UK vehicle statistics / Land Rover

How many Land Rover Discovery cars are left?

At the end of 2026 Q1, DfT recorded 277,313 licensed and 68,977 SORN vehicles in the UK within the Land Rover Discovery generic-model group.

Looking at a Discovery?

Population figures cannot tell you whether one particular car is taxed, MOT-valid or safe to buy.

Check its registration free for the official tax, MOT and mileage record. If the car is still worth pursuing, the optional £9.99 full history check adds outstanding-finance, stolen and insurance write-off checks.

Wondering whether one particular Discovery is off the road? A free SORN check shows whether it is currently SORN, taxed or untaxed.

Is the Discovery disappearing?

Licensed numbers peaked at 286,640 in 2021 Q2 and stand at 277,313 in 2026 Q1, down 3%. That is down 2% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 68,977 are declared SORN — 1 in 5 of the 346,290 still on the DVLA record is off the road, laid up, part-restored or waiting to be sold.

A falling population is worth knowing before you buy: it usually means fewer donor cars, fewer specialists and slower parts supply, and it is why a good example of a scarce model can hold its price while a neglected one is hard to sell at any price.

Discovery MOT pass rate

In 2024, 71.7% of 120,004 Land Rover Discovery MOTs passed first time — above the 71.2% UK average. Pass rate moves with age: 84.9% of cars aged 3–5 years passed first time, against 64.1% aged 15–30 years.

  • Suspension Arms — 5.8% of tests. Worn arms or bushes. A common age-related repair that affects handling and tyre wear.
  • Transmission — 3.4% of tests. A fault with a driveshaft, gaiter or transmission component. Costs vary widely.
  • Brake Performance — 3.2% of tests. The brakes underperformed on the rolling road. Expect brake work rather than an adjustment.
  • Condition — 3.1% of tests. Corrosion, damage or wear on a tested component. Worth seeing in person, as the cost ranges from trivial to structural.

Full age bands and failure notes are on the Land Rover Discovery MOT pass rate page.

Before you buy

  • Suspension Arms — 5.8% of tests in 2024. Worn arms or bushes. A common age-related repair that affects handling and tyre wear.
  • Transmission — 3.4% of tests in 2024. A fault with a driveshaft, gaiter or transmission component. Costs vary widely.
  • Brake Performance — 3.2% of tests in 2024. The brakes underperformed on the rolling road. Expect brake work rather than an adjustment.
  • Condition — 3.1% of tests in 2024. Corrosion, damage or wear on a tested component. Worth seeing in person, as the cost ranges from trivial to structural.
  • Check the actual Discovery — These figures describe the model group. Enter the registration for that vehicle's free MOT, tax and mileage record before you pay a deposit.

Quarterly licensed and SORN counts

Every quarter DfT has published for this model group, newest first.

QuarterLicensedSORN
2026 Q1277,31368,977
2025 Q4278,39566,959
2025 Q3278,71465,872
2025 Q2279,47764,823
2025 Q1278,99264,072
2024 Q4278,79563,208
2024 Q3279,20563,262
2024 Q2279,80762,876
2024 Q1280,06462,050
2023 Q4280,01260,500
2023 Q3280,30658,638
2023 Q2281,47957,664
2023 Q1281,81656,585
2022 Q4282,38555,650
2022 Q3283,26354,549
2022 Q2283,75053,555
2022 Q1283,21653,013
2021 Q4284,47551,941
2021 Q3285,99451,007
2021 Q2286,64050,763
2021 Q1283,20150,588
2020 Q4279,51650,002
2020 Q3277,77549,303
2020 Q2271,22349,989
2020 Q1270,68649,983
2019 Q4271,68546,594
2019 Q3268,86745,285
2019 Q2266,26244,183
2019 Q1261,30742,861
2018 Q4256,31142,121
2018 Q3252,34641,400
2018 Q2249,35939,821
2018 Q1245,81938,674
2017 Q4239,99837,770
2017 Q3236,24236,960
2017 Q2230,15035,972
2017 Q1225,44833,905
2016 Q4216,19232,742
2016 Q3211,03431,406
2016 Q2204,19430,338
2016 Q1199,30929,464
2015 Q4191,23827,873
2015 Q3186,24826,791
2015 Q2183,36025,821
2015 Q1179,88624,395
2014 Q4175,10023,256
2014 Q3176,37422,384

Other Land Rover models

See how many of every Land Rover model are left

Common questions

How many Land Rover Discovery cars are left in the UK?

277,313 were licensed and 68,977 were SORN at the end of 2026 Q1, according to DfT and DVLA statistics for this generic-model group.

How many Land Rover Discovery cars are SORN?

68,977 are declared SORN — 1 in 5 of the 346,290 still on the DVLA record at the end of 2026 Q1.

Is the Discovery disappearing?

Licensed numbers peaked at 286,640 in 2021 Q2 and stand at 277,313 in 2026 Q1, down 3%. That is down 2% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 68,977 are declared SORN — 1 in 5 of the 346,290 still on the DVLA record is off the road, laid up, part-restored or waiting to be sold.

What is the Land Rover Discovery MOT pass rate?

In 2024, 71.7% of 120,004 Land Rover Discovery MOTs passed first time — above the 71.2% UK average.

What does the Discovery fail its MOT on?

The most common initial failure categories in 2024 are suspension arms (5.8% of tests), transmission (3.4% of tests), brake performance (3.2% of tests).

Does this say whether one Discovery is a good buy?

No. These are population figures for the model group. Enter that vehicle's registration for its own free MOT, tax and mileage record.

Source and limitations

Source: Department for Transport and DVLA, df_VEH0120_UK. Released 2026-07-15 under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

DVLA make and model fields are administrative data and can contain omissions or inconsistencies. These statistics describe model groups, not an individual registration.

Confidential cells marked [c] represent between 1 and 4 vehicles and are treated as zero in aggregates, so totals can be slightly understated.