Land Rover
3,195 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Defender First Edition D Autos pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 15.6 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
93.1%
Pass-after-fix
1.0%
Fail
5.5%
Avg miles
39,036
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Diesel cars registered from September 2015 generally meet Euro 6 — compliant in London ULEZ, Birmingham CAZ, Bristol CAZ, and Glasgow LEZ.
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 3,195 tests
Pass rate climbs 1.7 points across the cohorts — newer Defender First Edition D Auto examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
93.0%
Fail
5.6%
PRS
0.9%
Avg mileage at test
39,462 mi
Pass
94.7%
Fail
4.0%
PRS
1.3%
Avg mileage at test
33,441 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 1,004 MOT tests, the Defender First Edition D Auto returns 89.9% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a seriously damaged tyre. Windscreen damage and a tyre with the cords showing round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 30,055, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.
ABI Insurance Group
A high-group car — insurance costs will be significantly above average. Lower groups cost less to insure; UK fleet average is around Group 22.
Source: ABI Group Rating Panel · administered by Thatcham Research · groups cover standard variants; performance trims may sit higher. Browse all insurance groups →
36–46
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Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
107 occurrences · 3.3% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
38 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
24 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
18 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements
12 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
Wiper blade defective
11 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
9 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction
9 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
8 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
8 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.
Worst-case fix budget · top 2 failures
£95–£195
If every one of this Defender First Edition D Auto's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →
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Build your own retest budget.
Year-band analysis
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 1.7-point gap between bands is modest — the year you buy Land Rover Defender First Edition D Auto makes a small but real difference to MOT outcomes.
Best band to buy
94.7%
2021+ registration
the 2021-on band climbs to 94.7% — a 1.7-point improvement. Tests in this band average 33,441 miles — roughly 6K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: has a cut in excess of the…, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.
Band to be cautious about
93.0%
2018–2020 registration
On the 2018–2020 band, the data shows a 93.0% pass rate against a fleet average of 94.7% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, has a cut in excess of the…, and not working. Average mileage on test for this band is 39,462 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2021+ (94.7% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2018-2020 (93.0% pass). That's a 1.7-point spread across 2,970 older tests and 225 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.
Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.
Item 01 · Amazon UK
Brake pad measurement gauge
Testers fail pads under 1.5mm. A wear gauge tells you if you've got two months left or two weeks.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · Amazon UK
MOT-spec replacement number plate
Faded or non-standard plates fail outright. Replacements take ten minutes online with V5C details.
Search Amazon UK
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Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.
If you own a Defender First Edition D Auto and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.
