Land Rover Sport MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 14 model years and 1,609 tests, the Land Rover Sport passes its MOT 83.3% of the time. That is 4.3 percentage points better than all cars of a similar age, which fail at 21.1%. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, brakes and tyres.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (6.0%) and brakes (6.0%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are pins and bushes, brake pads and rigid brake pipes — pins and bushes alone was recorded 50 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 30-60k one: 19.8% versus 15.2%.
Brakes is the most common advisory, noted on 24.2% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is improving — the fail rate fell from 18.5% in 2021 to 15.9% in 2025, as the worst-kept examples leave the fleet.
How it compares
By model year
Every Sport model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 69 | 81.2% | 18.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 166 | 78.9% | 21.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 123 | 81.3% | 18.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 72 | 79.2% | 20.8% | Suspension |
| 2010 | 56 | 78.6% | 21.4% | Tyres |
| 2011 | 83 | 83.1% | 16.9% | Brakes |
| 2012 | 74 | 79.7% | 20.3% | Brakes |
| 2014 | 845 | 85.8% | 14.2% | Tyres |
| 2015 | 63 | 82.5% | 17.5% | Brakes |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 6.0% | 97 |
| 2 | Brakes | 6.0% | 96 |
| 3 | Tyres | 5.5% | 88 |
| 4 | Suspension | 5.1% | 82 |
| 5 | Visibility | 2.5% | 41 |
| 6 | Seat belts & restraints | 2.3% | 37 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 2.2% | 36 |
| 8 | Emissions & environmental | 1.4% | 23 |
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 | 50 |
| 2 | Brake pads | 44 |
| 3 | Rigid brake pipes | 39 |
| 4 | Headlamp | 32 |
| 5 | Position lamp | 30 |
| 6 | Headlamp aim | 30 |
| 7 | SRS malfunction indicator lamp | 29 |
| 8 | Washers | 23 |
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 | 24.2% | 390 |
| 2 | Tyres | 22.5% | 362 |
| 3 | Suspension | 17.8% | 287 |
| 4 | Emissions & environmental | 8.8% | 141 |
| 5 | Body, structure & corrosion | 6.2% | 99 |
| 6 | Other defects | 4.9% | 78 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 30-60k | 210 | 15.2% |
| 60-90k | 551 | 16.5% |
| 90-120k | 472 | 16.5% |
| 120-150k | 259 | 18.5% |
| 150k+ | 101 | 19.8% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 1,535 | 16.6% |
| Petrol | 74 | 20.3% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 379 | 18.5% |
| 2022 | 334 | 15.6% |
| 2023 | 317 | 15.5% |
| 2024 | 302 | 17.9% |
| 2025 | 277 | 15.9% |
What to check before buying a Land Rover Sport
- Lighting & signalling (6.0% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (6.0% 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.
- Tyres (5.5% 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.
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 Sport?
83.3% of the 1,609 Land Rover Sport MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 16.7% fail rate, across model years 2003–2016.
What does the Land Rover Sport most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 6.0% of tests, then brakes (6.0%).
How much does mileage affect Sport MOT results?
Fail rates run at 15.2% for cars in the 30-60k band and 19.8% for 150k+, a 4.6-point difference.
Methodology & source. Based on 1,609 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.