Is the Land Rover Discovery Sport reliable?

On MOT evidence the Land Rover Discovery Sport is well above average. It passes 81.9% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 62% 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 Land Rover Discovery Sport?

The item recorded most often is "A tyre seriously damaged", which appears in 21.4% of failed Land Rover Discovery Sport 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 Sport?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 24.1% of all Land Rover Discovery Sport 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 Sport usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 64,063 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 Sport get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 82.9% of Land Rover Discovery Sport tests pass. By 9 to 11 years, that falls to 79.1%. 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 Sport models petrol or diesel?

Of the Land Rover Discovery Sport cars tested, 90% are diesel, 6% are petrol, 4% are hybrid. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Land Rover Discovery Sport MOT pass rate & common failures

From 120,363 recorded MOT tests of the Land Rover Discovery Sport, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Land Rover Discovery Sport passes 81.9% 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. Based on 120,363 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is tyre seriously damaged, which appears in 21.4% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 64,063 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

81.9%national average72.3%unadjusted81.2%range covered62%

The Discovery Sport is 9.6 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well above average. The unadjusted figure is 81.2%; 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 Sport 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 damaged21.4%
3,929 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
2.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm14.0%
2,579 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
3.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen12.7%
2,342 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
4.A tyre cords visible or damaged11.5%
2,109 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
5.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements10.6%
1,943 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
6.Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction9.1%
1,683 occurrencesEngine management light on, or not working explained
7.An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning6.3%
1,159 occurrencesLamp not working explained
8.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened6.0%
1,111 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
9.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn4.8%
885 occurrencesBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
10.A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED3.5%
641 occurrencesHeadlamp not working explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Land Rover Discovery Sport 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 requirements24.1%
29,058 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured20.7%
24,918 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm14.6%
17,615 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged8.9%
10,752 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn5.1%
6,157 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
6.Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt3.9%
4,687 tests
7.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage3.2%
3,884 testsShock absorber defective explained
8.A tyre seriously damaged3.2%
3,840 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs83%

6–8 yrs82%

9–11 yrs79%

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

What gets tested

The Discovery Sport fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 64,063
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel89.9%
Petrol5.9%
Hybrid4.2%

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 SPORT AUTO
DISCOVERY SPORT BLACK MHEV A
DISCOVERY SPORT D 4X2
DISCOVERY SPORT D AUTO
DISCOVERY SPORT D MHEV AUTO
DISCOVERY SPORT DYN HSE D MHEV A
DISCOVERY SPORT DYN HSE MHEV A
DISCOVERY SPORT DYN HSE PHEV A
DISCOVERY SPORT DYN SE PHEV A
DISCOVERY SPORT HSE
DISCOVERY SPORT HSE AUTO
DISCOVERY SPORT HSE D AUTO
DISCOVERY SPORT HSE D MHEV A
DISCOVERY SPORT HSE MHEV AUTO
DISCOVERY SPORT HSE SD4
DISCOVERY SPORT MHEV AUTO
DISCOVERY SPORT R-DYN HSE A
DISCOVERY SPORT R-DYN HSE D A
DISCOVERY SPORT R-DYN HSE MHEV A
DISCOVERY SPORT R-DYN HSE PHEV A
DISCOVERY SPORT R-DYN S D A
DISCOVERY SPORT R-DYN S P300E A
DISCOVERY SPORT R-DYN SE D A
DISCOVERY SPORT R-DYN SE PHEV A
DISCOVERY SPORT R-DYNAMIC S A
DISCOVERY SPORT R-DYNAMIC SE A
DISCOVERY SPORT RDYN HSE DMHEV A
DISCOVERY SPORT RDYN HSE P300E A
DISCOVERY SPORT RDYN S+ D MHEV A
DISCOVERY SPORT RDYN S+ MHEV A
DISCOVERY SPORT RDYN SE D MHEV A
DISCOVERY SPORT RDYN SE MHEV A
DISCOVERY SPORT RDYN SE P300E A
DISCOVERY SPORT S AUTO
DISCOVERY SPORT S D 4X2
DISCOVERY SPORT S D AUTO
DISCOVERY SPORT S D MHEV AUTO
DISCOVERY SPORT S MHEV AUTO
DISCOVERY SPORT SD4
DISCOVERY SPORT SE AUTO

Check a specific Land Rover Discovery Sport

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 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

Ford Ranger — 70.5% adjusted, ranked 166
Volvo XC60 — 79.1% adjusted, ranked 62
Kia Ceed — 68.9% adjusted, ranked 182
Audi Q5 — 81.6% adjusted, ranked 42

Common questions

Is the Land Rover Discovery Sport reliable?: On MOT evidence the Land Rover Discovery Sport is well above average. It passes 81.9% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 62% 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 Land Rover Discovery Sport?: The item recorded most often is "A tyre seriously damaged", which appears in 21.4% of failed Land Rover Discovery Sport 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 Sport?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 24.1% of all Land Rover Discovery Sport 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 Sport usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 64,063 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 Sport get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 82.9% of Land Rover Discovery Sport tests pass. By 9 to 11 years, that falls to 79.1%. 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 Sport models petrol or diesel?: Of the Land Rover Discovery Sport cars tested, 90% are diesel, 6% are petrol, 4% 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. 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.