Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Land Rover Discovery 2013: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 74 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2013 Land Rover Discovery were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear).

Summary

The 2013 Land Rover Discovery follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 5,951 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
74 in every 100
Did not pass first time
26 in every 1001,569 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
12 yearsabout 119,931 miles
First tests counted
5,951

What failed most often

  1. Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)14 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Tyre condition (rear)9 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Rigid brake pipes (rear)9 in every 100 failed tests

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2013 Land Rover Discovery vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Brakes

Five faults. The strongest is the electronic parking brake: 22 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 1,569 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Electronic parking brake

Failed on 41 first tests22 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

An electronic parking brake is applied electronically but must still be maintained in operation by direct mechanical means. It may apply automatically in certain conditions, such as when the ignition is switched off or when the driver's door is opened. A control that is missing, defective or inoperative is Major, and so is a malfunction warning.

Flexible brake hoses (rear)

Failed on 35 first tests11 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Testers reject a flexible brake hose for being excessively damaged or chafed only if it is severe enough to expose the reinforcement. Slight damage, chafing or twisting is graded Minor. A leak is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic braking system and Major on an air system, and a hose damaged and likely to fail is also Dangerous.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 36 first tests, 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Flexible brake hoses (front)

Failed on 43 first tests9.5 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Testers reject a flexible brake hose for being excessively damaged or chafed only if it is severe enough to expose the reinforcement. Slight damage, chafing or twisting is graded Minor. A leak is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic braking system and Major on an air system, and a hose damaged and likely to fail is also Dangerous.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 85 first tests, 18 times as often as on similar cars.

Rigid brake pipes (rear)

Failed on 134 first tests7.4 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

Chafing, corrosion or damage to a rigid brake pipe justifies rejection once its wall thickness is reduced by a set amount, although DVSA accepts this is not easy to determine. If a tester is not sure, the benefit of the doubt applies. A leaking pipe or connection is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic system and Major on an air system.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 216 first tests, 4.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake performance not tested

Failed on 40 first tests5.1 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A brake performance test recorded as unable to be tested is Major. DVSA says the result must only be used where it becomes apparent during the test that the item cannot be tested, and this could not have been identified before starting. The reason has to go in the additional information box.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Suspension

Three faults. The strongest is the suspension arm pins and bushes (rear): 16 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)

Failed on 227 first tests16 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

Pins and bushes on suspension arms fail as Major when they are excessively worn. They are graded Dangerous when likely to become detached. DVSA uses the same wording for a suspension joint.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 145 first tests, 4.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (rear)

Failed on 83 first tests13 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Excessive wear on an anti-roll bar linkage ball joint is Major. A joint likely to become detached is graded Dangerous.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 82 first tests, 11 times as often as on similar cars.

Wheel bearings (front)

Failed on 76 first tests4.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Excessive play in a wheel bearing, or a bearing that is excessively rough, is Major. Play so excessive that the bearing is likely to break up or directional control is impaired is Dangerous, and so is a bearing so rough that it is likely to overheat or break up.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 45 first tests, 3.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.

Propeller shaft (rear)

Noted on 21 first tests44 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

Chassis condition (rear)

Noted on 46 first tests10 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Seat belt condition (rear)

Noted on 53 first tests6.9 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

Seat belt condition (front)

Noted on 54 first tests3.6 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
74in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
4in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
22in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 73.6% of 5,951 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 78.1%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 4 fixed and the 22 not fixed make the 26 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

406080100199520002005201020132020Older carsNewer cars
4060801002000201020132020Older cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 72 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
199474 in every 100523
199569 in every 100671
199672 in every 100746
199770 in every 100864
199868 in every 100927
199966 in every 1001,637
200064 in every 1001,759
200164 in every 1002,861
200265 in every 1003,652
200366 in every 1004,666
200465 in every 1005,295
200564 in every 1006,295
200661 in every 1006,150
200763 in every 1005,278
200864 in every 1004,086
200966 in every 1004,486
201070 in every 1005,608
201171 in every 1005,453
201272 in every 1006,239
2013 This car74 in every 1005,951
201477 in every 1007,006
201579 in every 1008,703
201680 in every 1009,189
201782 in every 1009,170
201885 in every 1008,001
201986 in every 1007,476
202086 in every 1005,898
202186 in every 1006,395
202287 in every 1003,933

If you are buying one

What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.

Mileage matters most on a 2013 Discovery.

Of 2013 Discovery vehicles with under 91,000 miles, 80 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 150,000 miles or more, 69 in every 100 did.

Under 91,0001,184 tests
80
91,000–111,0001,213 tests
75
111,000–128,000 Typical car1,165 tests
73
128,000–150,0001,202 tests
71
150,000 and over1,187 tests
69

What to check at your mileage

How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.

Under 91,000111,000–128,000150,000 and over
Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)2.03.94.3
Tyre condition (rear)1.92.41.9
Rigid brake pipes (rear)1.42.42.4
Number plate lights1.02.22.3
Brake pads (rear)1.51.52.0

Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.

When a car fails

37in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

34in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

7in every 100

of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).

Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

The 2013 Land Rover Discovery follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear), about 14 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 73.6% of 5,951 first MOTs on the 2013 Land Rover Discovery passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 78.1%. Among 1,569 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (14.5% of those tests; 227 observed failures; about 16× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2013 Land Rover Discovery at the first attempt were Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear) (14.5%), Tyre condition (rear) (8.7%) and Rigid brake pipes (rear) (8.5%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear) (14.5% of those tests; 227 observed failures; about 16× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (14.5% of those tests; 227 observed failures; about 16× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2013 Land Rover Discovery include Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear), Rigid brake pipes (rear), Electronic parking brake. These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2013 Land Rover Discovery (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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