2025 MOT results
Land Rover Discovery common problems
The most common reason a Land Rover Discovery fails its MOT is a cut tyre, on 8.8% of its 58,900 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 2 faults stand out: worn suspension bushes at 7.8% of failures against 4.1% expected; a cut tyre at 8.8% of failures against 5.8% expected.
- Tests in 2025 262,189 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 22.5% 58,900 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 6.3% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 50.2% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Land Rover Discovery MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Land Rover Discovery tests with that defect. Where we can compare it with cars of the same registration years, the marker shows what an average car of those ages records (12 of the 12 items below).
Most common reasons for failure
A test can fail for more than one defect, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 8.8% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 8.1% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 7.8% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | 7.8% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 7.1% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6.8% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 5.4% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 5.4% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.2% |
| Headlamp aim: too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.0% |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3.9% |
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3.9% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Cut tyre
8.8% of failures 5.8% expected 1.5 times as often
A cut in the tyre deep or long enough to reach the structure underneath, usually from a kerb or debris.
Run a hand round the inner and outer walls of each tyre, which is where kerbing shows.
-
Worn brake pads
8.1% of failures 6.8% expected somewhat more often
Friction material worn under 1.5mm, thinner than the point most manufacturers call the limit.
Look through the wheel spokes at the pad against the disc; wear indicators squeal before they get this far.
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
7.8% of failures 7.5% expected about as expected
Wiper blades that leave the windscreen smeared or streaked across the area the driver looks through.
Look for split or hardened rubber, and lift each blade to see whether it still sits flat.
-
Worn suspension bushes
7.8% of failures 4.1% expected 1.9 times as often
Worn rubber bushes in a suspension arm, letting the arm move under load.
Perished or cracked rubber at the inner ends of the lower arms, visible with the wheel turned.
-
Engine management light on
7.1% of failures 5.3% expected somewhat more often
The engine management light is on, or has been disconnected. Either fails the test.
A cheap code reader on the diagnostic socket will say what the car has stored before you pay for a test.
-
Sidelight out
6.8% of failures 6.8% expected about as expected
A sidelight, also called a position lamp, not working. It marks the width of the car at night.
Walk round the car with the lights on and the hazards going; these are the cheapest failures to avoid.
Which parts of the car fail
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails a Land Rover Discovery, on 32.3% of failed tests. The widest gap against cars of the same registration years is body, chassis, structure, on 15.1% against 10.7% expected.
Failure categories
DVSA's own sections of the test. The marker is what cars of the same registration years record.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 32.3% |
| Suspension | 25.6% |
| Brakes | 25.1% |
| Tyres | 22.7% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 15.1% |
| Visibility | 14.7% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 11.1% |
| Steering | 5.2% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
50.2% of Land Rover Discovery tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Land Rover Discoverys, these are the items to ask about on a car you are viewing, because they are what the last tester expected to go next.
Most common advisories
Share of all tests, passes included.
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 15.8% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 10.1% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 9.9% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 6.8% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 5.2% |
| Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes | 4.7% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 4.3% |
| Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | 2.5% |
| Chassis condition: corroded but structural rigidity is not significantly reduced Body, chassis, structure | 2.3% |
| Tyres: cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 2.2% |
| Flexible brake hoses: slight corrosion to ferrule Brakes | 2.2% |
| Play in steering rack inner joint(s) Non-component advisories | 1.8% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Land Rover Discovery gets older
A 2022 Land Rover Discovery failed 14.7% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2001 one failed 34.7%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Land Rover Discovery 14.7% failed, from 7,332 tests
- Cut tyre 30.4%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 17.5%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 13.9%
- Headlamp aim set too high 6.4%
- Bulge in a tyre 6.3%
- Rear fog lamp out 6.0%
2001 Land Rover Discovery 34.7% failed, from 3,074 tests
- Lighting fault 15.2%
- Sidelight out 13.2%
- Structural corrosion 10.3%
- Chassis has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of a body mounting 9.6%
- Headlamp aim set too low 8.7%
- Brake light out 8.1%
Shares are of each year's failed tests. Every MOT a particular car has had, with the defects and advisories written at each test, is on GOV.UK's MOT history service from the registration, free.
Land Rover Discovery problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Land Rover Discovery?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords” is the most common: it appears on 8.8% of failed Land Rover Discovery tests. Across categories, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails one, on 32.3% of failed tests.
How often does a Land Rover Discovery fail its MOT?
22.5% of Land Rover Discovery tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 262,189 tests of cars aged three and over. Allowing for the age and mileage of the cars tested, that gives it a UK Motoring Reliability Score of 59 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Land Rover Discovery than on other cars?
Yes. “Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn” appears on 7.8% of its failures against 4.1% for cars of the same age, and “Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords” appears on 8.8% of its failures against 5.8% for cars of the same age. Where an item is missing from the national figures for a year, we use the smallest share those figures show, so the comparison never overstates the difference.
Are these the same as breakdowns or known faults?
No. These are the items a tester recorded at the MOT, which covers condition and safety: lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension, corrosion and emissions. A gearbox that is unpleasant, an infotainment screen that has died, or a car that will not start on a cold morning are not part of the test, so they are not in these figures.
Where do the figures come from?
Every normal MOT test of a Land Rover Discovery aged three and over in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT results. Retests are excluded, and the same fault on more than one wheel counts once.
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT defects and advisories | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 262,189 MOT tests | 19 September 2026 |
- Shares for defects are of failed tests; shares for advisories are of all tests. A test can carry several defects, so shares add to more than 100%.
- The expected share is what an average car of the same registration years records, weighted by where this model’s failures fall. Where an item is outside the national figures for a year, the smallest share those figures show is used in its place, which is an upper bound, so the comparison never overstates a model’s problems. No expectation is published where less than 80% of the model’s failures can be compared.
- Great Britain only: DVSA does not run MOT testing in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old are not tested.
- The descriptions of what each part does are general and the same on every model. Every figure comes from the MOT data.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.