The MOT Files

Known faults, from the test record

Rover 75 common problems

What fails on the Rover 75 at MOT, which parts are behind it, and how each model year compares. From 6,210 DVSA test records.

Data updated

Quick answer

The Rover 75's most common MOT problems are suspension bushes, suspension arms and mountings, bulbs and lamps, recorded in 48.0%, 33.0% and 25.6% of failed tests respectively. By model year, 2003 cars pass most often (60.2%) and 2004 cars least (58.1%), though most of that gap is age. Every figure here is what testers recorded, not what owners reported.

A “common problems” list is usually a forum thread: whoever had the worst day writes the longest post. This one is built the other way, from every Rover 75 that took an MOT last year and what the tester wrote down. It cannot see breakdowns, electrical gremlins or a gearbox that hunts, because the test does not check those. What it can see, it sees across 6,210 cars.

By component

What wears out on a 75

Failure items grouped by the part behind them, with the share of failed Rover 75 tests recording each. A part can carry several DVSA wordings; they are listed beneath. One failed test often lists several items, so shares do not sum to 100%.

  1. 1.Suspension bushes

    48.0% of failed tests

    Rubber bushes in arms and links perish and split with age and load; the most recorded suspension item on the test.

    • “A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn” — explained15.2%
    • “A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn” — explained10.5%
    • “A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc” — explained10.5%
    • “A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn” — explained7.6%

    Across all cars, suspension bushes failures climb 20-fold between three and fifteen years, peaking at 15+ years. How long suspension bushes last

  2. 2.Suspension arms and mountings

    33.0% of failed tests

    Arms bend on impact and mountings corrode into the body; a corroded mounting is a structural item and fails as one.

    • “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 repaired” — explained27.4%
    • “A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded” — explained5.6%

  3. 3.Bulbs and lamps

    25.6% of failed tests

    Filament bulbs simply expire; the cheapest and most avoidable failure on the test, and one of the most recorded.

    • “Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements” — explained5.6%
    • “Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning” — explained4.6%
    • “Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow” — explained3.8%
    • “A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps” — explained3.1%

    Across all cars, bulbs and lamps failures climb 15-fold between three and fifteen years, peaking at 15+ years. How long bulbs and lamps last

  4. 4.Headlamp aim

    18.3% of failed tests

    Aim drifts with sagging suspension, a knocked lamp or a botched bulb change; adjustment, not a part.

    • “The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements” — explained15.9%
    • “The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements” — explained2.5%

  5. 5.Parking brake

    17.6% of failed tests

    Cables stretch and seize, rear shoes and adjusters wear; efficiency is measured on the roller tester against the vehicle's weight.

    • “Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement” — explained11.8%
    • “Parking brake inoperative on one side” — explained3.0%
    • “Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value” — explained2.8%

  6. 6.Tyres

    15.5% of failed tests

    Tread wears with every mile and sidewalls age and take kerb damage; the legal minimum is 1.6 mm across the central three-quarters.

    • “Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements” — explained5.9%
    • “A tyre seriously damaged” — explained3.8%
    • “A tyre cords visible or damaged” — explained3.0%
    • “A tyre seriously damaged” — explained2.9%

    Across all cars, tyres failures run at a similar rate at every age, because they are replaced on a cycle rather than wearing out with the car. How long tyres last

  7. 7.Wiper blades and washers

    14.1% of failed tests

    Rubber blades harden and split within a year or two; washer jets block and pumps fail.

    • “Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen” — explained7.8%
    • “Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen” — explained3.3%
    • “Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen” — explained3.0%

    Across all cars, wiper blades and washers failures run at a similar rate at every age, because they are replaced on a cycle rather than wearing out with the car. How long wiper blades and washers last

  8. 8.Brake pipes

    11.9% of failed tests

    Steel pipes under the car corrode from salt and moisture, fastest on cars kept outside in wet or coastal areas; failure is for excessive corrosion or damage.

    • “Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded” — explained9.6%
    • “Leaking brake pipe or connection on a hydraulic system” — explained2.4%

    Across all cars, brake pipes failures climb from nothing between three and fifteen years, peaking at 15+ years. How long brake pipes last

By registration year

75 problems by year

MOT pass rate for Rover 75 cars by the year they were first registered, from years with at least 1,000 tests. Every car in a row is the same age, so the rate is raw. Neighbouring years differ by a year of wear — a step of a point or two is age. No single step here is large enough to point at a generation change.

200260%
200360%+0.4
200458%−2.2

Last column: change on the previous year, in points. Years registered within the last three years have not yet been tested and are not shown.

Before it fails

What testers warn 75 owners about

Advisories are the same parts a year or two earlier. Share of all Rover 75 tests carrying an advisory for each.

Go deeper

The rest of the 75 file

Common questions

What are the most common problems with a Rover 75?
Going by what fails the MOT, suspension bushes (recorded in 48.0% of failed tests), suspension arms and mountings (recorded in 33.0% of failed tests), and bulbs and lamps (recorded in 25.6% of failed tests). These are the items testers actually record across 6,210 tests, not reports from owners, so they describe what goes wrong at the point where it has to be fixed.
Which Rover 75 year is the most reliable?
By MOT pass rate, Rover 75 cars registered in 2003 do best at 60.2% and 2004 cars do worst at 58.1%. Most of that ordering is simply age — newer cars pass more — so read the year table for steps larger than a couple of points between neighbouring years; those mark a change in the cars rather than the calendar.
Is the Rover 75 reliable?
The Rover 75 passes 59.9% of MOTs unadjusted; its fleet is too narrow in age or mileage for a fair national comparison. An MOT measures roadworthiness on the day rather than breakdowns or running costs, so this is a reliability measure in the narrow sense: how often the car meets the legal standard, and what stops it.
What should I check when buying a used Rover 75?
Start with what fails most: suspension bushes, bulbs and lamps, tyres. Then read the car's own MOT history for advisories carried year to year without repair — the model tells you what to expect, the history tells you whether this owner dealt with it.

Analysis built from DVSA data of