How reliable is the Land Rover Defender X compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Land Rover Defender X, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 90.1% across 1,175 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Land Rover Defender X?

The item recorded most often is "A tyre seriously damaged", which appears in 44.8% of failed Land Rover Defender X 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 Land Rover Defender X?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 22.4% of all Land Rover Defender X tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Land Rover Defender X usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 35,150 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.

Are most Land Rover Defender X models petrol or diesel?

Of the Land Rover Defender X cars tested, 66% are petrol, 23% are diesel, 10% are hybrid. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Land Rover Defender X MOT pass rate & common failures

From 1,175 recorded MOT tests of the Land Rover Defender X, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 1,175 MOT tests, 90.1% of Land Rover Defender X tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Land Rover Defender X fleet does not yet cover a wide enough spread of ages and distances to compare it fairly against other models. Its most commonly recorded failure is tyre seriously damaged, which appears in 44.8% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 35,150 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

90.1%unadjusted, not comparable1,175 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the Defender X. The examples tested do not cover a wide enough spread of ages and mileages to compare it fairly, and an unadjusted pass rate mostly sorts models by how recently they were bought rather than how well they were built. The failure and advisory patterns below come from the same 1,175 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Land Rover Defender X tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A tyre seriously damaged44.8%
43 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
2.A tyre cords visible or damaged19.8%
19 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm15.6%
15 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements13.5%
13 occurrencesRegistration plate missing, insecure or illegible explained
5.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning7.3%
7 occurrencesLamp not working explained
6.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning5.2%
5 occurrencesLamp not working explained
7.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen5.2%
5 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
8.A tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative4.2%
4 occurrencesTyre pressure monitoring system inoperative explained
9.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn4.2%
4 occurrencesBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
10.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements4.2%
4 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Land Rover Defender X 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 requirements22.4%
263 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured10.2%
120 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm7.9%
93 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged5.7%
67 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.A tyre seriously damaged3.7%
43 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
6.Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt2.3%
27 tests
7.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements2.0%
24 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
8.Nail in tyre1.1%
13 tests

What gets tested

The Defender X fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 35,150
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol66.5%
Diesel23.1%
Hybrid10.5%

Trim names grouped into this model (3)

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

DEFENDER X D MHEV AUTO
DEFENDER X MHEV AUTO
DEFENDER X PHEV AUTO

Check a specific Land Rover Defender X

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

Compare within the range

Other Land Rover models

Land Rover Range Rover Evoque — 82.3% adjusted
Land Rover Discovery — 80.1% adjusted
Land Rover Range Rover Sport — 81.1% adjusted
Land Rover Discovery Sport — 81.9% adjusted
Land Rover Defender — 74.4% adjusted
Land Rover Freelander — 72.6% adjusted
All Land Rover models

Common questions

How reliable is the Land Rover Defender X compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Land Rover Defender X, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 90.1% across 1,175 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Land Rover Defender X?: The item recorded most often is "A tyre seriously damaged", which appears in 44.8% of failed Land Rover Defender X 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 Land Rover Defender X?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 22.4% of all Land Rover Defender X tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Land Rover Defender X usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 35,150 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.
Are most Land Rover Defender X models petrol or diesel?: Of the Land Rover Defender X cars tested, 66% are petrol, 23% are diesel, 10% are hybrid. 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. No adjusted rate is shown because this model's tested examples do not cover enough of the national age and mileage range for standardisation to mean anything.

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.