1972 Land Rover Defender — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1972 perform at MOT as they age

54 years

Current Age

68.6%

Latest Pass Rate

350

Total Tests (All Years)

66,941 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 1972 Land Rover Defender as it ages.

37 yrs66.7%

→ ↓3.5%

38 yrs63.2%

→ ↓1.8%

39 yrs61.4%

→ ↑5.3%

40 yrs66.7%

→ ↓7.7%

41 yrs59.0%

→ ↑1.0%

42 yrs60.0%

→ ↓1.0%

43 yrs59.0%

→ ↑3.2%

44 yrs62.2%

→ ↑6.4%

45 yrs68.6%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
37 yrs	66.7%	42
38 yrs	63.2%	38
39 yrs	61.4%	44
40 yrs	66.7%	36
41 yrs	59.0%	39
42 yrs	60.0%	40
43 yrs	59.0%	39
44 yrs	62.2%	37
45 yrs	68.6%	35

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1972 Land Rover Defender pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2017 (45 yrs)	68.6%	35
2016 (44 yrs)	62.2%	37
2015 (43 yrs)	59%	39
2014 (42 yrs)	60%	40
2013 (41 yrs)	59%	39
2012 (40 yrs)	66.7%	36
2011 (39 yrs)	61.4%	44
2010 (38 yrs)	63.2%	38
2009 (37 yrs)	66.7%	42

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009

66.7%

Age (yrs) 37Tests 42Avg Mileage 51,620Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 23.8%

2010High Fail Rate

63.2%

Age (yrs) 38Tests 38Avg Mileage 50,492Top Failure Brakes — 23.7%

2011High Fail Rate

61.4%

Age (yrs) 39Tests 44Avg Mileage 50,070Top Failure Suspension — 25.0%

2012

66.7%

Age (yrs) 40Tests 36Avg Mileage 51,272Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 19.4%

2013High Fail Rate

59.0%

Age (yrs) 41Tests 39Avg Mileage 58,937Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 94.9%

2014High Fail Rate

60.0%

Age (yrs) 42Tests 40Avg Mileage 53,776Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 82.5%

2015High Fail Rate

59.0%

Age (yrs) 43Tests 39Avg Mileage 58,669Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 41.0%

2016High Fail Rate

62.2%

Age (yrs) 44Tests 37Avg Mileage 61,000Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 54.1%

2017

68.6%

Age (yrs) 45Tests 35Avg Mileage 66,941Top Failure Brakes — 37.1%

MOT results for 1972 Land Rover Defender by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	37	66.7%	42	51,620	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 23.8%
2010	38	63.2%	38	50,492	Brakes — 23.7%
2011	39	61.4%	44	50,070	Suspension — 25.0%
2012	40	66.7%	36	51,272	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 19.4%
2013	41	59.0%	39	58,937	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 94.9%
2014	42	60.0%	40	53,776	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 82.5%
2015	43	59.0%	39	58,669	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 41.0%
2016	44	62.2%	37	61,000	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 54.1%
2017	45	68.6%	35	66,941	Brakes — 37.1%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1972 Land Rover Defender, with age trends.

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

42.1%

↑ Increases with age

Suspension

31.1%

↑ Increases with age

Brakes

29.9%

↑ Increases with age

Steering

25.5%

↑ Increases with age

Driver's View of the Road

15.8%

↑ Increases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Brakes	16.7% (37 yrs)	37.1% (45 yrs)	+20.4%	🔴 ↑
Suspension	19.0% (37 yrs)	28.6% (45 yrs)	+9.6%	🔴 ↑
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment	23.8% (37 yrs)	28.6% (45 yrs)	+4.8%	🔴 ↑

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 1972 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2017, covering 350 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.