Land Rover Defender vs Mercedes-Benz Ml
On MOT-testable defects, the Mercedes-Benz Ml (fail rate 19.6%) performed better than the Land Rover Defender (21.9%) across comparable years. The biggest divergence was steering, where the Defender recorded failures more often.
21.9%
Defender fail rate
19.6%
Ml fail rate
2.35pp
Difference
Side by side
| Metric | Land Rover Defender | Mercedes-Benz Ml |
|---|---|---|
| MOT tests analysed | 627,043 | 214,052 |
| Pass rate | 78.1% | 80.4% |
| Fail rate | 21.9% | 19.6% |
Where they differ
| Category | Defender | Ml |
|---|---|---|
| Steering | 6.8% | 0.0% |
| Body, structure & corrosion | 6.4% | 0.0% |
| Tyres | 0.0% | 4.6% |
| Lighting & signalling | 15.0% | 10.9% |
| Emissions & environmental | 0.0% | 3.4% |
| Suspension | 8.3% | 6.7% |
| Brakes | 7.5% | 7.2% |
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.