1981 Land Rover Series 3 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1981 perform at MOT as they age

45 years

Current Age

67.6%

Latest Pass Rate

356

Total Tests (All Years)

53,494 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 Series 3 as it ages.

28 yrs61.9%

→ ↓0.5%

29 yrs61.4%

→ ↓0.9%

30 yrs60.5%

→ ↓13.3%

31 yrs47.2%

→ ↑8.1%

32 yrs55.3%

→ ↑5.2%

33 yrs60.5%

→ ↓9.3%

34 yrs51.2%

→ ↑17.2%

35 yrs68.4%

→ ↓0.8%

36 yrs67.6%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
28 yrs	61.9%	42
29 yrs	61.4%	44
30 yrs	60.5%	43
31 yrs	47.2%	36
32 yrs	55.3%	38
33 yrs	60.5%	38
34 yrs	51.2%	43
35 yrs	68.4%	38
36 yrs	67.6%	34

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1981 Land Rover Series 3 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2017 (36 yrs)	67.6%	34
2016 (35 yrs)	68.4%	38
2015 (34 yrs)	51.2%	43
2014 (33 yrs)	60.5%	38
2013 (32 yrs)	55.3%	38
2012 (31 yrs)	47.2%	36
2011 (30 yrs)	60.5%	43
2010 (29 yrs)	61.4%	44
2009 (28 yrs)	61.9%	42

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate

61.9%

Age (yrs) 28Tests 42Avg Mileage 52,626Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 26.2%

2010High Fail Rate

61.4%

Age (yrs) 29Tests 44Avg Mileage 49,514Top Failure Brakes — 22.7%

2011High Fail Rate

60.5%

Age (yrs) 30Tests 43Avg Mileage 49,261Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 30.2%

2012High Fail Rate

47.2%

Age (yrs) 31Tests 36Avg Mileage 53,978Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 41.7%

2013High Fail Rate

55.3%

Age (yrs) 32Tests 38Avg Mileage 57,045Top Failure Suspension — 68.4%

2014High Fail Rate

60.5%

Age (yrs) 33Tests 38Avg Mileage 53,032Top Failure Brakes — 60.5%

2015High Fail Rate

51.2%

Age (yrs) 34Tests 43Avg Mileage 56,801Top Failure Suspension — 102.3%

2016

68.4%

Age (yrs) 35Tests 38Avg Mileage 52,231Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 50.0%

2017

67.6%

Age (yrs) 36Tests 34Avg Mileage 53,494Top Failure Suspension — 47.1%

MOT results for 1981 Land Rover Series 3 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	28	61.9%	42	52,626	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 26.2%
2010	29	61.4%	44	49,514	Brakes — 22.7%
2011	30	60.5%	43	49,261	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 30.2%
2012	31	47.2%	36	53,978	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 41.7%
2013	32	55.3%	38	57,045	Suspension — 68.4%
2014	33	60.5%	38	53,032	Brakes — 60.5%
2015	34	51.2%	43	56,801	Suspension — 102.3%
2016	35	68.4%	38	52,231	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 50.0%
2017	36	67.6%	34	53,494	Suspension — 47.1%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1981 Land Rover Series 3, with age trends.

Suspension

43.5%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

41.6%

— Consistent

Brakes

37.0%

↑ Increases with age

Body, Structure and General Items

28.0%

— Consistent

Tyres

23.3%

— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Suspension	19.0% (28 yrs)	47.1% (36 yrs)	+28.1%	🔴 ↑
Brakes	19.0% (28 yrs)	41.2% (36 yrs)	+22.2%	🔴 ↑
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions	16.7% (28 yrs)	20.6% (36 yrs)	+3.9%	🔴 ↑
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment	26.2% (28 yrs)	26.5% (36 yrs)	+0.3%	⚪ —

Other Manufacture Years

1971 1972 1973 1975 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984

← Back to Land Rover Series 3 overview

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About This Data

This page shows how Land Rover Series 3 cars manufactured in 1981 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2017, covering 356 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.