Land Rover Range Rover MOT pass rate & common failures
The Land Rover Range Rover appears in 528,286 MOT tests spanning model years 1980–2025, and 83.3% of them passed. Large SUVs of a similar age fail 17.8% of the time, so this is 1.0pp better than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are suspension, brakes and lighting & signalling.
Best and worst Range Rover years
Ranked across Range Rover 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
The strongest year on this record is 2021 (92.2% pass rate); the weakest is 2003 (74.8%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — suspension (6.6%) and brakes (6.2%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are rigid brake pipes, pins and bushes and ball joint — rigid brake pipes alone was recorded 19,190 times.
Condition tracks the odometer closely. Failures run at 8.2% in the 0-30k band and 23.2% in the 150k+ band, a 15.0-point spread — more than double.
The hybrid cars hold up better: 7.9% fail against 18.7% for petrol, a 10.9-point gap across 101,018 tests.
Brakes is the most common advisory, noted on 24.5% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is improving — the fail rate fell from 17.6% in 2021 to 15.6% in 2025, as the worst-kept examples leave the fleet.
How it compares
By model year
Every Range Rover model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 106 | 80.2% | 19.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1981 | 117 | 85.5% | 14.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1982 | 114 | 85.1% | 14.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1983 | 210 | 80.5% | 19.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1984 | 258 | 81.8% | 18.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1985 | 254 | 83.9% | 16.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1986 | 321 | 85.0% | 14.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1987 | 438 | 81.3% | 18.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1988 | 746 | 82.0% | 18.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1989 | 854 | 83.5% | 16.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1990 | 978 | 81.8% | 18.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1991 | 1,097 | 83.2% | 16.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1992 | 1,100 | 80.8% | 19.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1993 | 1,988 | 80.5% | 19.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1994 | 2,311 | 79.9% | 20.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1995 | 2,259 | 78.2% | 21.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1996 | 2,911 | 79.1% | 20.8% | Brakes |
| 1997 | 3,835 | 77.7% | 22.3% | Suspension |
| 1998 | 4,560 | 77.2% | 22.8% | Brakes |
| 1999 | 4,873 | 77.6% | 22.4% | Brakes |
| 2000 | 6,521 | 78.9% | 21.1% | Brakes |
| 2001 | 8,301 | 78.3% | 21.7% | Brakes |
| 2002 | 10,519 | 76.6% | 23.4% | Suspension |
| 2003 | 16,860 | 74.8% | 25.2% | Suspension |
| 2004 | 20,118 | 75.7% | 24.3% | Suspension |
| 2005 | 18,774 | 76.9% | 23.1% | Brakes |
| 2006 | 21,892 | 77.0% | 23.0% | Suspension |
| 2007 | 24,528 | 78.6% | 21.3% | Suspension |
| 2008 | 16,803 | 79.4% | 20.6% | Suspension |
| 2009 | 16,667 | 79.8% | 20.2% | Suspension |
| 2010 | 20,930 | 80.8% | 19.2% | Suspension |
| 2011 | 24,007 | 79.8% | 20.2% | Suspension |
| 2012 | 27,659 | 82.1% | 17.9% | Suspension |
| 2013 | 54,686 | 84.8% | 15.2% | Suspension |
| 2014 | 34,090 | 86.5% | 13.5% | Tyres |
| 2015 | 36,107 | 87.0% | 13.1% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 31,635 | 86.5% | 13.5% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 30,930 | 88.4% | 11.6% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 30,594 | 90.9% | 9.1% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 22,243 | 91.5% | 8.5% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 11,964 | 91.5% | 8.5% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 7,143 | 92.2% | 7.8% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 5,343 | 92.0% | 8.0% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 485 | 95.3% | 4.7% | Tyres |
| 2024 | 146 | 98.0% | 2.1% | Brakes |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 6.6% | 34,699 |
| 2 | Brakes | 6.2% | 32,793 |
| 3 | Lighting & signalling | 4.2% | 22,318 |
| 4 | Tyres | 4.2% | 22,089 |
| 5 | Body, structure & corrosion | 3.2% | 16,778 |
| 6 | Visibility | 2.5% | 13,222 |
| 7 | Seat belts & restraints | 1.6% | 8,377 |
| 8 | Emissions & environmental | 1.6% | 8,408 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rigid brake pipes | 19,190 |
| 2 | Pins and bushes | 18,622 |
| 3 | Ball joint | 12,219 |
| 4 | Brake pads | 11,856 |
| 5 | Wipers | 9,843 |
| 6 | Headlamp aim | 9,734 |
| 7 | Joints | 8,972 |
| 8 | Ball joint dust cover | 7,968 |
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 | 24.5% | 129,373 |
| 2 | Suspension | 20.4% | 107,751 |
| 3 | Tyres | 18.8% | 99,389 |
| 4 | Emissions & environmental | 9.8% | 51,709 |
| 5 | Body, structure & corrosion | 6.8% | 35,675 |
| 6 | Other defects | 5.1% | 27,225 |
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 | 37,391 | 8.2% |
| 30-60k | 99,333 | 10.8% |
| 60-90k | 119,124 | 14.8% |
| 90-120k | 111,606 | 18.6% |
| 120-150k | 85,552 | 21.4% |
| 150k+ | 71,599 | 23.2% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 427,005 | 16.6% |
| Petrol | 88,619 | 18.7% |
| Hybrid | 12,399 | 7.9% |
| Gas/LPG | 219 | 20.5% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 109,942 | 17.6% |
| 2022 | 109,817 | 17.1% |
| 2023 | 106,017 | 16.7% |
| 2024 | 101,719 | 16.4% |
| 2025 | 100,791 | 15.6% |
What to check before buying a Land Rover Range Rover
- Suspension (6.6% 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 (6.2% 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.
- Lighting & signalling (4.2% 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?
83.3% of the 528,286 Land Rover Range Rover MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 16.7% fail rate, across model years 1980–2025.
What does the Land Rover Range Rover most often fail its MOT on?
Suspension, recorded in 6.6% of tests, then brakes (6.2%).
Which Range Rover years are best and worst for MOT results?
2021 has the best pass rate at 92.2% and 2003 the weakest at 74.8%, from 7,143 and 16,860 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Range Rover MOT results?
Fail rates run at 8.2% for cars in the 0-30k band and 23.2% for 150k+, a 15.0-point difference.
Is the hybrid or petrol Range Rover more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 7.9% of the time against 18.7% for the petrol. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 528,286 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.