The Range Rover. Once age and mileage are allowed for, Range Rovers pass the MOT first time 1.7 points more often than Range Rover Sports. The best bets are Range Rover Sports registered from 2005 to 2021, and Range Rovers registered from 2005 onwards. No years of either stand out as ones to avoid.
| Range Rover Sport | Range Rover | |
|---|---|---|
| Passed first time, cars registered 2014 to 2021 | 84.2% | 85.2% |
| Against the average car of the same age and mileage | +7.0 points | +8.7 points |
| Years to avoid | None stand out | None stand out |
| Best years | 2005 to 2021 | 2005 to 2022 |
| Fails most often, against the average car | Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems: 1.7 times as often | Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems: 1.3 times as often |
| Most common failure | Tyre damage: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick |
| MOTs in 2025 | 120,067 | 77,172 |
How often cars from each registration year passed the MOT first time, against the average car of the same age and mileage. The figure is the difference in percentage points.
Each block is a registration year: the year the car was first used. Tap or hover over one for its figures. Blank means too few MOTs that year.
Points against the average car of the same age and mileage, with each year's most common failure. Less than 1.5 points apart counts as either.
| Registered | Range Rover Sport | Range Rover | Better bet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +12.7Sidelights and rear lights (not working) | +14.9Suspension pins and bushes (pin or bush excessively worn) | Range Rover |
| 2006 | +11.9Sidelights and rear lights (not working) | +13.6Suspension pins and bushes (pin or bush excessively worn) | Range Rover |
| 2007 | +12.2Sidelights and rear lights (not working) | +14.5Suspension pins and bushes (pin or bush excessively worn) | Range Rover |
| 2008 | +13.4Sidelights and rear lights (not working) | +15.5Drive shaft joints and CV boots (constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt) | Range Rover |
| 2009 | +14.7Suspension pins and bushes (pin or bush excessively worn) | +15.7Drive shaft joints and CV boots (constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt) | Either |
| 2010 | +17.1Suspension pins and bushes (pin or bush excessively worn) | +16.9Suspension pins and bushes (pin or bush excessively worn) | Either |
| 2011 | +17.0Tyre damage (has ply or cords exposed) | +14.3Drive shaft joints and CV boots (constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt) | Range Rover Sport |
| 2012 | +16.8Tyre damage (has ply or cords exposed) | +12.9Suspension pins and bushes (pin or bush excessively worn) | Range Rover Sport |
| 2013 | +15.6Brake pads (less than 1.5 mm thick) | +14.4Brake pads (less than 1.5 mm thick) | Either |
| 2014 | +13.4Airbag warning light (warning lamp indicates a fault) | +16.3Brake pads (less than 1.5 mm thick) | Range Rover |
| 2015 | +10.2Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | +12.5Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Range Rover |
| 2016 | +6.7Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | +7.9Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Either |
| 2017 | +5.9Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | +7.7Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Range Rover |
| 2018 | +7.1Tyre damage (has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords) | +8.3Tyre damage (has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords) | Either |
| 2019 | +6.0Tyre damage (has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords) | +6.1Tyre damage (has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords) | Either |
| 2020 | +2.9Tyre damage (has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords) | +3.6Tyre damage (has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords) | Either |
| 2021 | +2.0Tyre damage (has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords) | +2.8Tyre damage (has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords) | Either |
| 2022 | +1.1Tyre damage (has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords) | +1.9Tyre damage (has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords) | Either |
How often each passed the MOT first time against the average car of the same age and mileage, in points. Over 120,000 miles: Range Rover Sports 14.1 points above the average car of the same age and mileage, Range Rovers 13.8 points above.
| Range Rover Sport | Range Rover | Better bet | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 30k miles | +0.8 | +1.8 | Either |
| 30–60k miles | +4.8 | +5.8 | Either |
| 60–90k miles | +9.4 | +11.4 | Range Rover |
| 90–120k miles | +13.5 | +14.7 | Either |
| 120k+ miles | +14.1 | +13.8 | Either |
| Range Rover Sport | Range Rover | Better bet | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol | +7.3 | +10.2 | Range Rover |
| Diesel | +10.2 | +11.3 | Either |
| Hybrid | +3.6 | +4.1 | Either |
Each fuel is compared with the average car of the same age and mileage, whatever its fuel. Rows with fewer than 500 MOTs for either car are left out.
How often each failed on every area of the test, against the average car of the same age and mileage. All registration years.
| Area | Range Rover Sport: failed | Against average | Range Rover: failed | Against average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 5.1% | 0.5× | 6.6% | 0.6× |
| Steering | 0.4% | 0.2× | 0.6% | 0.3× |
| Brakes | 5.1% | 0.8× | 5.2% | 0.7× |
| Tyres | 5.5% | 0.8× | 4.9% | 0.7× |
| Lights & electrics | 4.7% | 0.4× | 3.5% | 0.3× |
| Visibility | 2.6% | 0.6× | 2.4% | 0.5× |
| Body & structure | 2.4% | 0.7× | 2.9% | 0.8× |
| Emissions & leaks | 1.6% | 0.5× | 1.5% | 0.4× |
The failures testers found most often on each, against the average car of the same age and mileage. Both charts use the same scale.
What testers most often noted as advisories on each: wear that passed but was close to failing. Figures in brackets are for the average car of the same age and mileage.
The Range Rover
For cars registered 2014 to 2021, Range Rovers passed the MOT first time 8.7 points above the average car of the same age and mileage and Range Rover Sports 7.0 points above: 1.7 points between them.
+7.0points against the average car of the same age and mileage
+8.7points against the average car of the same age and mileage
Going by the MOT, the Range Rover is. For cars registered 2014 to 2021, 85.2% of Range Rovers passed first time, 8.7 points above the average car of the same age and mileage, against 84.2% of Range Rover Sports, 7.0 points above.
None stand out: every registration year is within 1.5 points of the average car of the same age and mileage, or ahead of it.
None stand out: every registration year is within 1.5 points of the average car of the same age and mileage, or ahead of it.
Over 120,000 miles: Range Rover Sports 14.1 points above the average car of the same age and mileage, Range Rovers 13.8 points above. That's less than 1.5 points apart.
Range Rover Sport: tyre damage (has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords), on 1.9% of MOTs against 1.5% for the average car of the same age and mileage. Range Rover: brake pads (less than 1.5 mm thick), on 1.8% of MOTs against 2.0% for the average car of the same age and mileage.
Data. Every car MOT in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT test data: 120,067 Range Rover Sport MOTs and 77,172 Range Rover MOTs. Retests are left out.
Against the average car. Each model is compared with the average car of the same age and mileage, not with each other directly, so a newer or lower-mileage model doesn't win for that alone.
Which is more reliable. The answer uses cars registered 2014 to 2021, the same years for both, as the rivals table on each model page does. Less than 1.5 points apart counts as level.