2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport — MOT failures & pass rate
The 2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport passed 87.2% of its 86,628 recorded MOT tests. Against mid-size SUVs of a similar age (15.7% fail rate), the 2015 Discovery Sport comes out 2.9pp better. Failures cluster in lighting & signalling, tyres and brakes.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (5.1%) and tyres (4.7%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are brake pads, headlamp aim and wipers — brake pads alone was recorded 2,542 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 8.0% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 17.8% once past 150k — 2.2× the risk.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 23.7% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 11.3% of tests failed in 2021 against 14.3% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 5.1% | 4,462 |
| 2 | Tyres | 4.7% | 4,096 |
| 3 | Brakes | 3.4% | 2,947 |
| 4 | Visibility | 2.9% | 2,529 |
| 5 | Suspension | 1.9% | 1,615 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 1.7% | 1,477 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brake pads | 2,542 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 2,216 |
| 3 | Wipers | 2,180 |
| 4 | Tread depth | 1,486 |
| 5 | Malfunction indicator lamp | 1,217 |
| 6 | Headlamp | 1,149 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 23.7% | 20,494 |
| 2 | Brakes | 23.0% | 19,888 |
| 3 | Other defects | 7.2% | 6,272 |
| 4 | Suspension | 6.7% | 5,814 |
| 5 | Visibility | 3.9% | 3,399 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 1.5% | 1,326 |
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 | 2,389 | 8.0% |
| 30-60k | 25,822 | 10.7% |
| 60-90k | 36,540 | 12.9% |
| 90-120k | 16,932 | 15.5% |
| 120-150k | 4,025 | 16.1% |
| 150k+ | 913 | 17.8% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 86,563 | 12.8% |
| Petrol | 65 | 12.3% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 17,489 | 11.3% |
| 2022 | 17,362 | 11.9% |
| 2023 | 17,401 | 12.8% |
| 2024 | 17,314 | 13.9% |
| 2025 | 17,062 | 14.3% |
What to check before buying a 2015 Discovery Sport
On a 2015 Discovery Sport, lighting & signalling is what the MOT record says goes wrong most — it appeared in 5.1% of tests. Check these areas before you commit.
- Lighting & signalling (5.1% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Tyres (4.7% 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.
- Brakes (3.4% 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
How many 2015 Land Rover Discovery Sports pass their MOT?
87.2% of the 86,628 2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 12.8% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 5.1% of tests, followed by tyres (4.7%).
Does the 2015 Discovery Sport get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 8.0% in the 0-30k band to 17.8% in the 150k+ band.
Methodology & source. Based on 86,628 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.