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1981 Land Rover Defender — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1981 perform at MOT as they age

45 years
Current Age
45.2%
Latest Pass Rate
426
Total Tests (All Years)
53,881 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 1981 Land Rover Defender as it ages.

28 yrs53.7%
29 yrs49.1%
30 yrs55.1%
31 yrs64.7%
32 yrs49.0%
33 yrs56.5%
34 yrs47.9%
35 yrs48.8%
36 yrs45.2%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 28 to 36 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
28 yrs53.7%54
29 yrs49.1%55
30 yrs55.1%49
31 yrs64.7%51
32 yrs49.0%51
33 yrs56.5%46
34 yrs47.9%48
35 yrs48.8%41
36 yrs45.2%31

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1981 Land Rover Defender pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows declining over 9 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2017 (36 yrs)45.2%31
2016 (35 yrs)48.8%41
2015 (34 yrs)47.9%48
2014 (33 yrs)56.5%46
2013 (32 yrs)49%51
2012 (31 yrs)64.7%51
2011 (30 yrs)55.1%49
2010 (29 yrs)49.1%55
2009 (28 yrs)53.7%54

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate
53.7%
Age (yrs) 28Tests 54Avg Mileage 56,579Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 31.5%
2010High Fail Rate
49.1%
Age (yrs) 29Tests 55Avg Mileage 55,758Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 40.0%
2011High Fail Rate
55.1%
Age (yrs) 30Tests 49Avg Mileage 51,093Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 24.5%
2012High Fail Rate
64.7%
Age (yrs) 31Tests 51Avg Mileage 48,444Top Failure Brakes — 23.5%
2013High Fail Rate
49.0%
Age (yrs) 32Tests 51Avg Mileage 53,383Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 92.2%
2014High Fail Rate
56.5%
Age (yrs) 33Tests 46Avg Mileage 52,600Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 73.9%
2015High Fail Rate
47.9%
Age (yrs) 34Tests 48Avg Mileage 51,443Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 89.6%
2016High Fail Rate
48.8%
Age (yrs) 35Tests 41Avg Mileage 52,957Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 48.8%
2017High Fail Rate
45.2%
Age (yrs) 36Tests 31Avg Mileage 53,881Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 87.1%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1981 Land Rover Defender, with age trends.

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
56.6%
↑ Increases with age
Suspension
33.9%
↑ Increases with age
Brakes
26.3%
↑ Increases with age
Steering
21.5%
↑ Increases with age
Body, Structure and General Items
21.3%
↑ Increases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment31.5% (28 yrs)87.1% (36 yrs)
+55.6%
🔴 ↑
Suspension22.2% (28 yrs)58.1% (36 yrs)
+35.9%
🔴 ↑
Brakes20.4% (28 yrs)29.0% (36 yrs)
+8.6%
🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

1963 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1975 1977 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
← Back to Land Rover Defender overview

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 1981 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2017, covering 426 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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