Bmw X5 vs Land Rover Defender
On MOT-testable defects, the Bmw X5 (fail rate 16.5%) performed better than the Land Rover Defender (21.9%) across comparable years. The biggest divergence was lighting & signalling, where the Defender recorded failures more often.
16.5%
X5 fail rate
21.9%
Defender fail rate
5.37pp
Difference
Side by side
| Metric | Bmw X5 | Land Rover Defender |
|---|---|---|
| MOT tests analysed | 493,397 | 627,043 |
| Pass rate | 83.5% | 78.1% |
| Fail rate | 16.5% | 21.9% |
Where they differ
| Category | X5 | Defender |
|---|---|---|
| Lighting & signalling | 6.4% | 15.0% |
| Steering | 0.0% | 6.8% |
| Body, structure & corrosion | 0.0% | 6.4% |
| Tyres | 6.2% | 0.0% |
| Visibility | 3.1% | 0.0% |
| Brakes | 4.9% | 7.5% |
| Suspension | 5.7% | 8.3% |
Methodology & source. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-01. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.