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1979 Land Rover Defender — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1979 perform at MOT as they age

47 years
Current Age
55.6%
Latest Pass Rate
211
Total Tests (All Years)
70,406 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 1979 Land Rover Defender as it ages.

30 yrs62.5%
31 yrs52.8%
32 yrs46.7%
33 yrs63.2%
34 yrs46.2%
35 yrs55.6%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 30 to 35 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
30 yrs62.5%32
31 yrs52.8%36
32 yrs46.7%30
33 yrs63.2%38
34 yrs46.2%39
35 yrs55.6%36

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1979 Land Rover Defender pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows declining over 6 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2014 (35 yrs)55.6%36
2013 (34 yrs)46.2%39
2012 (33 yrs)63.2%38
2011 (32 yrs)46.7%30
2010 (31 yrs)52.8%36
2009 (30 yrs)62.5%32

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate
62.5%
Age (yrs) 30Tests 32Avg Mileage 70,779Top Failure Suspension — 28.1%
2010High Fail Rate
52.8%
Age (yrs) 31Tests 36Avg Mileage 72,928Top Failure Brakes — 22.2%
2011High Fail Rate
46.7%
Age (yrs) 32Tests 30Avg Mileage 75,206Top Failure Suspension — 26.7%
2012High Fail Rate
63.2%
Age (yrs) 33Tests 38Avg Mileage 62,977Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 18.4%
2013High Fail Rate
46.2%
Age (yrs) 34Tests 39Avg Mileage 63,547Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 94.9%
2014High Fail Rate
55.6%
Age (yrs) 35Tests 36Avg Mileage 70,406Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 69.4%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1979 Land Rover Defender, with age trends.

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
43.8%
↑ Increases with age
Tyres
33.3%
— Consistent
Suspension
31.7%
↑ Increases with age
Brakes
30.0%
↑ Increases with age
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions
21.4%
↑ Increases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Steering12.5% (30 yrs)33.3% (35 yrs)
+20.8%
🔴 ↑
Brakes28.1% (30 yrs)47.2% (35 yrs)
+19.1%
🔴 ↑
Suspension28.1% (30 yrs)41.7% (35 yrs)
+13.6%
🔴 ↑

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 1979 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2014, covering 211 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.

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