Land Rover Discovery MOT pass rates & common failures

Every completed first-attempt MOT on a Land Rover Discovery in Great Britain in 2025 — 143,479 tests. Figures cover every Discovery first-tested in 2025, all trims grouped. How the Discovery ages, what it fails on, and what mileage is normal, computed directly from the official DVSA record of every test.

Pass rate 2025
74.6%
2.3 points above the class-4 average (72.3%); unadjusted for age — the age-matched comparison is below
Tests analysed
143,479
first tests, 2025
Arrived with a dangerous fault
7.0%
of Discovery first tests; national 7.3%
Typical mileage at 10 years
98,750
middle half: 78,750–123,750 miles (2,500-mile-band midpoints)

How many Land Rover Discovery cars are still on the road?

At the end of 2025, DVLA's register held 324,809 Land Rover Discovery cars that were taxed or on SORN: 261,861 taxed and 62,948 on SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification — kept, but declared off the road by the keeper). The MOT figures above count tests; these count cars, across the whole United Kingdom, cars only. Land Rover Discovery vans, where they exist, are counted by DVLA as goods vehicles and are not in these figures. DVLA's count for the Discovery also includes the Discovery Sport, which the licensing data does not record under a name of its own, so it is wider than the MOT figures above.

Still taxed, end of 2025
261,861
80.6% of the 324,809 Discovery cars taxed or on SORN; 240 model variants grouped
On SORN, end of 2025
62,948
declared off the road by their keepers — 19.4% of that total

How the numbers are moving

The number of taxed Discovery cars peaked at 270,124 at the end of 2021 and has since fallen by 8,263 (3.1%) to 261,861 at the end of 2025. Cars on SORN went from 21,955 at the end of 2014 to 62,948 at the end of 2025, up 186.7%. A car leaves the taxed count when it is scrapped, exported or declared off the road; the year-end counts do not say which.

Taxed Discovery cars, year by year

Cars of this model taxed and on the road at the end of each year, 2014–2025.

0100k200k300k2014201620182020202220242025Year (count at the end of the year)Taxed Discovery cars, year 2014: 166kTaxed Discovery cars, year 2015: 180kTaxed Discovery cars, year 2016: 204kTaxed Discovery cars, year 2017: 229kTaxed Discovery cars, year 2018: 244kTaxed Discovery cars, year 2019: 259kTaxed Discovery cars, year 2020: 266kTaxed Discovery cars, year 2021: 270kTaxed Discovery cars, year 2022: 268kTaxed Discovery cars, year 2023: 265kTaxed Discovery cars, year 2024: 263kTaxed Discovery cars, year 2025: 262k262k
View this chart as a table
YearTaxed Discovery cars
2014165,514
2015180,365
2016204,443
2017228,775
2018244,461
2019258,780
2020265,766
2021270,124
2022267,948
2023264,834
2024262,940
2025261,861

Discovery cars on SORN, year by year

Cars of this model declared off the road at the end of each year, 2014–2025. Its own scale — SORN counts are a fraction of the taxed count.

020k40k60k80k2014201620182020202220242025Year (count at the end of the year)Discovery cars on SORN, year 2014: 22kDiscovery cars on SORN, year 2015: 26kDiscovery cars on SORN, year 2016: 31kDiscovery cars on SORN, year 2017: 36kDiscovery cars on SORN, year 2018: 40kDiscovery cars on SORN, year 2019: 44kDiscovery cars on SORN, year 2020: 47kDiscovery cars on SORN, year 2021: 49kDiscovery cars on SORN, year 2022: 52kDiscovery cars on SORN, year 2023: 57kDiscovery cars on SORN, year 2024: 59kDiscovery cars on SORN, year 2025: 63k63k
View this chart as a table
YearDiscovery cars on SORN
201421,955
201526,314
201630,935
201735,654
201839,686
201943,916
202047,144
202148,919
202252,345
202356,911
202459,421
202562,948

Which model years survive

Taxed Discovery cars at the end of 2025 by year of manufacture, and each year's share of the 261,861 taxed in all. Every build year holding at least 1% has its own row; the rest share one. 27 taxed Discovery cars have no recorded year of manufacture and are not in the table, so the rows add up to 261,834. A build year's count depends on how many were sold that year as well as how many have lasted.

Year of manufacture Taxed, end of 2025Share of taxed Discovery cars
20259,8443.8%
20249,7863.7%
20238,5703.3%
20226,5462.5%
202111,7884.5%
202015,4995.9%
201922,0608.4%
201825,0659.6%
201730,72211.7%
201628,79211.0%
201521,5968.2%
20146,3702.4%
20135,1882.0%
20125,6352.2%
20114,7911.8%
20105,0861.9%
20094,0551.5%
20083,5041.3%
20074,5291.7%
20065,5142.1%
20055,8482.2%
20044,7001.8%
20034,0971.6%
20023,1491.2%
All other build years (19 years, each under 1%)9,1003.5%

Population source: Department for Transport / DVLA vehicle licensing statistics, table VEH0124, updated 15 July 2026; counts of the cars on DVLA's register that were taxed or on SORN at the end of each year shown, United Kingdom, cars only, excluding cars recorded with no model name. SortedCars groups DVLA's model name DISCOVERY under this model. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. SortedCars is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, DVLA or the Department for Transport.

How the Discovery ages

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

Land Rover DiscoveryAll cars
50%60%70%80%90%100%3579111315171920Vehicle age (years)Land Rover Discovery, vehicle age 3: 88.6%Land Rover Discovery, vehicle age 4: 88.5%Land Rover Discovery, vehicle age 5: 86.4%Land Rover Discovery, vehicle age 6: 86.1%Land Rover Discovery, vehicle age 7: 85.5%Land Rover Discovery, vehicle age 8: 81.8%Land Rover Discovery, vehicle age 9: 80.5%Land Rover Discovery, vehicle age 10: 79.6%Land Rover Discovery, vehicle age 11: 76.8%Land Rover Discovery, vehicle age 12: 74.1%Land Rover Discovery, vehicle age 13: 72.7%Land Rover Discovery, vehicle age 14: 71.2%Land Rover Discovery, vehicle age 15: 70.4%Land Rover Discovery, vehicle age 16: 66.8%Land Rover Discovery, vehicle age 17: 64.7%Land Rover Discovery, vehicle age 18: 63.9%Land Rover Discovery, vehicle age 19: 62.1%Land Rover Discovery, vehicle age 20: 64.7%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 Discovery 64.7%All cars 57.6%
View this chart as a table
Age (years)Discovery testsDiscovery pass rateAll cars
33,14688.6%88.5%
44,63388.5%87.2%
55,68286.4%86.0%
67,88286.1%83.5%
78,44985.5%80.9%
89,71881.8%78.2%
99,56680.5%74.9%
109,02979.6%71.9%
117,28176.8%68.6%
126,17474.1%65.8%
136,47872.7%63.5%
145,71371.2%61.2%
155,91170.4%59.3%
164,74066.8%58.3%
174,29664.7%57.2%
185,63763.9%57.4%
196,56462.1%57.0%
206,72964.7%57.6%

Better or worse than the average car?

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

Discovery ahead
-12-6+0+6+12Age 3: +0.1 points vs the average car3Age 4: +1.3 points vs the average carAge 5: +0.4 points vs the average car5Age 6: +2.6 points vs the average carAge 7: +4.6 points vs the average car7Age 8: +3.6 points vs the average carAge 9: +5.6 points vs the average car9Age 10: +7.7 points vs the average carAge 11: +8.2 points vs the average car11Age 12: +8.3 points vs the average carAge 13: +9.2 points vs the average car13Age 14: +10.0 points vs the average carAge 15: +11.1 points vs the average car15Age 16: +8.5 points vs the average carAge 17: +7.5 points vs the average car17Age 18: +6.5 points vs the average carAge 19: +5.1 points vs the average car19Age 20: +7.1 points vs the average car20Vehicle age (years)
View this chart as a table
Age (years)Gap (points)
3+0.1
4+1.3
5+0.4
6+2.6
7+4.6
8+3.6
9+5.6
10+7.7
11+8.2
12+8.3
13+9.2
14+10.0
15+11.1
16+8.5
17+7.5
18+6.5
19+5.1
20+7.1

The Discovery fleet on the road, by age

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

02k5k7k10kAge 3: 3k3Age 4: 4kAge 5: 5k5Age 6: 7kAge 7: 8k7Age 8: 9kAge 9: 9k9Age 10: 9kAge 11: 7k11Age 12: 6kAge 13: 6k13Age 14: 5kAge 15: 5k15Age 16: 4kAge 17: 4k17Age 18: 5kAge 19: 6k19Age 20: 6k20Vehicle age (years)
View this chart as a table
Age (years)First tests
33,146
44,633
55,682
67,882
78,449
89,718
99,566
109,029
117,281
126,174
136,478
145,713
155,911
164,740
174,296
185,637
196,564
206,729

What a Discovery fails on

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

Suspension21.5%
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment21.0%
Brakes19.4%
Body, chassis, structure12.3%
Tyres8.5%
Visibility5.7%
Steering3.7%
Noise, emissions and leaks3.4%

Share of all failure items, 2025 — the 8 biggest categories shown (95.5% of the items); smaller categories are not listed.

The advisories to watch

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

Brakes: 27.2% of advisories27.2%Suspension: 24.6% of advisories24.6%Tyres: 18.8% of advisories18.8%Body, chassis, structure: 9.6% of advisories9.6%Noise, emissions and leaks: 7.2% of advisories7.2%Non-component advisories: 5.8% of advisories
BrakesSuspensionTyresBody, chassis, structureNoise, emissions and leaksNon-component advisories
View this chart as a table
CategoryShare of advisories
Brakes27.2%
Suspension24.6%
Tyres18.8%
Body, chassis, structure9.6%
Noise, emissions and leaks7.2%
Non-component advisories5.8%

Petrol, diesel or hybrid Discovery?

First-time pass rate for the two most-tested Discovery 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: 74.6% of 140,083 tests74.6%Diesel140,083 testsPetrol: 74.6% of 3,200 tests74.6%Petrol3,200 tests
View this chart as a table
FuelTestsPass rate
Diesel140,08374.6%
Petrol3,20074.6%

What mileage is normal for a Discovery?

Mileage recorded at test by vehicle age, 2025. The line is the typical (median) Discovery; 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 Discovery (median)
0k25k50k75k100k125k150k175k200k3579111315171920Vehicle age (years)Age 3: typical 33,750 miles (middle half 26,250–43,750)Age 4: typical 43,750 miles (middle half 33,750–56,250)Age 5: typical 53,750 miles (middle half 41,250–68,750)Age 6: typical 61,250 miles (middle half 48,750–78,750)Age 7: typical 71,250 miles (middle half 56,250–86,250)Age 8: typical 76,250 miles (middle half 61,250–93,750)Age 9: typical 88,750 miles (middle half 68,750–108,750)Age 10: typical 98,750 miles (middle half 78,750–123,750)Age 11: typical 108,750 miles (middle half 86,250–131,250)Age 12: typical 121,250 miles (middle half 96,250–143,750)Age 13: typical 123,750 miles (middle half 103,750–148,750)Age 14: typical 133,750 miles (middle half 111,250–156,250)Age 15: typical 138,750 miles (middle half 116,250–163,750)Age 16: typical 143,750 miles (middle half 121,250–168,750)Age 17: typical 148,750 miles (middle half 126,250–176,250)Age 18: typical 153,750 miles (middle half 128,750–178,750)Age 19: typical 161,250 miles (middle half 136,250–186,250)Age 20: typical 163,750 miles (middle half 138,750–193,750)163k mi

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

View this chart as a table
Age (years)Lower quarterTypical (median)Upper quarter
326,25033,75043,750
433,75043,75056,250
541,25053,75068,750
648,75061,25078,750
756,25071,25086,250
861,25076,25093,750
968,75088,750108,750
1078,75098,750123,750
1186,250108,750131,250
1296,250121,250143,750
13103,750123,750148,750
14111,250133,750156,250
15116,250138,750163,750
16121,250143,750168,750
17126,250148,750176,250
18128,750153,750178,750
19136,250161,250186,250
20138,750163,750193,750

What fails at each age

The Discovery'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.

TyresBrakesVisibilityLamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentIdentification of the vehicleSuspensionBody, chassis, structureSteeringEverything else
View this chart as a table
Age bandCategoryShare of the band's failure items
3-5 yrsTyres45.4%
3-5 yrsBrakes14.9%
3-5 yrsVisibility14.2%
3-5 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment7.3%
3-5 yrsIdentification of the vehicle3.9%
3-5 yrsEverything else14.3%
6-9 yrsTyres24.1%
6-9 yrsBrakes23.0%
6-9 yrsSuspension19.7%
6-9 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment8.2%
6-9 yrsVisibility6.4%
6-9 yrsEverything else18.6%
10-13 yrsBrakes27.2%
10-13 yrsSuspension24.8%
10-13 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment13.1%
10-13 yrsTyres13.0%
10-13 yrsBody, chassis, structure10.5%
10-13 yrsEverything else11.4%
14+ yrsSuspension24.5%
14+ yrsBrakes19.7%
14+ yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment18.2%
14+ yrsBody, chassis, structure15.3%
14+ yrsSteering5.0%
14+ yrsEverything else17.3%

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. The taxed and SORN counts on this page are the one exception: they are not computed from MOT records but taken from the Department for Transport's vehicle licensing statistics (DfT/DVLA table VEH0124, updated 15 July 2026, Open Government Licence v3.0), which count the cars on DVLA's register that were taxed or on SORN at the end of each year shown, UK-wide, cars only. They describe a model as a whole, grouped under SortedCars' model names, and say nothing about any one car. “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.