Land Rover Defender
From 205,902 MOT tests. Average for its class.
Common MOT failure categories
Pass rate by registration year
Newer Defenders fare better: 2021 models pass at 95.3% vs 75.1% for 1984.
Pass rate by fuel type
What goes wrong?
The most common MOT failure reasons are steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements and a shock absorber bush excessively worn. The top issue, steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, caused 7,074 failures in 2024. If you need repairs before retesting, sites like BookMyGarage let you compare local prices.
| steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 7,074 |
| the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements | 6,299 |
| a shock absorber bush excessively worn | 5,529 |
| a lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning | 5,009 |
| the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired | 4,830 |
| windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen | 4,669 |
| a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn | 4,533 |
| brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded | 4,509 |
| a steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 4,402 |
| wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen | 3,773 |
How serious are these failures?
Not all MOT failures are equal. 36.1% of failures are serious: 26.6% are safety issues (brakes, steering, tyre damage) and 9.5% could actually leave you stranded. That's close to the 44.4% average across all models. When it does fail, the average repair bill is around £105.
Fuel type matters
Electric versions pass at 85.4% while Diesel versions pass at 74.1%, a 11 percentage point gap.
Land Rover Defender on UK roads
The fleet is growing: 17,179 newly registered in the past year with 978 leaving, a net gain of 16,201. Currently at its highest numbers ever.
Quarterly breakdown
| Quarter | On road | SORN | New | Gone | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Q3 | 149,805 | 28,550 | +3,283 | -119 | +3,164 |
| 2025 Q2 | 146,952 | 28,239 | +4,563 | -186 | +4,377 |
| 2025 Q1 | 142,605 | 28,209 | +5,678 | -328 | +5,350 |
| 2024 Q4 | 138,349 | 27,115 | +3,655 | -345 | +3,310 |
| 2024 Q3 | 135,925 | 26,229 | +4,196 | -475 | +3,721 |
| 2024 Q2 | 132,707 | 25,726 | +3,468 | -353 | +3,115 |
| 2024 Q1 | 129,727 | 25,591 | +5,894 | -662 | +5,232 |
| 2023 Q4 | 125,042 | 25,044 | +3,805 | -220 | +3,585 |
20 variants on the road
| Variant | Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defender Xdynamic Hse D Mhev A | Diesel | 15,049 | 16% |
| Defender 90 Td5 | Petrol | 8,494 | 9% |
| Defender X-Dynamic Se D Mhev A | Diesel | 7,645 | 8% |
| 90 Defender Tdi | Gas | 7,567 | 8% |
| Defender 110 Xs Td D/C | Petrol | 6,329 | 7% |
| Defender Hdtp Xdyn Hse Dmhev A | Diesel | 5,530 | 6% |
| Defender 90 Hard Top Td | Petrol | 5,333 | 6% |
| Defender 90 Xs Td | Diesel | 4,796 | 5% |
| Defender 90 County Td5 | Petrol | 4,578 | 5% |
| Defender Hard Top D Mhev Auto | Diesel | 4,085 | 4% |
| Defender 110 Td5 | Diesel | 4,030 | 4% |
| 90 Defender Turbo Dies | Petrol | 3,187 | 3% |
| Defender X-Dynamic Hse Phev A | Plug-In Hybrid Electric (Petrol) | 2,522 | 3% |
| Defender Xs Edition D Mhev A | Diesel | 2,520 | 3% |
| Defender Hard Top Se D Mhev A | Diesel | 2,357 | 2% |
| Defender Hse D Mhev Auto | Diesel | 2,204 | 2% |
| Defender 90 Hard Top | Diesel | 2,137 | 2% |
| Defender 110 County Td5 | Petrol | 2,069 | 2% |
| 110 Defender Tdi | Petrol | 2,030 | 2% |
| Defender Se D Mhev Auto | Diesel | 1,985 | 2% |
Source: DfT vehicle licensing statistics, 2025 Q3. Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.
By registration year
| Year | Pass rate | Top failures |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 95.3% | a tyre seriously damaged, parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement |
| 2020 | 97.1% | number plate does not conform to the specified requirements |
| 2016 | 86% | a shock absorber bush excessively worn, a lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning |
| 2015 | 84.2% | a shock absorber bush excessively worn, brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded |
32 earlier years
| 2014 | 81.2% | a shock absorber bush excessively worn, brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded |
| 2013 | 78.9% | a shock absorber bush excessively worn, a lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning |
| 2012 | 78.3% | a shock absorber bush excessively worn, steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2011 | 75.9% | a shock absorber bush excessively worn, brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded |
| 2010 | 75.8% | brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2009 | 74.9% | steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn |
| 2008 | 75.4% | brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2007 | 75.4% | steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded |
| 2006 | 74.8% | a steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2005 | 73.3% | brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2004 | 74.5% | steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, a shock absorber bush excessively worn |
| 2003 | 72.4% | steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, a shock absorber bush excessively worn |
| 2002 | 73% | steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements |
| 2001 | 71.4% | steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired |
| 2000 | 71.4% | steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired |
| 1999 | 71.5% | the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 1998 | 71.8% | the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 1997 | 71.7% | the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 1996 | 70.2% | steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired |
| 1995 | 70.4% | the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements |
| 1994 | 70% | steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired |
| 1993 | 71.1% | the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 1992 | 71% | the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced |
| 1991 | 72% | the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements |
| 1990 | 71.3% | the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired |
| 1989 | 70.4% | the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, an obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning |
| 1988 | 70.4% | the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, a direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning |
| 1987 | 72.7% | a lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements |
| 1986 | 72.9% | the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, a direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning |
| 1985 | 75.7% | the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced |
| 1984 | 75.1% | an obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, a lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning |
| 1983 | 79.6% | the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, a headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of led |
Typical mileage
Half of all Defenders tested had between 83,253 and 152,112 miles on the clock. A significant number are high-mileage vehicles.
At 112,533 median miles, the Defender has 0.023 failures per 10,000 miles driven.
Other Land Rover models
Common questions
What is the Land Rover Defender MOT pass rate?
The Land Rover Defender has a 74.2% MOT pass rate based on 205,902 real MOT tests. This is around the national average.
What are common MOT failures on a Land Rover Defender?
The most common MOT failure on the Land Rover Defender is steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, which caused 7,074 failures. Other common issues include the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements.
How many Land Rover Defenders are on UK roads?
There are 149,805 Land Rover Defenders currently licensed on UK roads, with 28,550 on SORN.
What is the typical mileage of a Land Rover Defender at MOT?
The median mileage at MOT for a Land Rover Defender is 112,533 miles. The middle 50% of vehicles tested have between 83,253 and 152,112 miles.
Buying a used Defender?
Start with the free tools. Look up the specific vehicle's MOT history on GOV.UK The mileage at each test will show if it's been wound back, and the advisory history tells you what's wearing. Cross-reference that against the typical failures above to see if anything looks unusual for this model.
The free data won't tell you about outstanding finance, theft markers, or write-off history. For that, you need a vehicle history check This is especially important on a private sale where you have fewer legal protections.
With a 74.2% pass rate and an average repair bill of £105 when things go wrong, budget accordingly.
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MOT data from DVSA anonymised test results, 2024 test year. Fleet data from DfT vehicle licensing statistics. Crown copyright, OGL v3.0. MOT pass rates are statistical summaries of test outcomes, not assessments of individual vehicle safety or condition. Always inspect a vehicle and check its full MOT history before purchasing. See terms of use.