What year Land Rover Defender is most reliable?

Based on MOT first-test pass rates, the 2016 Land Rover Defender has the highest pass rate at 88.4%, out of 2,267 vehicles tested.

What are the most common Land Rover Defender MOT failures?

The most common Land Rover Defender MOT failures vary by year. Check the individual year pages for detailed defect breakdowns — links in the table above.

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Land Rover Defender — Reliability by Year

177,523 vehicles · MOT data 1980–2016 · first-test pass rates

This page shows MOT first-test pass rates for each year the Land Rover Defender was manufactured — click any year to explore that cohort in detail. Trying to decide which year to buy? See the full buying guide →

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Best pass rate year

2016

88.4% pass rate · 2,267 vehicles

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Lowest pass rate year

1982

67.1% pass rate · 201 vehicles

Year	Pass rate	Avg mileage	Vehicles
2016	88.4%	20,238 mi	2,267
2015	85.9%	32,906 mi	7,765
2014	83.8%	40,712 mi	6,932
2013	81.9%	46,017 mi	5,355
2012	80.5%	49,650 mi	4,676
2011	79.9%	56,864 mi	5,142
2010	78.8%	57,920 mi	5,076
2009	77.6%	59,912 mi	4,699
2008	78.1%	65,562 mi	5,385
2007	77.5%	67,748 mi	5,580
2006	76.7%	73,446 mi	5,351
2005	76.3%	77,310 mi	5,694
2004	76.0%	83,117 mi	6,028
2003	75.6%	87,579 mi	6,442
2002	75.2%	94,159 mi	5,996
2001	73.2%	97,805 mi	5,153
2000	72.7%	103,609 mi	5,008
1999	72.7%	109,325 mi	5,193
1998	73.3%	106,579 mi	6,506
1997	72.5%	114,853 mi	6,588
1996	71.1%	120,100 mi	6,805
1995	71.0%	114,335 mi	6,018
1994	70.5%	118,735 mi	5,250
1993	70.4%	116,006 mi	5,042
1992	69.9%	122,236 mi	4,221
1991	70.3%	123,959 mi	4,844
1990	69.8%	123,652 mi	4,928
1989	69.5%	125,549 mi	5,707
1988	69.9%	125,448 mi	4,766
1987	70.3%	127,445 mi	4,831
1986	70.5%	122,172 mi	5,265
1985	70.9%	118,991 mi	4,339
1984	70.8%	117,278 mi	2,989
1983	69.8%	110,683 mi	1,201
1982	67.1%	60,450 mi	201
1981	69.1%	54,430 mi	134
1980	70.0%	57,073 mi	146

Which year Land Rover Defender is most reliable?

MOT pass rate by year of manufacture — averaged across each vehicle's lifetime of tests. Green = noticeably above average for this model; red = noticeably below average.

Tests range from an average of 20,238 miles (newest year) to 127,445 miles (oldest year). Older years naturally accumulate more tests at higher mileages — see the mileage-normalised breakdown →

Trying to decide which year to buy?

We've done the full analysis — which years to look for, which to avoid, and where to find the best value for reliability on a Land Rover Defender.

See the buying guide →

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