In 2025, 124,193 Land Rover Discovery cars had a regular MOT in Great Britain. 73% passed first time, compared with 66% for all cars of the same ages, which makes the Discovery better than average. Adjusted for age, it ranks 29 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 6 years old, 86% of Discoverys passed first time (all cars that age: 84%). By 20 years, that figure is 65% (all cars: 58%). It beats the average car at every age with enough data, from 7 to 20 years.
Land Rover Discovery All cars of that age
| Age | Tests | Discovery passed first time | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 years | 2,144 | 86% | 84% | 69,271 |
| 7 years | 8,447 | 86% | 81% | 73,185 |
| 8 years | 9,713 | 82% | 78% | 78,269 |
| 9 years | 9,564 | 80% | 75% | 90,869 |
| 10 years | 9,024 | 80% | 72% | 102,881 |
| 11 years | 7,277 | 77% | 69% | 111,605 |
| 12 years | 6,165 | 74% | 66% | 121,705 |
| 13 years | 6,470 | 73% | 63% | 127,482 |
| 14 years | 5,703 | 71% | 61% | 134,410 |
| 15 years | 5,906 | 70% | 59% | 140,406 |
| 16 years | 4,737 | 67% | 58% | 145,290 |
| 17 years | 4,294 | 65% | 57% | 151,037 |
| 18 years | 5,637 | 64% | 57% | 154,824 |
| 19 years | 6,560 | 62% | 57% | 162,099 |
| 20 years | 6,727 | 65% | 58% | 165,271 |
What fails most on a Land Rover Discovery
The area that lets the Discovery down most, relative to other cars, is body and structure: 9.4% of tests failed on it, 2.3 times the rate for the average car. It does comparatively well on emissions and leaks and tyres.
Share of Discovery tests failing on this area Average car
The six most common failure items
| Failure item | Area | Share of tests |
|---|---|---|
| A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn | Suspension | 8.6% |
| The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements | Lights and electrics | 3.4% |
| A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning | Lights and electrics | 3.0% |
| Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded | Brakes | 2.5% |
| A tyre seriously damaged | Tyres | 2.2% |
| A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm | Brakes | 2.1% |
What to check when buying a used Discovery
Based on where the Discovery fails more often than other cars, these are the checks worth making before you buy:
- 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
- Brakes: Look through the wheels for lipped or scored discs, check the handbrake holds on a slope, and feel for pulling or vibration under firm braking. Repair guide
- Steering: Feel for play or knocking through the wheel, and check power-steering fluid isn’t leaking. More
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 Discovery
Enter the registration to see its full MOT history, mileage record and reliability score, compared with these figures.
Check a DiscoveryFrequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a Land Rover Discovery?
In 2025, 73% of Land Rover Discovery cars passed their MOT first time, across 124,193 tests. Cars of the same ages averaged 66%.
What do Land Rover Discovery cars most often fail their MOT on?
The most common failure items were: a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn (8.6% of tests); the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements (3.4% of tests); a lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning (3.0% of tests).
Other Land Rover models
Land Rover Range Rover Evoque (80%), Land Rover Freelander (65%), Land Rover Range Rover Sport (80%), Land Rover Defender (69%), 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.