1971 Land Rover Defender — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1971 perform at MOT as they age

55 years

Current Age

63.6%

Latest Pass Rate

1,711

Total Tests (All Years)

110,819 mi

Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Insufficient data for same-age comparison.

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1971 Land Rover Defender as it ages.

38 yrs58.7%

→ ↑0.2%

39 yrs58.9%

→ ↓2.9%

40 yrs56.0%

→ ↓0.1%

41 yrs55.9%

→ ↑1.6%

42 yrs57.5%

→ ↑1.0%

43 yrs58.5%

→ ↑2.0%

44 yrs60.5%

→ ↑3.6%

45 yrs64.1%

→ ↑1.7%

46 yrs65.8%

→ ↓10.6%

47 yrs55.2%

→ ↑6.5%

48 yrs61.7%

→ ↑1.9%

49 yrs63.6%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
38 yrs	58.7%	184
39 yrs	58.9%	175
40 yrs	56.0%	184
41 yrs	55.9%	186
42 yrs	57.5%	181
43 yrs	58.5%	183
44 yrs	60.5%	172
45 yrs	64.1%	153
46 yrs	65.8%	155
47 yrs	55.2%	58
48 yrs	61.7%	47
49 yrs	63.6%	33

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1971 Land Rover Defender pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2020 (49 yrs)	63.6%	33
2019 (48 yrs)	61.7%	47
2018 (47 yrs)	55.2%	58
2017 (46 yrs)	65.8%	155
2016 (45 yrs)	64.1%	153
2015 (44 yrs)	60.5%	172
2014 (43 yrs)	58.5%	183
2013 (42 yrs)	57.5%	181
2012 (41 yrs)	55.9%	186
2011 (40 yrs)	56%	184
2010 (39 yrs)	58.9%	175
2009 (38 yrs)	58.7%	184

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate

58.7%

Age (yrs) 38Tests 184Avg Mileage 64,129Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 28.3%

2010High Fail Rate

58.9%

Age (yrs) 39Tests 175Avg Mileage 71,597Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 26.9%

2011High Fail Rate

56.0%

Age (yrs) 40Tests 184Avg Mileage 67,899Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 28.3%

2012High Fail Rate

55.9%

Age (yrs) 41Tests 186Avg Mileage 64,447Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 25.3%

2013High Fail Rate

57.5%

Age (yrs) 42Tests 181Avg Mileage 66,988Top Failure Suspension — 75.1%

2014High Fail Rate

58.5%

Age (yrs) 43Tests 183Avg Mileage 69,241Top Failure Suspension — 59.0%

2015High Fail Rate

60.5%

Age (yrs) 44Tests 172Avg Mileage 68,801Top Failure Suspension — 44.8%

2016High Fail Rate

64.1%

Age (yrs) 45Tests 153Avg Mileage 69,940Top Failure Suspension — 60.8%

2017

65.8%

Age (yrs) 46Tests 155Avg Mileage 77,077Top Failure Suspension — 47.1%

2018High Fail Rate

55.2%

Age (yrs) 47Tests 58Avg Mileage 84,407Top Failure Suspension — 39.7%

2019High Fail Rate

61.7%

Age (yrs) 48Tests 47Avg Mileage 101,768Top Failure Body, chassis, structure — 42.6%

2020High Fail Rate

63.6%

Age (yrs) 49Tests 33Avg Mileage 110,819Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 42.4%

MOT results for 1971 Land Rover Defender by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	38	58.7%	184	64,129	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 28.3%
2010	39	58.9%	175	71,597	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 26.9%
2011	40	56.0%	184	67,899	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 28.3%
2012	41	55.9%	186	64,447	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 25.3%
2013	42	57.5%	181	66,988	Suspension — 75.1%
2014	43	58.5%	183	69,241	Suspension — 59.0%
2015	44	60.5%	172	68,801	Suspension — 44.8%
2016	45	64.1%	153	69,940	Suspension — 60.8%
2017	46	65.8%	155	77,077	Suspension — 47.1%
2018	47	55.2%	58	84,407	Suspension — 39.7%
2019	48	61.7%	47	101,768	Body, chassis, structure — 42.6%
2020	49	63.6%	33	110,819	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 42.4%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1971 Land Rover Defender, with age trends.

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

40.8%

— Consistent

Suspension

39.6%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

38.5%

↑ Increases with age

Brakes

32.8%

↑ Increases with age

Body, chassis, structure

30.5%

↓ Decreases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Suspension	21.2% (38 yrs)	33.3% (49 yrs)	+12.1%	🔴 ↑
Brakes	20.1% (38 yrs)	27.3% (49 yrs)	+7.2%	🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Land Rover Defender page →

About This Data

This page shows how Land Rover Defender cars manufactured in 1971 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2020, covering 1,711 tests. Pass rates naturally decline with age as components wear.

Based on DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2005–2024). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.