Land Rover common problems and MOT failures

From 2,020,259 MOT tests in 2024, 16.6% of Land Rover vehicles failed. Below are the most common reasons, ranked by how often they occur.

Top Land Rover MOT failure reasons

#	Problem	Occurrences	% of failures
1	suspension pin, bush or joint worn	45,215	20.5%
2	tyre seriously damaged	29,076	13.2%
3	brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm	23,917	10.9%
4	brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded	19,963	9.1%
5	tyre tread depth outside legal limits	19,384	8.8%
6	the aim of a headlamp is not within limits the requirements	18,102	8.2%
7	wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen	17,398	7.9%
8	suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc	16,437	7.5%
9	lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning	16,001	7.3%
10	tyre cords visible or damaged	14,582	6.6%

What this means if you're buying a Land Rover

The single most common MOT failure for Land Rover is suspension pin, bush or joint worn, accounting for 21% of all failure items. Suspension repairs typically cost £150–£400 depending on the component.

These figures are from real MOT inspections. They show what testers actually find wrong with Land Rover vehicles. If you're viewing a used Land Rover, it's worth checking these areas specifically.

Land Rover models by MOT pass rate

Lowest pass rates first. These models have the most testable issues.

Model	Tests	Pass rate
90	763	72.6%
Freelander	220,735	73.8%
110	896	73.8%
Defender	205,902	74.2%
88	2,605	75%
Series 3	309	76.1%
109	491	79.4%
Discovery	276,193	79.7%
Unclassified	4,559	81%
Discovery Sport S D 4X2	1,627	81.9%
Sport	678	82.3%
Discovery Sport D 4X2	499	82.4%
Discovery S Sd4 Auto	375	83.2%
Vogue	211	83.4%
Range Rover Velar R-Dyn Se A	453	83.9%

Buying a specific Land Rover? Check the individual vehicle's MOT history for free on GOV.UK to see its actual test results, advisories, and mileage readings.

Check MOT history on GOV.UK