In 2025, 97,472 Land Rover Defender cars had a regular MOT in Great Britain. 69% passed first time, compared with 64% for all cars of the same ages, which makes the Defender better than average. Adjusted for age, it ranks 60 of the 217 most-tested car models.
That comparison matters: older cars fail more often, so a raw pass rate flatters models that are mostly young. We compare each model against every car on the road at the same age.
Pass rate by age
At 9 years old, 84% of Defenders passed first time (all cars that age: 75%). By 20 years, that figure is 67% (all cars: 58%). It beats the average car at every age with enough data, from 9 to 20 years.
Land Rover Defender All cars of that age
| Age | Tests | Defender passed first time | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 years | 1,762 | 84% | 75% | 38,415 |
| 10 years | 6,465 | 79% | 72% | 52,600 |
| 11 years | 5,676 | 76% | 69% | 62,943 |
| 12 years | 4,228 | 72% | 66% | 69,910 |
| 13 years | 3,766 | 72% | 63% | 74,770 |
| 14 years | 3,851 | 70% | 61% | 85,023 |
| 15 years | 3,817 | 68% | 59% | 87,214 |
| 16 years | 3,341 | 68% | 58% | 92,622 |
| 17 years | 3,579 | 68% | 57% | 99,539 |
| 18 years | 3,813 | 67% | 57% | 104,989 |
| 19 years | 3,659 | 67% | 57% | 109,988 |
| 20 years | 4,040 | 67% | 58% | 116,344 |
What fails most on a Land Rover Defender
The area that lets the Defender down most, relative to other cars, is steering: 10.2% of tests failed on it, 4.6 times the rate for the average car. It does comparatively well on tyres and emissions and leaks.
Share of Defender tests failing on this area Average car
The six most common failure items
| Failure item | Area | Share of tests |
|---|---|---|
| The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements | Lights and electrics | 6.3% |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | Steering | 4.8% |
| A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning | Lights and electrics | 4.4% |
| Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen | Visibility | 3.9% |
| A shock absorber bush excessively worn | Suspension | 3.9% |
| Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen | Visibility | 3.1% |
What to check when buying a used Defender
Based on where the Defender fails more often than other cars, these are the checks worth making before you buy:
- Steering: Feel for play or knocking through the wheel, and check power-steering fluid isn’t leaking. More
- Body and structure: Get underneath with a torch: sills, jacking points, subframe mounts and floor pans. Structural rust is the failure that can make a car uneconomic to fix. Repair guide
- Lights and electrics: Walk round with the lights on: headlights (dipped and main), indicators, brake lights, number-plate and fog lights. Bulbs are cheap, but a seller who hasn’t noticed one out may have missed more. Repair guide
Then check the individual car: its own MOT history will show whether it follows the pattern. A car with repeated advisories in the same weak area is more likely to fail its next test.
Check a specific Defender
Enter the registration to see its full MOT history, mileage record and reliability score, compared with these figures.
Check a DefenderFrequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a Land Rover Defender?
In 2025, 69% of Land Rover Defender cars passed their MOT first time, across 97,472 tests. Cars of the same ages averaged 64%.
What do Land Rover Defender cars most often fail their MOT on?
The most common failure items were: the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements (6.3% of tests); steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc (4.8% of tests); a lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning (4.4% of tests).
Other Land Rover models
Land Rover Range Rover Evoque (80%), Land Rover Discovery (73%), Land Rover Freelander (65%), Land Rover Range Rover Sport (80%), Land Rover Discovery Sport (81%), Land Rover Range Rover (78%). All Land Rover models
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 (class 4 normal tests; first-time pass means passed with no faults fixed at the test). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.