cars, vehicle age 14: 61.2%All cars, vehicle age 15: 59.3%All cars, vehicle age 16: 58.3%All cars, vehicle age 17: 57.2%All cars, vehicle age 18: 57.4%All cars, vehicle age 19: 57%All cars, vehicle age 20: 57.6%Land Rover Defender 67.2%All cars 57.6%
View this chart as a table
Age (years)Defender testsDefender pass rateAll cars
39,83092.0%88.5%
48,58091.1%87.2%
54,19388.7%86.0%
91,76383.6%74.9%
106,46879.1%71.9%
115,67975.8%68.6%
124,23072.2%65.8%
133,77071.5%63.5%
143,85570.0%61.2%
153,82868.5%59.3%
163,35268.3%58.3%
173,59068.5%57.2%
183,82567.2%57.4%
193,66666.7%57.0%
204,04567.2%57.6%

Better or worse than the average car?

The Defender's pass rate minus the all-cars pass rate at each age, in percentage points. Bars above zero: the Defender beats the average car of that age. Below zero: it trails.

Defender ahead
-12-6+0+6+12Age 3: +3.5 points vs the average car3Age 4: +3.9 points vs the average carAge 5: +2.7 points vs the average car5Age 9: +8.7 points vs the average car9Age 10: +7.2 points vs the average carAge 11: +7.2 points vs the average car11Age 12: +6.4 points vs the average carAge 13: +8.0 points vs the average car13Age 14: +8.8 points vs the average carAge 15: +9.2 points vs the average car15Age 16: +10.0 points vs the average carAge 17: +11.3 points vs the average car17Age 18: +9.8 points vs the average carAge 19: +9.7 points vs the average car19Age 20: +9.6 points vs the average car20Vehicle age (years)
View this chart as a table
Age (years)Gap (points)
3+3.5
4+3.9
5+2.7
9+8.7
10+7.2
11+7.2
12+6.4
13+8.0
14+8.8
15+9.2
16+10.0
17+11.3
18+9.8
19+9.7
20+9.6

The Defender fleet on the road, by age

How many took a first MOT in 2025 at each age — the shape of the Defender fleet still in use.

02k5k7k10kAge 3: 9k3Age 4: 8kAge 5: 4k5Age 9: 1k9Age 10: 6kAge 11: 5k11Age 12: 4kAge 13: 3k13Age 14: 3kAge 15: 3k15Age 16: 3kAge 17: 3k17Age 18: 3kAge 19: 3k19Age 20: 4k20Vehicle age (years)
View this chart as a table
Age (years)First tests
39,830
48,580
54,193
91,763
106,468
115,679
124,230
133,770
143,855
153,828
163,352
173,590
183,825
193,666
204,045

What a Defender fails on

Where the failure items land when a Defender fails or needs a fix at test, 2025. Use it as a pre-purchase checklist: these are the areas to look at first.

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment30.6%
Suspension16.3%
Brakes14.1%
Body, chassis, structure11.5%
Steering10.0%
Visibility8.1%
Tyres3.5%
Noise, emissions and leaks3.1%

Share of all failure items, 2025 — the 8 biggest categories shown (97.2% of the items); smaller categories are not listed.

The advisories to watch

Where testers most often write "keep an eye on this" for a Defender, 2025 — the faults in the post.

Suspension: 25.3% of advisories25.3%Brakes: 24.8% of advisories24.8%Noise, emissions and leaks: 15.5% of advisories15.5%Tyres: 13.0% of advisories13.0%Body, chassis, structure: 9.2% of advisories9.2%Steering: 6.3% of advisories
SuspensionBrakesNoise, emissions and leaksTyresBody, chassis, structureSteering
View this chart as a table
CategoryShare of advisories
Suspension25.3%
Brakes24.8%
Noise, emissions and leaks15.5%
Tyres13.0%
Body, chassis, structure9.2%
Steering6.3%

Petrol, diesel or hybrid Defender?

First-time pass rate for the three most-tested Defender fuel types, 2025, against the all-cars average. Fleet ages differ by fuel — newer fleets help the electrified bars.

50%60%70%80%90%100%all cars 72.3%Diesel: 72.1% of 114,582 tests72.1%Diesel114,582 testsPetrol: 85.3% of 5,784 tests85.3%Petrol5,784 testsHybrid electric: 91.3% of 1,343 tests91.3%Hybrid1,343 tests
View this chart as a table
FuelTestsPass rate
Diesel114,58272.1%
Petrol5,78485.3%
Hybrid electric1,34391.3%

What mileage is normal for a Defender?

Mileage recorded at test by vehicle age, 2025. The line is the typical (median) Defender; the shaded band holds the middle half. A car far outside the band, in either direction, is worth questions the recorded history can answer.

Typical Defender (median)
0k25k50k75k100k125k150k359111315171920Vehicle age (years)Age 3: typical 28,750 miles (middle half 21,250–38,750)Age 4: typical 38,750 miles (middle half 28,750–51,250)Age 5: typical 46,250 miles (middle half 33,750–56,250)Age 9: typical 33,750 miles (middle half 16,250–53,750)Age 10: typical 46,250 miles (middle half 28,750–71,250)Age 11: typical 58,750 miles (middle half 38,750–81,250)Age 12: typical 66,250 miles (middle half 43,750–88,750)Age 13: typical 71,250 miles (middle half 48,750–96,250)Age 14: typical 78,750 miles (middle half 56,250–108,750)Age 15: typical 83,750 miles (middle half 58,750–108,750)Age 16: typical 88,750 miles (middle half 63,750–116,250)Age 17: typical 96,250 miles (middle half 71,250–126,250)Age 18: typical 101,250 miles (middle half 76,250–131,250)Age 19: typical 106,250 miles (middle half 76,250–138,750)Age 20: typical 111,250 miles (middle half 83,750–143,750)111k mi

Mileage values are midpoints of 2,500-mile bands.

View this chart as a table
Age (years)Lower quarterTypical (median)Upper quarter
321,25028,75038,750
428,75038,75051,250
533,75046,25056,250
916,25033,75053,750
1028,75046,25071,250
1138,75058,75081,250
1243,75066,25088,750
1348,75071,25096,250
1456,25078,750108,750
1558,75083,750108,750
1663,75088,750116,250
1771,25096,250126,250
1876,250101,250131,250
1976,250106,250138,750
2083,750111,250143,750

What fails at each age

The Defender's failure mix by age band, 2025 — each band's top categories at their true share of that band's failure items; the pale remainder is everything else. How the mix shifts with age is the point of the chart.

TyresLamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentBrakesIdentification of the vehicleNoise, emissions and leaksSuspensionVisibilitySteeringBody, chassis, structureEverything else
View this chart as a table
Age bandCategoryShare of the band's failure items
3-5 yrsTyres40.3%
3-5 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment15.9%
3-5 yrsBrakes12.6%
3-5 yrsIdentification of the vehicle7.8%
3-5 yrsNoise, emissions and leaks6.5%
3-5 yrsEverything else16.9%
6-9 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment37.6%
6-9 yrsSuspension17.3%
6-9 yrsBrakes15.0%
6-9 yrsVisibility10.4%
6-9 yrsSteering7.4%
6-9 yrsEverything else12.3%
10-13 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment32.0%
10-13 yrsBrakes19.1%
10-13 yrsSuspension17.4%
10-13 yrsSteering9.7%
10-13 yrsVisibility8.9%
10-13 yrsEverything else12.9%
14+ yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment26.2%
14+ yrsSuspension18.2%
14+ yrsBrakes14.9%
14+ yrsBody, chassis, structure14.1%
14+ yrsSteering11.2%
14+ yrsEverything else15.4%

More vehicles we've checked

How these figures are computed. Every number on this page is calculated by SortedCars from the DVSA anonymised MOT results dataset (every MOT test in Great Britain — 2025 for single-year figures; trend figures state their span, currently 2023–2025). Where a figure comes from a sample or uses banded values (mileage is banded to 2,500 miles), the page says so beside the figure. Test class 4 only, first tests only — retests are excluded. Class 4 is the car MOT class and also covers car-derived vans, pickups and motorhomes tested to the same standard; where this page says "cars" it means class 4. Pass rate = passes ÷ (passes + failures + pass-after-rectification): a vehicle that failed and was fixed during the visit counts as a fail. Pass rates describe fleets, not individual machines: they reflect how cars were driven, maintained and used as well as how they were built, and beyond recorded mileage none of that is in the data. A well-kept example of a model with a weak average can still pass; a neglected example of a strong one can still fail. No figure is shown for any group with fewer than 500 tests. Alias spellings of a make in the DVSA file are counted under one make name, and all trims and variants of a model are grouped under one model name, using SortedCars' grouping tables. “Dangerous” is DVSA's statutory defect category (in force since May 2018): a defect posing an immediate risk to road safety — driving the vehicle before repair is an offence. What these figures are for. These statistics are general information about groups of vehicles. They are not advice, a valuation or a recommendation to buy, avoid or price any particular vehicle, and no decision about one car should rest on them alone — check the car itself and its own records. We take care over the calculations, but we cannot guarantee they are complete, current or free of error, and we accept no liability for loss arising from reliance on them. This does not limit any liability that cannot lawfully be limited — see our Terms & Conditions. If you believe any figure on this page is inaccurate, contact us. SortedCars is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the DVSA or DVLA. DVSA publishes the raw test records; the statistics on this page are SortedCars' own calculations from them. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.