Is the Jeep Grand Cherokee reliable?

On MOT evidence the Jeep Grand Cherokee is above average. It passes 75.4% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 81% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Jeep Grand Cherokee?

The item recorded most often is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", which appears in 10.2% of failed Jeep Grand Cherokee tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.

What do testers most often warn about on a Jeep Grand Cherokee?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 21.6% of all Jeep Grand Cherokee tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Jeep Grand Cherokee usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 94,661 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Does a Jeep Grand Cherokee get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 83.7% of Jeep Grand Cherokee tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 63.6%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Jeep Grand Cherokee models petrol or diesel?

Of the Jeep Grand Cherokee cars tested, 88% are diesel, 11% are petrol, 1% are lpg. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Jeep Grand Cherokee MOT pass rate & common failures

From 9,869 recorded MOT tests of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Jeep Grand Cherokee passes 75.4% of MOT tests once results are adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, against a national average of 72.3%. That is above average. Based on 9,869 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, which appears in 10.2% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 94,661 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

75.4%national average72.3%unadjusted73.5%range covered81%

The Grand Cherokee is 3.1 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is above average. The unadjusted figure is 73.5%; the difference is what the age and mileage of this model’s fleet was hiding.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Jeep Grand Cherokee tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements10.2%
220 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc9.3%
201 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm8.5%
184 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning7.7%
167 occurrencesLamp not working explained
5.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn7.4%
159 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
6.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 repaired6.6%
143 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
7.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen6.5%
141 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
8.Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement6.3%
136 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained
9.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc6.1%
131 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained
10.Parking brake inoperative on one side6.0%
130 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Jeep Grand Cherokee tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements21.6%
2,131 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured18.1%
1,785 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm10.1%
995 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users7.7%
762 tests
5.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened7.3%
718 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained
6.A tyre seriously damaged6.3%
623 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
7.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn5.3%
523 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
8.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded4.6%
452 testsBrake pipe corroded explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

6–8 yrs84%

9–11 yrs78%

12–14 yrs72%

15+ yrs64%

Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The Grand Cherokee fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 94,661
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel88.3%
Petrol11.1%
LPG0.6%

Trim names grouped into this model (19)

Recorded exactly as DVSA holds them. Trim-level names are rolled up so one model is not split across a dozen thin pages.

GRAND CHEROKEE 4.0 LTD A
GRAND CHEROKEE CRD A
GRAND CHEROKEE CRD AUTO
GRAND CHEROKEE CRD LTD A
GRAND CHEROKEE CRD LTD AUT
GRAND CHEROKEE CRD LTD AUTO
GRAND CHEROKEE CRD SPRT
GRAND CHEROKEE CRD SPRT A
GRAND CHEROKEE LIMITED
GRAND CHEROKEE LIMITED CRD A
GRAND CHEROKEE LIMITED TD
GRAND CHEROKEE LIMITED V8
GRAND CHEROKEE LTD AUTO
GRAND CHEROKEE LTD TD A
GRAND CHEROKEE OVERLAND
GRAND CHEROKEE OVERLAND AUTO
GRAND CHEROKEE OVERLAND CRD A
GRAND CHEROKEE S LTD CRD A
GRAND CHEROKEE SPORT AUTO

Check a specific Jeep Grand Cherokee

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other Jeep models

Jeep Renegade — 74.8% adjusted
Jeep Compass — 71.8% adjusted
Jeep Cherokee — 68.4% unadjusted
Jeep Wrangler — 73.9% adjusted
Jeep Patriot — 49.5% unadjusted
All Jeep models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Tesla Model S — 81.5% adjusted, ranked 43
Audi A8 — 88.6% adjusted, ranked 6
Mitsubishi Mirage — 77.3% adjusted, ranked 82
Toyota Alphard — 75.4% adjusted, ranked 102

Common questions

Is the Jeep Grand Cherokee reliable?: On MOT evidence the Jeep Grand Cherokee is above average. It passes 75.4% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 81% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Jeep Grand Cherokee?: The item recorded most often is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", which appears in 10.2% of failed Jeep Grand Cherokee tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.
What do testers most often warn about on a Jeep Grand Cherokee?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 21.6% of all Jeep Grand Cherokee tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Jeep Grand Cherokee usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 94,661 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.
Does a Jeep Grand Cherokee get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 83.7% of Jeep Grand Cherokee tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 63.6%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Jeep Grand Cherokee models petrol or diesel?: Of the Jeep Grand Cherokee cars tested, 88% are diesel, 11% are petrol, 1% are lpg. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. The adjusted rate is directly standardised across twenty-five age and mileage bands and reweighted onto the national distribution, so this model is compared against cars that have lived a similar life rather than against a younger or lighter-used fleet.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.