Is the Land Rover Discovery reliable?

On MOT evidence the Land Rover Discovery is well above average. It passes 80.1% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 54 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. 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 Land Rover Discovery?

The item recorded most often is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", which appears in 21.3% of failed Land Rover Discovery 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 Discovery?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 19.5% of all Land Rover Discovery 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 Discovery usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 116,220 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 Land Rover Discovery get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 87.6% of Land Rover Discovery tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 65.9%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Land Rover Discovery models petrol or diesel?

Of the Land Rover Discovery cars tested, 98% are diesel, 2% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Land Rover Discovery MOT pass rate & common failures

From 143,473 recorded MOT tests of the Land Rover Discovery, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Land Rover Discovery passes 80.1% 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 well above average, ranking it 54 of 262 models with enough data to compare fairly. Based on 143,473 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, which appears in 21.3% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 116,220 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

80.1%national average72.3%unadjusted74.6%range covered99%rank54 of 262

The Discovery is 7.8 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well above average. The unadjusted figure is 74.6%; 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 Land Rover Discovery tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn21.3%
6,465 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
2.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded10.3%
3,115 occurrencesBrake pipe corroded explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm9.4%
2,844 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged9.1%
2,755 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning8.8%
2,669 occurrencesLamp not working explained
6.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc6.9%
2,087 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained
7.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements6.8%
2,059 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
8.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen6.4%
1,927 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
9.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 repaired6.2%
1,883 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
10.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc6.1%
1,843 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Land Rover Discovery 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 requirements19.5%
27,976 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn16.2%
23,290 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
3.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded12.3%
17,598 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
4.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured10.0%
14,402 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
5.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm9.9%
14,258 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
6.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users8.4%
12,095 tests
7.A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded5.6%
8,084 testsBrake hose deteriorated, damaged or chafing explained
8.Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced5.0%
7,135 testsCorrosion in a structural area explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs88%

6–8 yrs84%

9–11 yrs79%

12–14 yrs73%

15+ yrs66%

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

What gets tested

The Discovery fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 116,220
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel97.6%
Petrol2.2%

Trim names grouped into this model (40)

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

DISCOVERY 3
DISCOVERY 3 SE
DISCOVERY 3 TDV6 GS
DISCOVERY 3 TDV6 HSE
DISCOVERY 4
DISCOVERY 4 HSE LUXURY
DISCOVERY 4 SDV6
DISCOVERY 4 SDV6 HSE
DISCOVERY 4 SDV6 XS
DISCOVERY 4 TDV6
DISCOVERY ANN-SARY ED SDV6 A
DISCOVERY COMMERCIAL
DISCOVERY DYNAMIC HSE D MHEV A
DISCOVERY DYNAMIC HSE MHEV A
DISCOVERY HSE
DISCOVERY HSE D MHEV AUTO
DISCOVERY HSE LUXURY SDV6
DISCOVERY HSE SD4 AUTO
DISCOVERY HSE SD6
DISCOVERY HSE SD6 AUTO
DISCOVERY HSE SDV6
DISCOVERY HSE SDV6 AUTO
DISCOVERY HSE SI4 AUTO
DISCOVERY HSE TD6
DISCOVERY LANDMARK
DISCOVERY LANDMARK SD4 AUTO
DISCOVERY LANDMARK SD6 AUTO
DISCOVERY LUXURY HSE SD4 AUTO
DISCOVERY LUXURY HSE SD6 AUTO
DISCOVERY LUXURY HSE SDV6 AUTO
DISCOVERY LUXURY HSE SI4 AUTO
DISCOVERY METRO ED D MHEV A
DISCOVERY METROPLITN ED MHEV A
DISCOVERY METROPOLIS
DISCOVERY R-DYNAM HSE D MHEV A
DISCOVERY R-DYNAMIC HSE MHEV A
DISCOVERY R-DYNAMIC S AUTO
DISCOVERY R-DYNAMIC S D MHEV A
DISCOVERY R-DYNAMIC SE AUTO
DISCOVERY R-DYNAMIC SE MHEV A

Check a specific Land Rover Discovery

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 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
Land Rover Range Rover — 82.4% adjusted
All Land Rover models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Peugeot 3008 — 65.6% adjusted, ranked 216
Volkswagen Caddy — 72.1% adjusted, ranked 148
Peugeot 2008 — 69.0% adjusted, ranked 179
Audi Q3 — 81.5% adjusted, ranked 44

Common questions

Is the Land Rover Discovery reliable?: On MOT evidence the Land Rover Discovery is well above average. It passes 80.1% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 54 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. 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 Land Rover Discovery?: The item recorded most often is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", which appears in 21.3% of failed Land Rover Discovery 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 Discovery?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 19.5% of all Land Rover Discovery 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 Discovery usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 116,220 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 Land Rover Discovery get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 87.6% of Land Rover Discovery tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 65.9%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Land Rover Discovery models petrol or diesel?: Of the Land Rover Discovery cars tested, 98% are diesel, 2% are petrol. 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.