Land Rover Defender MOT pass rate & common failures
The Land Rover Defender appears in 669,569 MOT tests spanning model years 1980–2025, and 79.0% of them passed. That is effectively the same as large SUVs of a similar age (21.1% fail rate), so the MOT record here is unremarkable in either direction. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, suspension and brakes.
Best and worst Defender years
Ranked across Defender years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
Not every year is equal — 93.9% of 2022 examples pass against 73.8% of 2000 ones.
Lighting & signalling dominates the failure mix at 14.1% of all tests — 6.4 points clear of suspension, so it is the first thing to check.
At component level the recurring items are headlamp aim, shock absorbers and position lamp — headlamp aim alone was recorded 36,209 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 26.0% versus 8.5%.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 14.2pp more often than hybrid ones (21.1% vs 6.9%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: brakes was flagged on 23.3% of tests without failing them.
The trend is improving — the fail rate fell from 22.5% in 2021 to 18.9% in 2025, as the worst-kept examples leave the fleet.
How it compares
By model year
Every Defender model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 53 | 79.3% | 20.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1981 | 65 | 73.9% | 26.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1982 | 159 | 76.1% | 23.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1983 | 1,192 | 77.1% | 22.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1984 | 4,289 | 78.4% | 21.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1985 | 7,759 | 77.6% | 22.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1986 | 9,850 | 76.2% | 23.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1987 | 9,722 | 75.4% | 24.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1988 | 9,100 | 75.0% | 25.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1989 | 11,706 | 75.8% | 24.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1990 | 9,948 | 75.7% | 24.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1991 | 10,457 | 75.6% | 24.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1992 | 9,263 | 74.9% | 25.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1993 | 11,781 | 74.8% | 25.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1994 | 14,590 | 74.2% | 25.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1995 | 18,225 | 74.5% | 25.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1996 | 22,120 | 74.5% | 25.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1997 | 21,153 | 74.9% | 25.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1998 | 21,447 | 75.2% | 24.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1999 | 18,948 | 74.4% | 25.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2000 | 18,892 | 73.8% | 26.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2001 | 19,713 | 74.2% | 25.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2002 | 24,326 | 75.5% | 24.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 27,528 | 75.4% | 24.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 26,530 | 76.1% | 23.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 25,845 | 76.9% | 23.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 23,321 | 76.9% | 23.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 24,576 | 77.4% | 22.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 22,696 | 78.5% | 21.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 21,539 | 77.9% | 22.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 24,354 | 79.1% | 20.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 24,127 | 80.2% | 19.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 23,330 | 81.7% | 18.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 25,605 | 83.2% | 16.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 33,538 | 85.6% | 14.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 37,493 | 87.7% | 12.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 10,257 | 90.0% | 10.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 302 | 83.4% | 16.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2018 | 168 | 84.5% | 15.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2019 | 388 | 83.5% | 16.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2020 | 13,651 | 92.0% | 8.0% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 18,328 | 93.6% | 6.4% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 10,681 | 93.9% | 6.1% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 545 | 97.6% | 2.4% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 14.1% | 94,715 |
| 2 | Suspension | 7.7% | 51,802 |
| 3 | Brakes | 7.0% | 47,185 |
| 4 | Steering | 6.4% | 42,697 |
| 5 | Body, structure & corrosion | 6.0% | 40,357 |
| 6 | Visibility | 5.4% | 35,964 |
| 7 | Emissions & environmental | 2.1% | 14,338 |
| 8 | Tyres | 1.6% | 10,805 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Headlamp aim | 36,209 |
| 2 | Shock absorbers | 29,289 |
| 3 | Position lamp | 28,623 |
| 4 | Rigid brake pipes | 24,044 |
| 5 | Stop lamp | 23,116 |
| 6 | Wipers | 22,324 |
| 7 | Washers | 21,359 |
| 8 | Track rod end | 21,119 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brakes | 23.3% | 156,139 |
| 2 | Suspension | 23.0% | 154,086 |
| 3 | Emissions & environmental | 19.5% | 130,279 |
| 4 | Steering | 14.2% | 95,423 |
| 5 | Body, structure & corrosion | 11.0% | 73,380 |
| 6 | Tyres | 10.5% | 70,072 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 64,300 | 8.5% |
| 30-60k | 115,399 | 14.8% |
| 60-90k | 123,906 | 20.8% |
| 90-120k | 123,588 | 23.9% |
| 120-150k | 102,267 | 25.3% |
| 150k+ | 139,274 | 26.0% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 646,894 | 21.1% |
| Petrol | 20,602 | 16.5% |
| Hybrid | 1,841 | 6.9% |
| Electric | 180 | 21.1% |
| Gas/LPG | 48 | 27.1% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 132,438 | 22.5% |
| 2022 | 128,625 | 22.0% |
| 2023 | 129,913 | 21.3% |
| 2024 | 135,459 | 20.3% |
| 2025 | 143,134 | 18.9% |
What to check before buying a Land Rover Defender
- Lighting & signalling (14.1% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Suspension (7.7% of tests): Worn drop links, bushes, springs or shocks — listen for knocks over bumps and check for uneven tyre wear. Typical repair: £150–£450 per corner.
- Brakes (7.0% of tests): Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair: £100–£350 per axle.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Land Rover Defender?
79.0% of the 669,569 Land Rover Defender MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 20.9% fail rate, across model years 1980–2025.
What does the Land Rover Defender most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 14.1% of tests, then suspension (7.7%).
Which Defender years are best and worst for MOT results?
2022 has the best pass rate at 93.9% and 2000 the weakest at 73.8%, from 10,681 and 18,892 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Defender MOT results?
Fail rates run at 8.5% for cars in the 0-30k band and 26.0% for 150k+, a 17.5-point difference.
Is the hybrid or diesel Defender more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 6.9% of the time against 21.1% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 669,569 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.