70,635 Defenders had an MOT in 2025. 77.9% passed first time, against 72.2% for other cars of the same age and mileage. That is 5.7 points better than comparable cars. Those registered from 2020 onwards pass more often than other cars their age.
Each dot compares how often Defenders of that year failed on one area of the test with cars of the same age and mileage.
| Year | Passed first time | Against same age and mileage | MOTs | Suspension | Steering | Brakes | Tyres | Lights & electrics | Visibility | Body & structure | Emissions & leaks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 67.2% | +10.2 | 4,040 | ||||||||
| 2006 | 66.6% | +9.6 | 3,660 | ||||||||
| 2007 | 67.1% | +9.4 | 3,814 | ||||||||
| 2008 | 68.5% | +10.5 | 3,580 | ||||||||
| 2009 | 68.3% | +8.9 | 3,341 | ||||||||
| 2010 | 68.5% | +7.4 | 3,818 | ||||||||
| 2011 | 70.0% | +6.4 | 3,851 | ||||||||
| 2012 | 71.5% | +4.8 | 3,766 | ||||||||
| 2013 | 72.2% | +3.2 | 4,228 | ||||||||
| 2014 | 75.8% | +3.4 | 5,677 | ||||||||
| 2015 | 79.1% | +2.8 | 6,466 | ||||||||
| 2016 | 83.6% | +3.0 | 1,762 | ||||||||
| 2020 | 88.7% | +3.6 | 4,193 | ||||||||
| 2021 | 91.1% | +4.6 | 8,579 | ||||||||
| 2022 | 92.0% | +4.0 | 9,830 |
Much worse: failed on that area at least 1.5 times as often. Worse: 1.15 to 1.5 times. Better: up to 0.87 times. Much better: two-thirds as often or less. Gaps under half a percentage point count as about the same. Registration year is the year the car was first used.
Well behind: 5 or more points below cars of the same age and mileage. Behind: 1.5 to 5 points below. Level: within 1.5 points. Ahead: 1.5 or more points above.
4.0% of Defender MOTs failed on steering, against 1.9% for cars of the same age and mileage, and 1.1% on seat belts and supplementary restraint systems, against 1.0%.
Defenders pass more often than cars of the same age and mileage at every mileage, by 3.5 to 9.1 points. The gap is widest at 90–120k miles.
Diesels passed 76.8% first time, 5.8 points above comparable cars; petrols passed 91.0%, 3.9 points above comparable cars. Diesels had a median of 60,926 miles at the test, against 29,490 for petrols. Hybrids are mostly newer cars (median 30,370 miles), so compare them with care.
| Fuel | MOTs | Passed first time | Same age and mileage | Gap (pts) | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 65,432 | 76.8% | 71.0% | +5.8 | 60,926 |
| Petrol | 3,836 | 91.0% | 87.0% | +3.9 | 29,490 |
| Hybrid | 1,304 | 91.2% | 87.7% | +3.5 | 30,370 |
Cars registered 2014 to 2021, each against cars of the same age and mileage. The Defender ranks 14 of 18.
| Model | MOTs | Passed first time | Same age and mileage | Gap (pts) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Range Rover | 39,880 | 85.2% | 76.5% | +8.7 | |
| 2. Audi Q5 | 85,227 | 85.7% | 77.9% | +7.8 | |
| 3. Range Rover Sport | 75,077 | 84.2% | 77.2% | +7.0 | |
| 4. Land Rover Discovery | 67,572 | 82.7% | 76.4% | +6.3 | |
| 5. Jaguar I-Pace | 17,780 | 91.1% | 85.4% | +5.8 | |
| 6. BMW X1 | 82,175 | 84.9% | 79.3% | +5.7 | |
| 7. Range Rover Evoque | 148,573 | 83.4% | 78.1% | +5.2 | |
| 8. BMW X3 | 72,125 | 84.4% | 79.2% | +5.2 | |
| 9. Audi Q3 | 110,455 | 83.4% | 78.2% | +5.1 | |
| 10. Volvo XC60 | 90,526 | 81.8% | 76.8% | +5.0 | |
| 11. Volvo XC90 | 40,591 | 83.5% | 78.5% | +5.0 | |
| 12. Volvo XC40 | 71,168 | 89.6% | 85.4% | +4.1 | |
| 13. Jaguar F-Pace | 53,345 | 84.6% | 80.5% | +4.1 | |
| 14. Land Rover Defender | 26,707 | 84.0% | 80.4% | +3.6 | |
| 15. Jaguar E-Pace | 31,252 | 87.1% | 83.6% | +3.5 | |
| 16. Land Rover Discovery Sport | 109,161 | 81.0% | 77.7% | +3.2 | |
| 17. Mercedes GLA | 86,403 | 82.8% | 80.2% | +2.6 | |
| 18. Range Rover Velar | 32,716 | 84.3% | 82.2% | +2.1 |
What testers most often noted as advisories on Defenders in 2025: wear that passed but was close to failing. Figures in brackets are for cars of the same age and mileage.
At the MOT, 77.9% of 70,635 Defender MOTs in 2025 passed first time, against 72.2% for cars of the same age and mileage. 2005 to 2016: ahead (+2.8 to +10.5 points). 2020 to 2022: ahead (+3.6 to +4.6 points).
None stand out: every registration year is within 1.5 points of cars of the same age and mileage, or ahead of them.
Position lamp: not working: 2.8% of Defender MOTs, against 2.7% for cars of the same age and mileage.
Petrol Defenders passed 91.0% first time and diesels 76.8%. Against cars of the same age and mileage, petrols were 3.9 points above and diesels 5.8 points above.
For cars registered 2014 to 2021, the Range Rover Evoque passed 83.4% first time, +5.2 points against comparable cars. The Defender passed 84.0%, +3.6 points.
Data. Every car MOT in Great Britain in 2025 (31,475,521 first tests on cars first used 2005 to 2022), from DVSA's anonymised MOT test data. Retests are left out.
Passed first time. A car passed if its first test that year ended in a pass. Cars that failed and were fixed within the hour count as fails, as DVSA counts them.
Same age and mileage. We group every car by the year it was first used and its mileage (under 30k, 30–60k, 60–90k, 90–120k, over 120k). The comparison figure is what those groups scored, weighted to match the Defender's mix of ages and mileages.
Model. Every car DVSA records as a Land Rover Defender: 47 recorded model names, from "DEFENDER" to trims such as "DEFENDER XDYNAMIC HSE D MHEV A".
The full method, including how each report-card dot and year group is decided.