Land Rover Range Rover Sport MOT pass rate & common failures
672,895 MOT tests on the Land Rover Range Rover Sport (1989–2024) give it an 85.2% pass rate. That is effectively the same as large SUVs of a similar age (15.8% fail rate), so the MOT record here is unremarkable in either direction. Its most common failure areas are brakes, tyres and lighting & signalling.
Best and worst Range Rover Sport years
Ranked across Range Rover Sport 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 — 92.3% of 2022 examples pass against 77.9% of 2006 ones.
No single area dominates — brakes (5.1%) and tyres (4.9%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are pins and bushes, rigid brake pipes and brake pads — pins and bushes alone was recorded 18,000 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 7.3% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 21.6% once past 150k — 3.0× the risk.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 7.2pp more often than hybrid ones (15.4% vs 8.2%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: brakes was flagged on 23.0% of tests without failing them.
How it compares
By model year
Every Range Rover Sport model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 41 | 70.7% | 29.3% | Suspension |
| 2005 | 22,147 | 78.6% | 21.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 37,332 | 77.9% | 22.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 35,251 | 78.7% | 21.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 28,166 | 79.0% | 21.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 28,399 | 80.2% | 19.8% | Brakes |
| 2010 | 34,449 | 81.7% | 18.3% | Brakes |
| 2011 | 33,144 | 82.8% | 17.2% | Brakes |
| 2012 | 36,077 | 84.0% | 16.0% | Brakes |
| 2013 | 38,103 | 84.9% | 15.1% | Brakes |
| 2014 | 50,825 | 85.4% | 14.6% | Tyres |
| 2015 | 63,535 | 86.0% | 14.0% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 62,810 | 86.8% | 13.2% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 58,421 | 88.3% | 11.7% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 61,636 | 90.7% | 9.3% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 50,763 | 91.3% | 8.7% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 23,475 | 91.3% | 8.7% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 6,410 | 92.2% | 7.8% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 1,836 | 92.3% | 7.7% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 43 | 93.0% | 7.0% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brakes | 5.1% | 34,090 |
| 2 | Tyres | 4.9% | 33,273 |
| 3 | Lighting & signalling | 4.7% | 31,545 |
| 4 | Suspension | 4.2% | 28,266 |
| 5 | Visibility | 2.5% | 16,601 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 2.0% | 13,569 |
| 7 | Seat belts & restraints | 1.5% | 9,950 |
| 8 | Emissions & environmental | 1.3% | 8,789 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pins and bushes | 18,000 |
| 2 | Rigid brake pipes | 17,016 |
| 3 | Brake pads | 16,525 |
| 4 | Headlamp aim | 12,930 |
| 5 | Wipers | 12,425 |
| 6 | Tread depth | 9,223 |
| 7 | Position lamp | 9,200 |
| 8 | Ball joint dust cover | 8,596 |
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 | 23.0% | 154,770 |
| 2 | Tyres | 20.8% | 139,961 |
| 3 | Suspension | 15.1% | 101,748 |
| 4 | Other defects | 6.4% | 42,815 |
| 5 | Body, structure & corrosion | 5.4% | 36,553 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 5.3% | 35,353 |
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 | 61,789 | 7.3% |
| 30-60k | 174,717 | 10.8% |
| 60-90k | 173,648 | 14.7% |
| 90-120k | 136,895 | 18.1% |
| 120-150k | 81,350 | 20.3% |
| 150k+ | 44,316 | 21.6% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 583,412 | 15.4% |
| Petrol | 68,900 | 12.2% |
| Hybrid | 20,524 | 8.2% |
| Gas/LPG | 49 | 22.4% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 130,185 | 15.2% |
| 2022 | 138,548 | 14.6% |
| 2023 | 140,266 | 14.8% |
| 2024 | 134,609 | 14.9% |
| 2025 | 129,287 | 14.8% |
What to check before buying a Land Rover Range Rover Sport
- Brakes (5.1% 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.
- Tyres (4.9% 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 (4.7% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£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 Range Rover Sport?
85.2% of the 672,895 Land Rover Range Rover Sport MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 14.8% fail rate, across model years 1989–2024.
What does the Land Rover Range Rover Sport most often fail its MOT on?
Brakes, recorded in 5.1% of tests, then tyres (4.9%).
Which Range Rover Sport years are best and worst for MOT results?
2022 has the best pass rate at 92.3% and 2006 the weakest at 77.9%, from 1,836 and 37,332 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Range Rover Sport MOT results?
Fail rates run at 7.3% for cars in the 0-30k band and 21.6% for 150k+, a 14.4-point difference.
Is the hybrid or diesel Range Rover Sport more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 8.2% of the time against 15.4% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 672,895 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.