Land Rover Discovery: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Land Rover Discovery fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 1.1 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 134,494 individual Land Rover Discovery tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 75.6% first-time pass rate means roughly 24 in every 100 Land Rover Discoveries presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is worse than average, so budget for remedial work and treat a fresh 12-month MOT as a genuine selling point rather than a given. The average Land Rover Discovery tested had covered 122,131 miles and was built around 2010.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Land Rover Discovery sits 1.1 points below the national average, ranked 1,601 of 2,005 models. On one bought as repairable salvage, assume the mechanical side needs more than the visible accident damage, and pad your repair estimate accordingly.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Land Rover Discovery rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see the median recorded closing bid for a damaged Land Rover Discovery: £500 at UK salvage auction, from 18 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Land Rover Discovery

1. A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded, 1.4% of tests (10.32x the national rate for this defect)
2. Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point, 1.7% of tests (7.49x the national rate for this defect)
3. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 1.7% of tests (4.17x the national rate for this defect)
4. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 3.1% of tests (2.87x the national rate for this defect)
5. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 9.7% of tests (1.93x the national rate for this defect)
6. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 1.6% of tests (1.7x the national rate for this defect)
7. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 1.7% of tests (1.27x the national rate for this defect)
8. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2.3% of tests
9. A tyre seriously damaged, 2.2% of tests
10. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 2.2% of tests

From 135,468 DVSA-tracked Land Rover Discovery tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.17% of these flagged Land Rover Discovery defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Land Rover Discovery

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Land Rover Discovery before it actually fails on it.

1. Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point, 2.4% of tests (8.33x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 8.2% of tests (6.56x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded, 6.2% of tests (4.86x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. A wheel bearing with excessive play, 2.8% of tests (4.32x the national rate for this advisory)
5. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 3.4% of tests (2.56x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
6. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 14.6% of tests (2.36x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
7. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 28.1% of tests (2.1x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
8. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 11.4% of tests (2.04x the national rate for this advisory)
9. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 2.2% of tests (1.44x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
10. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 22.8% of tests

From 135,468 DVSA-tracked Land Rover Discovery tests, 2024.

Land Rover Discovery pass rate by model year

From its 1993 to its 2019 model year, the Land Rover Discovery's first-time pass rate has risen 12.2 points, from 74.6% to 86.8%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Land Rover Discovery year:

• 1993 Land Rover Discovery - 74.6% first-time pass, 343 tests
• 1994 Land Rover Discovery - 77.2% first-time pass, 613 tests
• 1995 Land Rover Discovery - 74% first-time pass, 787 tests
• 1996 Land Rover Discovery - 75.6% first-time pass, 888 tests
• 1997 Land Rover Discovery - 75.8% first-time pass, 1,030 tests
• 1998 Land Rover Discovery - 73.8% first-time pass, 1,118 tests
• 1999 Land Rover Discovery - 71.1% first-time pass, 1,960 tests
• 2000 Land Rover Discovery - 70.2% first-time pass, 2,227 tests
• 2001 Land Rover Discovery - 69% first-time pass, 3,474 tests
• 2002 Land Rover Discovery - 70.3% first-time pass, 4,450 tests
• 2003 Land Rover Discovery - 70.5% first-time pass, 5,524 tests
• 2004 Land Rover Discovery - 69.9% first-time pass, 6,305 tests
• 2005 Land Rover Discovery - 70.1% first-time pass, 7,695 tests
• 2006 Land Rover Discovery - 69% first-time pass, 7,604 tests
• 2007 Land Rover Discovery - 69.8% first-time pass, 6,547 tests
• 2008 Land Rover Discovery - 71.2% first-time pass, 4,871 tests
• 2009 Land Rover Discovery - 71.7% first-time pass, 5,141 tests
• 2010 Land Rover Discovery - 73.9% first-time pass, 6,280 tests
• 2011 Land Rover Discovery - 75.8% first-time pass, 6,039 tests
• 2012 Land Rover Discovery - 77% first-time pass, 6,839 tests
• 2013 Land Rover Discovery - 77.3% first-time pass, 6,355 tests
• 2014 Land Rover Discovery - 80.6% first-time pass, 7,459 tests
• 2015 Land Rover Discovery - 82.1% first-time pass, 9,294 tests
• 2016 Land Rover Discovery - 83.2% first-time pass, 9,905 tests
• 2017 Land Rover Discovery - 85.1% first-time pass, 9,801 tests
• 2018 Land Rover Discovery - 88.3% first-time pass, 8,897 tests
• 2019 Land Rover Discovery - 86.8% first-time pass, 2,200 tests

Land Rover Discovery by fuel type

The Land Rover Discovery's two most-tested fuel types split by 0.8 points: diesel passes first time 76.4% of the time (131,378 tests) against 77.2% for petrol (2,566 tests).

• Diesel Land Rover Discovery - 76.4% first-time pass, 131,378 tests
• Petrol Land Rover Discovery - 77.2% first-time pass, 2,566 tests

Other Land Rover models

• Land Rover Range Rover Evoque - 84%
• Land Rover Freelander - 70.6%
• Land Rover Range Rover Sport - 82%
• Land Rover Defender - 73%
• Land Rover Discovery Sport - 84.8%
• Land Rover Range Rover - 79.9%
• Land Rover Range Rover Velar - 86.7%
• Land Rover Range Rover Evoque R-Dyn S D A - 87.8%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Mitsubishi Unclassified - 75.7%
• Mercedes Motorhome - 75.7%
• Vauxhall Mokka - 75.6%
• BMW 525 - 75.6%
• Audi Allroad - 75.6%
• Mercedes-Benz Vito 114 Progressive Cdi - 75.6%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate