Used car guide

2021 Land Rover Defender: common problems and what to check

What gets flagged at MOT on 2021 Land Rover Defenders, from 8,189 tests in 2025, plus known faults and what to look at before you buy one.

8,189MOT tests in 2025
91%pass first time (all 2021 cars: 87%)
9,700typical miles a year
2×the usual rate for windscreen

What stands out

Parts flagged at MOT more often on 2021 Land Rover Defenders than on all cars registered in 2021.

  • Windscreen2× usual
    Land Rover Defender
    3.4% All 2021 cars
    1.7%

    Failed outright at MOT: 0.1%, against 0.1% of all 2021 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

    Rough price £60–£300 our estimate

    At the viewing: Check for chips or cracks in the driver's view.

Better than most

Tyre condition: 5.4% here, against 11.5% of all 2021 cars.

By area

The share of 2021 Land Rover Defender MOT tests where testers flagged each area, as a fail or an advisory. Rough prices are typical independent-garage costs.

  • Tyres
    16% of testsRough price £70–£150

    At the viewing: Check the tread on all four tyres, including the inside edges, and look for cracks or bulges.

  • Brakes
    11% of testsRough price £150–£350

    At the viewing: Look for a lip on the disc edges and feel for judder or pulling when braking firmly from about 40mph.

  • Wipers, windscreen and mirrors
    5% of testsRough price £15–£250

    At the viewing: Check for chips in the driver's view, and test the wipers and washers.

  • Lights and electrics
    3% of testsRough price £10–£80

    At the viewing: Ask a friend to check every light, including brake lights and indicators, while you operate them.

  • Suspension
    1% of testsRough price £120–£400

    At the viewing: Listen for knocks over speed bumps, and look behind each front wheel for a snapped coil spring.

  • Seats and seatbelts
    1% of testsRough price £80–£250

    At the viewing: Pull each seatbelt sharply. It should lock, and retract cleanly.

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Other years

YearMOT testsMost flagged
20229,421Tyres 16%
20203,926Tyres 18%
20161,766Lights and electrics 15%
20156,477Lights and electrics 21%
20145,687Lights and electrics 25%
20134,240Lights and electrics 26%
20123,781Suspension 28%
20113,869Suspension 31%
20103,826Suspension 33%
20093,347Suspension 33%
20083,601Suspension 35%
20073,833Suspension 38%
20063,676Suspension 37%
20054,057Suspension 38%
20044,136Suspension 39%
20034,236Suspension 40%
20023,706Suspension 39%
20013,012Suspension 37%
20002,890Suspension 39%

Where this comes from: the DVSA's anonymised results for every MOT test in Great Britain in 2025, counting tests of 2021 Land Rover Defenders registered in 2021. "Flagged" includes advisories, so it isn't the same as a fail rate. How we score