Land Rover Defender First Edition D Auto MOT pass rate and common failures
Of 1,013 class-4 normal initial MOT tests in 2024, 88.8% passed without an initial fail or PRS repair — above the 71.2% UK average.
Checking a Land Rover Defender First Edition D Auto?
Model-level statistics cannot reveal the condition or provenance of one car.
Check its registration free for the actual MOT, tax and mileage record. Before buying, the optional £9.99 full history check adds outstanding-finance, stolen and insurance write-off checks.
Pass rate by vehicle age
| Age | Tests | Initial pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3–5 years | 1,013 | 88.8% |
Common initial failure categories
These are the items that most often caused a Land Rover Defender First Edition D Auto to fail its first test, with what each one usually means for a buyer.
- Condition — 2.8% of tests. Corrosion, damage or wear on a tested component. Worth seeing in person, as the cost ranges from trivial to structural.
- Position Lamps — 1.8% of tests. A side or tail light out. Usually a bulb.
- Mechanical Brake Components — 1.6% of tests. Worn discs, pads or callipers. Routine wear, but it should be priced into the deal.
- Exhaust Emissions — 1.6% of tests. The car exceeded its emissions limits. Can be a sensor or a service, but on a diesel it can also mean an expensive filter or catalyst.
- Headlamp Aim — 1.2% of tests. Headlights pointing too high or low. Cheap to adjust, and common on every make.
- Daytime Running Lamps — 0.8% of tests. A daytime running light fault.
What this does and does not tell you
A pass rate describes how a population of cars behaved on test day. It says nothing about how one car was driven, serviced or repaired, and an MOT does not cover the engine, clutch or gearbox at all.
Use it to know what to look for: if tyres and brakes dominate the list, price those in; if corrosion or suspension appears, get underneath the car. Then check the individual vehicle — its MOT history shows whether these same items have been advised year after year, and its mileage record shows whether the reading is consistent.
Other Land Rover models
- Land Rover Range Rover Evoque — 81.3% pass
- Land Rover Discovery — 71.7% pass
- Land Rover Freelander — 65.2% pass
- Land Rover Range Rover Sport — 79.4% pass
- Land Rover Range Rover — 77.9% pass
- Land Rover Defender — 67.8% pass
See every Land Rover model MOT pass rate
Methodology and limitations
MOT outcomes describe testable items at the time of inspection. They are not a measure of overall mechanical reliability.
Scope: Class 4 normal initial MOT tests completed in 2024. Models require at least 1,000 qualifying tests. Duplicate source rows are removed using official DVSA test IDs.
Source: Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency anonymised MOT tests and results, 2024, published 2025-05-23 under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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