Photo: Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0
Land Rover
1,506 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Defender X Mhev Autos pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 16.7 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
94.2%
Pass-after-fix
1.4%
Fail
4.0%
Avg miles
31,019
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Petrol cars first registered from January 2006 meet Euro 4 — compliant in London ULEZ, Birmingham CAZ, Bristol CAZ, and Glasgow LEZ.
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 1,506 tests
Pass rate is broadly flat across the cohorts — new and old Defender X Mhev Auto examples track each other at the test bay.
Pass
93.7%
Fail
4.1%
PRS
2.2%
Avg mileage at test
34,673 mi
Pass
94.7%
Fail
3.9%
PRS
0.7%
Avg mileage at test
27,545 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 1,506 MOT tests, the Defender X Mhev Auto returns 94.2% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is windscreen damage. A tyre with the cords showing and a seriously damaged tyre round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 31,019, 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.
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Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
26 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
A tyre cords visible or damaged
15 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
14 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements
6 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
Emissions test unable to be completed
5 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
emits excessive dense blue or clearly visible black smoke during acceleration which would obscure the view of other road users
5 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
3 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
3 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
3 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
2 occurrences · 0.1% 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
£75–£130
If every one of this Defender X Mhev 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 1.0-point gap between bands is modest — the year you buy Land Rover Defender X Mhev 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 1.0-point improvement. Tests in this band average 27,545 miles — roughly 7K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, has a cut in excess of the… — 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
93.7%
2018–2020 registration
On the 2018–2020 band, the data shows a 93.7% 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 ply or cords exposed, and has a cut in excess of the…. Average mileage on test for this band is 34,673 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 (93.7% pass). That's a 1.0-point spread across 731 older tests and 775 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
Digital tyre-tread depth gauge
Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.
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 X Mhev 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.