Land RoverDefender MOT results

In 2025, 72.7% of Land Rover Defender MOT tests were passed first time, better than the 68.6% for cars of the same age. 5.5% had at least one dangerous defect (7.4% for cars the same age). The typical Land Rover Defender tested was 17 years old with 88,900 miles. Based on 118,777 initial MOT tests in Great Britain.

RegisterHow many Land Rover Defender cars are on the road

MOT records can't tell car and van versions apart, so these figures may include vans of this model. They are left out of the MOT rankings.

First-time pass: 72.7%no defects to fix
Cars the same age: 68.6%first-time pass
Fixed at the test: 4.7%passed after repair
Failed: 22.5%needed a retest
Dangerous defect: 5.5%same age 7.4%
Typical mileage: 88,900at the test

Great Britain · DVSA MOT tests · 2025

First-time pass rate by year first registered

Land Rover DefenderAll cars first registered that year

Year first registered	Tests	First-time pass	All cars
2023	452	97.3%	91.7%
2022	9,323	92.0%	88.5%
2021	8,189	91.0%	87.2%
2020	4,040	88.6%	85.9%
2016	1,674	83.2%	74.8%
2015	6,237	78.9%	71.8%
2014	5,544	75.6%	68.5%
2013	4,142	71.9%	65.6%
2012	3,703	71.3%	63.2%
2011	3,795	69.8%	61.0%
2010	3,773	68.5%	59.1%
2009	3,295	68.3%	58.1%
2008	3,533	68.5%	57.0%
2007	3,784	67.0%	57.2%
2006	3,624	66.6%	56.8%
2005	4,015	67.2%	57.5%
2004	4,098	64.5%	57.5%
2003	4,191	65.3%	58.5%
2002	3,679	66.0%	59.4%
2001	2,973	64.9%	60.9%
2000	2,861	64.6%	62.2%
1999	2,806	65.0%	64.2%
1998	3,296	64.8%	65.1%
1997	3,198	66.7%	66.4%
1996	3,306	65.6%	66.9%
1995	2,727	64.2%	67.6%
1994	2,186	64.0%	68.6%
1993	1,734	66.5%	68.6%
1992	1,426	65.4%	68.9%
1991	1,593	65.3%	71.7%
1990	1,527	68.4%	72.7%
1989	1,803	67.9%	73.4%
1988	1,412	65.0%	73.5%
1987	1,504	68.0%	74.3%
1986	1,574	68.1%	73.6%
1985	1,131	71.4%	76.1%
1984	405	72.8%	75.7%
1983	97	73.2%	78.4%

Years with fewer than 30 tests are left out.

Great Britain · DVSA MOT tests · 2025

By age at the test

Land Rover DefenderAll cars that age

Age	Tests	First-time pass	All cars	Typical miles
3-4 years	16,986	91.0%	87.4%	35,200
5-9 years	6,107	83.7%	79.1%	42,800
10-14 years	22,723	73.2%	65.7%	65,500
15-19 years	18,054	67.5%	57.6%	97,400
20-29 years	34,048	65.4%	59.6%	131,100
30-39 years	16,809	66.3%	71.3%	139,400
40+ years	1,128	73.6%	82.0%	125,100

Great Britain · DVSA MOT tests · 2025

Where they’re tested

Colour shows how common the Land Rover Defender is among cars tested in each area, against its share across Great Britain: 2× means twice as common as usual.

under 0.5×
0.5×–0.8×
0.8×–1.25×
1.25×–2×
2× or more
Fewer than 5 tests
None tested

Postcode area of the garage that did the test, not where the owner lives. Hover over or tap an area for its figures.

Postcode area	Region	Tests	Share	vs all cars	First-time pass
TN Tonbridge	South East	3,138	2.6%	2.0×	74.7%
EX Exeter	South West	2,826	2.4%	2.1×	57.2%
GL Gloucester	South West	2,567	2.2%	1.8×	69.4%
GU Guildford	South East	2,560	2.2%	1.6×	68.9%
PL Plymouth	South West	2,433	2.0%	2.0×	64.3%
PE Peterborough	East of England	2,394	2.0%	1.1×	75.4%
SY Shrewsbury	West Midlands	2,330	2.0%	2.9×	69.7%
LL Llandudno	Wales	2,240	1.9%	2.0×	70.3%
NR Norwich	East of England	2,195	1.8%	1.3×	70.5%
RG Reading	South East	2,100	1.8%	1.2×	78.5%
SA Swansea	Wales	2,098	1.8%	1.4×	66.2%
YO York	Yorkshire and the Humber	2,069	1.7%	1.8×	77.4%
OX Oxford	South East	2,037	1.7%	1.5×	73.8%
BA Bath	South West	1,972	1.7%	2.0×	61.8%
IP Ipswich	East of England	1,958	1.6%	1.4×	70.2%
CM Chelmsford	East of England	1,883	1.6%	1.3×	82.3%
SO Southampton	South East	1,805	1.5%	1.2×	69.9%
S Sheffield	Yorkshire and the Humber	1,793	1.5%	0.7×	82.0%
LE Leicester	East Midlands	1,790	1.5%	0.9×	76.6%
TA Taunton	South West	1,772	1.5%	2.3×	62.6%
RH Redhill	South East	1,720	1.4%	1.4×	72.2%
DE Derby	East Midlands	1,719	1.4%	1.1×	76.6%
B Birmingham	West Midlands	1,706	1.4%	0.5×	79.4%
CV Coventry	West Midlands	1,563	1.3%	0.9×	81.0%
SN Swindon	South West	1,556	1.3%	1.5×	69.6%
TR Truro	South West	1,490	1.3%	2.1×	65.4%
NG Nottingham	East Midlands	1,444	1.2%	0.7×	77.1%
LA Lancaster	North West	1,431	1.2%	2.2×	66.9%
SK Stockport	North West	1,429	1.2%	1.2×	67.0%
PO Portsmouth	South East	1,415	1.2%	0.8×	68.8%
BS Bristol	South West	1,414	1.2%	0.7×	66.0%
BH Bournemouth	South West	1,413	1.2%	1.1×	65.0%
NE Newcastle upon Tyne	North East	1,384	1.2%	0.7×	77.2%
TQ Torquay	South West	1,369	1.2%	2.3×	56.5%
NN Northampton	East Midlands	1,367	1.2%	0.8×	74.3%
AB Aberdeen	Scotland	1,357	1.1%	1.5×	68.4%
CA Carlisle	North West	1,327	1.1%	1.9×	67.1%
HR Hereford	West Midlands	1,326	1.1%	3.0×	74.9%
ST Stoke-on-Trent	West Midlands	1,325	1.1%	1.0×	71.8%
SP Salisbury	South West	1,286	1.1%	2.3×	63.2%
DT Dorchester	South West	1,262	1.1%	2.7×	58.5%
WR Worcester	West Midlands	1,259	1.1%	1.8×	71.8%
DL Darlington	North East	1,193	1.0%	1.7×	72.5%
HP Hemel Hempstead	South East	1,185	1.0%	1.0×	77.0%
BN Brighton	South East	1,161	1.0%	0.8×	65.7%
EH Edinburgh	Scotland	1,142	1.0%	0.8×	76.1%
CO Colchester	East of England	1,135	1.0%	1.2×	73.4%
PH Perth	Scotland	1,081	0.9%	3.1×	59.9%
CF Cardiff	Wales	1,037	0.9%	0.5×	73.5%
SG Stevenage	East of England	1,032	0.9%	1.2×	80.1%
CH Chester	North West	1,024	0.9%	0.8×	70.2%
MK Milton Keynes	South East	1,008	0.8%	0.8×	80.1%
BB Blackburn	North West	1,005	0.8%	1.0×	80.1%
IV Inverness	Scotland	986	0.8%	1.9×	72.8%
BD Bradford	Yorkshire and the Humber	980	0.8%	0.9×	76.0%
ME Rochester	South East	960	0.8%	0.8×	77.1%
HG Harrogate	Yorkshire and the Humber	958	0.8%	2.9×	77.7%
LS Leeds	Yorkshire and the Humber	931	0.8%	0.7×	78.2%
PR Preston	North West	926	0.8%	0.9×	75.4%
CB Cambridge	East of England	924	0.8%	1.1×	73.7%
NP Newport	Wales	922	0.8%	0.9×	73.0%
CW Crewe	North West	914	0.8%	1.3×	74.3%
CT Canterbury	South East	871	0.7%	1.0×	73.0%
G Glasgow	Scotland	807	0.7%	0.4×	81.5%
DN Doncaster	Yorkshire and the Humber	789	0.7%	0.5×	82.1%
LN Lincoln	East Midlands	765	0.6%	1.1×	68.9%
WA Warrington	North West	760	0.6%	0.6×	84.3%
KT Kingston upon Thames	London	668	0.6%	0.7×	82.9%
TS Teesside	North East	664	0.6%	0.6×	81.9%
WF Wakefield	Yorkshire and the Humber	656	0.6%	0.6×	80.6%
SS Southend-on-Sea	East of England	651	0.5%	0.6×	87.9%
SL Slough	South East	591	0.5%	0.7×	81.4%
DY Dudley	West Midlands	587	0.5%	0.7×	74.1%
DG Dumfries	Scotland	557	0.5%	2.0×	66.8%
HD Huddersfield	Yorkshire and the Humber	541	0.5%	1.1×	69.3%
L Liverpool	North West	541	0.5%	0.4×	82.1%
M Manchester	North West	527	0.4%	0.3×	86.0%
TD Galashiels	Scotland	513	0.4%	2.3×	68.0%
HU Hull	Yorkshire and the Humber	511	0.4%	0.6×	75.7%
LD Llandrindod Wells	Wales	501	0.4%	4.9×	69.1%
WS Walsall	West Midlands	500	0.4%	0.6×	79.4%
DD Dundee	Scotland	483	0.4%	1.0×	73.7%
KY Kirkcaldy	Scotland	483	0.4%	0.7×	65.2%
TF Telford	West Midlands	467	0.4%	1.0×	77.3%
PA Paisley	Scotland	464	0.4%	0.9×	76.3%
HX Halifax	Yorkshire and the Humber	459	0.4%	1.6×	80.4%
FK Falkirk	Scotland	452	0.4%	0.9×	71.9%
TW Twickenham	London	444	0.4%	0.5×	81.1%
KA Kilmarnock	Scotland	438	0.4%	0.7×	74.9%
DH Durham	North East	430	0.4%	0.7×	85.3%
BL Bolton	North West	424	0.4%	0.5×	83.7%
WV Wolverhampton	West Midlands	421	0.4%	0.5×	79.6%
SW London SW	London	409	0.3%	0.8×	83.4%
AL St Albans	East of England	399	0.3%	0.8×	76.7%
EN Enfield	London	398	0.3%	0.6×	86.7%
OL Oldham	North West	369	0.3%	0.5×	78.0%
ML Motherwell	Scotland	355	0.3%	0.6×	79.7%
DA Dartford	South East	352	0.3%	0.4×	86.6%
LU Luton	East of England	291	0.2%	0.4×	82.8%
WD Watford	East of England	281	0.2%	0.6×	73.3%
FY Blackpool	North West	274	0.2%	0.5×	71.2%
NW London NW	London	245	0.2%	0.3×	87.8%
RM Romford	London	239	0.2%	0.3×	87.9%
WN Wigan	North West	233	0.2%	0.4×	87.1%
CR Croydon	London	203	0.2%	0.3×	82.3%
SE London SE	London	189	0.2%	0.2×	82.5%
KW Kirkwall	Scotland	188	0.2%	1.9×	67.0%
W London W	London	177	0.1%	0.6×	74.6%
N London N	London	167	0.1%	0.2×	88.0%
UB Southall	London	166	0.1%	0.2×	88.0%
E London E	London	134	0.1%	0.1×	86.6%
BR Bromley	London	128	0.1%	0.3×	83.6%
IG Ilford	London	119	0.1%	0.2×	85.7%
HA Harrow	London	116	<0.1%	0.2×	90.5%
SR Sunderland	North East	105	<0.1%	0.3×	82.9%
HS Outer Hebrides	Scotland	98	<0.1%	1.8×	71.4%
ZE Shetland	Scotland	76	<0.1%	1.7×	84.2%
SM Sutton	London	68	<0.1%	0.3×	83.8%

Region	Tests	Share	vs all cars	First-time pass
Scotland	9,480	8.0%	1.0×	71.3%
North East	3,776	3.2%	0.8×	77.6%
North West	11,184	9.4%	0.8×	74.1%
Yorkshire and the Humber	9,687	8.2%	0.9×	78.4%
Wales	6,798	5.7%	1.2×	69.8%
West Midlands	11,484	9.7%	1.0×	75.1%
East Midlands	7,085	6.0%	0.9×	75.4%
East of England	13,143	11.1%	1.1×	75.7%
London	3,870	3.3%	0.3×	84.2%
South East	20,903	17.6%	1.1×	73.6%
South West	21,360	18.0%	1.7×	63.3%

Great Britain · DVSA MOT tests · 2025

Where they fail

Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against cars of the same age.

Land Rover DefenderCars the same age

Lights and electrics14.4%14.0%
Suspension7.8%10.8%
Brakes7.2%8.5%
Body and structure6.2%5.9%
Steering6.0%2.8%
Visibility (wipers, glass, mirrors)5.4%5.5%
Emissions and leaks2.3%4.6%
Tyres2.0%5.2%
Seat belts and airbags1.6%1.7%

A test can fail in more than one area. Failures fixed during the test are included.

Great Britain · DVSA MOT tests · 2025

Most common failures

The 10 defects that failed Land Rover Defender tests most often, as a share of all tests.

Failure	Tests	Cars the same age	vs same age	Marked dangerous
Position lamp: not working Lights and electrics	3.1%	3.2%	1.0×	0.0%
Stop lamp: not working Lights and electrics	2.2%	2.3%	1.0×	0.0%
Shock absorbers: has an excessively worn bush Suspension	2.1%	0.2%	11×	0.0%
Rear fog lamp: not working Lights and electrics	2.1%	1.1%	1.9×	0.0%
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility (wipers, glass, mirrors)	1.9%	2.3%	0.8×	0.0%
Headlamp aim: too high Lights and electrics	1.6%	1.1%	1.5×	0.0%
Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded Brakes	1.6%	1.0%	1.6×	0.0%
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility (wipers, glass, mirrors)	1.5%	1.6%	0.9×	0.0%
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Lights and electrics	1.4%	1.2%	1.2×	0.0%
Headlamp aim: too low Lights and electrics	1.4%	1.4%	1.0×	0.0%

“vs same age” compares this model with cars of the same age: 2.0× means twice as often. “Marked dangerous” is how often the tester recorded that failure as dangerous.

Great Britain · DVSA MOT tests · 2025

Most common advisories

Things the tester noted to watch, which don’t fail the test.

Advisory	Tests
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive	15.1%
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material	10.8%
Condition: webbing slightly damaged or frayed	8.6%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	6.7%
Wheel bearings: has slight play	6.0%
Shock absorbers: has a slightly worn bush	5.6%
Transmission oil leaks: leak, but not excessive	5.4%
Condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing	5.4%
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge	5.1%
Brake pads: wearing thin	4.3%

Great Britain · DVSA MOT tests · 2025

By fuel

Fuel	Tests	First-time pass
Diesel	111,892	71.9%
Petrol	5,433	85.2%
Hybrid	1,322	91.1%
Gas	84	75.0%
Electric	45	64.4%

Fuels with fewer than 30 tests are left out. Different fuels often mean different ages, so compare with care.

MOT results for every model