Land Rover Discovery
From 276,193 MOT tests. Above average for its class.
Common MOT failure categories
Pass rate by registration year
Newer Discoverys fare better: 2020 models pass at 91.5% vs 72.2% for 1993.
Pass rate by fuel type
What goes wrong?
The most common MOT failure reasons are a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded and a rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources. The top issue, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, caused 14,837 failures in 2024. Checking tread depth (1.6mm legal minimum, 3mm recommended) before your test can save an unnecessary fail. You can check prices at Black Circles if you need replacements. If you need repairs before retesting, sites like BookMyGarage let you compare local prices.
| a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn | 14,837 |
| brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded | 4,948 |
| a rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources | 3,805 |
| a lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning | 3,554 |
| the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements | 3,437 |
| a tyre seriously damaged | 3,355 |
| a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm | 3,336 |
| body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point | 3,121 |
| vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced | 2,979 |
| a suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 2,922 |
How serious are these failures?
Not all MOT failures are equal. 57.2% of Discovery failures are safety items (worn brakes, tyre damage, steering play). The car still drives, but you shouldn't. Only 6.4% are the kind that would actually strand you. When it does fail, the average repair bill is around £133.
The warranty question
A new Discovery passes its MOT 91.5% of the time. By 7 years old that drops to 85.1%, a 6.4 percentage point fall, right as the manufacturer warranty runs out. At 10 years it's down to 80.4%. With an average repair bill of £133 when things go wrong, an extended warranty can make sense on a Discovery that's past its third birthday.
Fuel type matters
Diesel versions pass at 79.7% while LP versions pass at 73.4%, a 6 percentage point gap.
Land Rover Discovery on UK roads
The fleet is growing: 11,701 newly registered in the past year with 9,559 leaving, a net gain of 2,142. Currently at its highest numbers ever.
Quarterly breakdown
| Quarter | On road | SORN | New | Gone | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Q3 | 272,191 | 63,828 | +2,068 | -1,788 | +280 |
| 2025 Q2 | 272,889 | 62,850 | +2,607 | -1,380 | +1,227 |
| 2025 Q1 | 272,384 | 62,128 | +4,106 | -3,054 | +1,052 |
| 2024 Q4 | 272,139 | 61,321 | +2,920 | -3,337 | -417 |
| 2024 Q3 | 272,492 | 61,385 | +2,622 | -2,883 | -261 |
| 2024 Q2 | 273,084 | 61,054 | +2,356 | -1,834 | +522 |
| 2024 Q1 | 273,346 | 60,270 | +3,615 | -2,054 | +1,561 |
| 2023 Q4 | 273,259 | 58,796 | +2,522 | -1,053 | +1,469 |
20 variants on the road
| Variant | Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery Hse Sdv6 Auto | Diesel | 17,735 | 13% |
| Discovery Sport Hse Td4 Auto | Diesel | 16,320 | 12% |
| Discovery Sport Se Tech Td4 A | Diesel | 10,779 | 8% |
| Disco-Y Sport Black Hse Td4 A | Diesel | 9,658 | 7% |
| Disco-Y Sport Luxury Hse Td4 A | Diesel | 7,716 | 6% |
| Discovery Sport Landmark Td4 A | Diesel | 7,629 | 6% |
| Discovery Xs Sdv6 Auto | Diesel | 6,234 | 5% |
| Discovery Dynamic Hse D Mhev A | Diesel | 5,983 | 4% |
| Discovery Sport Se Tech Td4 | Diesel | 5,922 | 4% |
| Discovery Hse Td6 Auto | Diesel | 5,285 | 4% |
| Discovery R-Dynam Hse D Mhev A | Diesel | 4,413 | 3% |
| Discovery Hse Tdv6 Auto | Diesel | 4,327 | 3% |
| Discovery Td5 Gs | Diesel | 4,253 | 3% |
| Discovery Luxury Hse Td6 Auto | Diesel | 4,174 | 3% |
| Discovery 3 Tdv6 Auto | Diesel | 4,077 | 3% |
| Discovery Landmark Sdv6 Auto | Diesel | 3,994 | 3% |
| Discovery Spt Dyn Se D Mhev A | Diesel | 3,958 | 3% |
| Discovery Tdv6 Hse A | Diesel | 3,861 | 3% |
| Discovery Sport Hse Sd4 Auto | Diesel | 3,479 | 3% |
| Discovery Sport R-Dyn Se D A | Diesel | 3,286 | 2% |
Source: DfT vehicle licensing statistics, 2025 Q3. Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.
By registration year
| Year | Pass rate | Top failures |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 91.5% | a tyre seriously damaged, seat belt not functioning as intended or of an incorrect type |
| 2019 | 89.6% | a tyre seriously damaged, wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen |
| 2018 | 90.8% | a tyre seriously damaged, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2017 | 88.8% | a tyre seriously damaged, a suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
27 earlier years
| 2016 | 85.1% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded |
| 2015 | 84.2% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded |
| 2014 | 83.5% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded |
| 2013 | 80.4% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded |
| 2012 | 80.2% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded |
| 2011 | 80% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded |
| 2010 | 79.1% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded |
| 2009 | 76.3% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded |
| 2008 | 75.3% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning |
| 2007 | 73.8% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning |
| 2006 | 72.3% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning |
| 2005 | 73.2% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning |
| 2004 | 72.8% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 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 |
| 2003 | 72.8% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 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 |
| 2002 | 71.2% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point |
| 2001 | 69.9% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced |
| 2000 | 71.4% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point |
| 1999 | 70.2% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point |
| 1998 | 72.3% | body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point, vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced |
| 1997 | 75.8% | body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point, the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any seat belt anchorage (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired |
| 1996 | 74.5% | body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point, the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any seat belt anchorage (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired |
| 1995 | 72.3% | the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any seat belt anchorage (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point |
| 1994 | 76% | body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point, the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements |
| 1993 | 72.2% | body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point, vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced |
| 1992 | 76.3% | body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point, vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced |
| 1991 | 71.2% | vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, a headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of led |
| 1990 | 78.7% | emissions levels exceed default limits, service brake efficiency below minimum requirement |
Typical mileage
Half of all Discoverys tested had between 125,413 and 171,195 miles on the clock. A significant number are high-mileage vehicles.
At 145,047 median miles, the Discovery has 0.014 failures per 10,000 miles driven.
Other Land Rover models
Common questions
What is the Land Rover Discovery MOT pass rate?
The Land Rover Discovery has a 79.7% MOT pass rate based on 276,193 real MOT tests. This is above the national average.
What are common MOT failures on a Land Rover Discovery?
The most common MOT failure on the Land Rover Discovery is a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, which caused 14,837 failures. Other common issues include brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded.
How many Land Rover Discoverys are on UK roads?
There are 272,191 Land Rover Discoverys currently licensed on UK roads, with 63,828 on SORN.
What is the typical mileage of a Land Rover Discovery at MOT?
The median mileage at MOT for a Land Rover Discovery is 145,047 miles. The middle 50% of vehicles tested have between 125,413 and 171,195 miles.
Buying a used Discovery?
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 79.7% pass rate and an average repair bill of £133 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.