Land Rover Discovery Sport MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 22 model years and 575,701 tests, the Land Rover Discovery Sport passes its MOT 87.5% of the time. That is effectively the same as mid-size SUVs of a similar age (11.9% fail rate), so the MOT record here is unremarkable in either direction. Its most common failure areas are tyres, lighting & signalling and visibility.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — tyres (5.1%) and lighting & signalling (4.1%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are wipers, brake pads and headlamp aim — wipers alone was recorded 19,929 times.
Condition tracks the odometer closely. Failures run at 9.5% in the 0-30k band and 17.3% in the 150k+ band, a 7.8-point spread.
Fuel type barely separates them — petrol fails 11.3% of the time against 12.5% for diesel.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: brakes was flagged on 23.2% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 11.4% of tests failed in 2021 against 13.5% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Discovery Sport model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 492 | 86.8% | 13.2% | Tyres |
| 2015 | 86,628 | 87.2% | 12.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 126,968 | 87.0% | 13.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 130,619 | 87.8% | 12.2% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 107,897 | 88.0% | 12.0% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 77,004 | 87.6% | 12.4% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 37,536 | 87.6% | 12.3% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 7,456 | 87.6% | 12.4% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 1,038 | 87.4% | 12.6% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 36 | 91.7% | 8.3% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 5.1% | 29,412 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 4.1% | 23,850 |
| 3 | Visibility | 3.5% | 20,282 |
| 4 | Brakes | 2.9% | 16,852 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 1.9% | 11,024 |
| 6 | Suspension | 1.3% | 7,330 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.4% | 2,125 |
| 8 | Other defects | 0.3% | 1,456 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wipers | 19,929 |
| 2 | Brake pads | 14,656 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 12,215 |
| 4 | Malfunction indicator lamp | 9,267 |
| 5 | Tread depth | 8,878 |
| 6 | Rear fog lamp | 6,066 |
| 7 | Brake discs | 5,498 |
| 8 | Headlamp | 4,879 |
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 | 23.2% | 133,599 |
| 2 | Tyres | 23.2% | 133,342 |
| 3 | Other defects | 7.0% | 40,494 |
| 4 | Suspension | 4.9% | 28,180 |
| 5 | Visibility | 3.9% | 22,516 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 1.1% | 6,324 |
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 | 103,152 | 9.5% |
| 30-60k | 263,819 | 12.2% |
| 60-90k | 154,967 | 13.8% |
| 90-120k | 44,317 | 15.3% |
| 120-150k | 7,822 | 16.4% |
| 150k+ | 1,591 | 17.3% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 546,491 | 12.5% |
| Petrol | 28,114 | 11.3% |
| Hybrid | 1,091 | 12.3% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 92,235 | 11.4% |
| 2022 | 111,313 | 11.7% |
| 2023 | 122,269 | 12.3% |
| 2024 | 124,899 | 13.1% |
| 2025 | 124,985 | 13.5% |
What to check before buying a Land Rover Discovery Sport
- Tyres (5.1% of tests): Usually a quick, known-cost fix, but check tread, age and uneven wear (which can hint at alignment or suspension issues). Typical repair: £50–£120 per tyre.
- Lighting & signalling (4.1% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Visibility (3.5% of tests): Wipers, washers, mirrors and screen damage — usually inexpensive, but check for chips in the driver's line of sight. Typical repair: £15–£150.
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 Discovery Sport?
87.5% of the 575,701 Land Rover Discovery Sport MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 12.5% fail rate, across model years 2004–2025.
What does the Land Rover Discovery Sport most often fail its MOT on?
Tyres, recorded in 5.1% of tests, then lighting & signalling (4.1%).
How much does mileage affect Discovery Sport MOT results?
Fail rates run at 9.5% for cars in the 0-30k band and 17.3% for 150k+, a 7.8-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Discovery Sport more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 11.3% of the time against 12.5% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 575,701 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.