Rover 75: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Rover 75 fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 14.1 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 7,626 individual Rover 75 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 62.6% first-time pass rate means roughly 37 in every 100 Rover 75s 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 Rover 75 tested had covered 104,562 miles and was built around 2003.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Rover 75 bought as a 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 Rover 75 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 what damaged Rover 75s actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Rover 75

1. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 3.1% of tests (11.42x the national rate for this defect)
2. 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, 9.4% of tests (11.35x the national rate for this defect)
3. An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction, 2.9% of tests (9.28x the national rate for this defect)
4. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 2.4% of tests (6.66x the national rate for this defect)
5. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 2.4% of tests (5.42x the national rate for this defect)
6. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 3.6% of tests (4.42x the national rate for this defect)
7. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 6.8% of tests (3.85x the national rate for this defect)
8. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 5% of tests (3.68x the national rate for this defect)
9. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 3.1% of tests (3.23x the national rate for this defect)
10. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 11.8% of tests (3.19x the national rate for this defect)

From 11,239 DVSA-tracked Rover 75 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.15% of these flagged Rover 75 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Rover 75 pass rate by model year

Pass rates fall steadily as cars age, so the model year matters as much as the model. First-time pass rate for each Rover 75 year:

• 2000 Rover 75 - 70% first-time pass, 387 tests
• 2001 Rover 75 - 62.7% first-time pass, 703 tests
• 2002 Rover 75 - 64.1% first-time pass, 1,276 tests
• 2003 Rover 75 - 62.8% first-time pass, 1,699 tests
• 2004 Rover 75 - 60.6% first-time pass, 2,081 tests
• 2005 Rover 75 - 64.5% first-time pass, 1,028 tests

Rover 75 by fuel type

Diesel and petrol versions of the same car fail on different things, so the fuel type moves the number:

• Diesel Rover 75 - 61.1% first-time pass, 4,445 tests
• Petrol Rover 75 - 66.2% first-time pass, 3,093 tests

Other Rover models

• Rover MINI - 73.7%
• Rover 25 - 69.2%
• Rover 45 - 62.1%
• Rover 216 - 70.7%
• Rover Metro - 70.4%
• Rover 214 - 67.9%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Kia Magentis - 62.9%
• Mazda 323 - 62.8%
• Nissan D22 - 62.7%
• Nissan Terrano - 62.6%
• Fiat Grand Punto - 62.5%
• Citroen Ds4 - 62.4%

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

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate