At a glance
How 2,128 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 53 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 47 in every 100998 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 22 yearsabout 130,049 miles
- First tests counted
- 2,128
What failed most often
- Number plate lights11 in every 100 failed tests
- Brake light10 in every 100 failed tests
- Suspension mounting area (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.
These are patterns across 2003 Land Rover Freelander 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.
Suspension
Three faults. The strongest is the suspension arm (front): 19 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 995 of 998 failed first attempts (99.7%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like.
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.
Suspension arm (front)
What it means
A missing bump stop rubber is not a reason to fail a suspension arm. A component that is fractured, missing or likely to fail is graded Dangerous, and one excessively damaged or corroded is Major. On some vehicles, some highly stressed parts are thin pressed steel, and many of those have hollow box sections or up-facing areas that can collect road dirt and salt, so they get special attention.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 84 first tests, 4.4 times as often as on similar cars.
Anti-roll bar ball joint (front)
What it means
On an anti-roll bar ball joint, DVSA fails a suspension pin, bush or joint that is excessively worn as Major. One likely to become detached is graded Dangerous.
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (front)
What it means
Excessive wear on an anti-roll bar linkage ball joint is Major. A joint likely to become detached is graded Dangerous.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.
Brakes
Three faults. The strongest is the handbrake efficiency below minimum (decelerometer test): 12 times as often as on similar cars.
Handbrake efficiency below minimum (decelerometer test)
Brake pedal
What it means
A brake pedal rubber worn smooth is not a defect, and nor is a worn design pattern on an aftermarket rubber. A pedal with no rubber is rejected if its grooves or raised grip sections are worn smooth, unless the vehicle was made without them. Insufficient reserve travel is Major, but a vehicle is failed for it only if the pedal or lever is touching the floor or handlebar.
Brake performance not tested
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.
Lamps and electrical
Three faults. The strongest is the battery: 3.4 times as often as on similar cars.
Battery
What it means
A battery that is insecure but not likely to fall from its carrier is Minor. It is Major if insecure and likely to fall from the carrier or cause a short circuit, and also Major if it is leaking. Electric and hybrid vehicles are included, though propulsion batteries are unlikely to be accessible and are assessed visually only if they are.
Horn
What it means
A horn that does not work, or is likely to be confused with an emergency vehicle siren, is graded Major. Gongs, bells, sirens and anything with more than one tone, which includes a horn that alternates between its notes, are not allowed, except a gong, bell or siren on vehicles first used before a set date. Sound defects are Minor for named cases such as a bell or harsh sound, and Major under a general row.
Number plate lights (rear)
What it means
Registration plate lamps must light up the rear registration plate and operate at the same time as the position lamps. A missing or inoperative lamp is Major when the plate has only one lamp or all its lamps are not working, and Minor when the plate has several lamps or light sources and not all have failed. A lamp throwing direct white light to the rear is also Minor.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Noise, emissions and leaks
One fault: diesel emissions not tested, 2.5 times as often as on similar cars.
Diesel emissions not tested
What it means
An emissions test on a diesel that is unable to be completed is graded Major. The failure wording 'not tested' carries the same Major grade.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
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.
Transmission oil leaks (rear)
Individual direction indicators (rear)
Rigid brake pipes (front)
Track rod end (front)
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
- 53in every 100
- Passed on the first test.
- Fixed at the station
- 8in every 100
- Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
- Failed
- 39in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 53.1% of 2,128 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 61.0%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 8 fixed and the 39 not fixed make the 47 in every 100 that did not pass first time.
Petrol and diesel
Figures are in every 100 first tests.
Same model, other years
Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.
Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 51 in every 100 passed first time.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 57 in every 100 | 311 |
| 2001 | 53 in every 100 | 806 |
| 2002 | 54 in every 100 | 1,590 |
| 2003 This car | 53 in every 100 | 2,128 |
| 2004 | 52 in every 100 | 3,403 |
| 2005 | 50 in every 100 | 4,169 |
| 2006 | 52 in every 100 | 4,699 |
| 2007 | 59 in every 100 | 11,611 |
| 2008 | 59 in every 100 | 9,318 |
| 2009 | 63 in every 100 | 8,950 |
| 2010 | 64 in every 100 | 12,962 |
| 2011 | 68 in every 100 | 11,546 |
| 2012 | 71 in every 100 | 9,941 |
| 2013 | 73 in every 100 | 12,621 |
| 2014 | 77 in every 100 | 11,171 |
If you are buying one
What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.
Mileage matters most on a 2003 Freelander.
Of 2003 Freelander vehicles with under 96,000 miles, 58 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 165,000 miles or more, 50 in every 100 did.
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 96,000 | 119,000–141,000 | 165,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number plate lights | 5.5 | 4.5 | 5.4 |
| Brake light | 3.2 | 3.3 | 6.4 |
| Suspension mounting area (rear) | 3.0 | 3.5 | 5.0 |
| Individual sidelight or tail light (front) | 2.5 | 4.7 | 5.7 |
| Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (front) | 1.8 | 4.7 | 5.2 |
Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.
When a car fails
of failed cars had one item to fix.
of failed cars had three or more items to fix.
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.
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.
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.
Check any vehicle’s MOT history
Full MOT history, mileage records, and reliability insights for any UK vehicle.
Run a free check