At a glance
How 9,318 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 59 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 41 in every 1003,805 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 17 yearsabout 138,060 miles
- First tests counted
- 9,318
What failed most often
- Individual sidelight or tail light (front)11 in every 100 failed tests
- Coil spring (front)10 in every 100 failed tests
- Shock absorbers (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 2008 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.
Brakes
One fault: handbrake efficiency below minimum (decelerometer test), 32 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 3,803 of 3,805 failed first attempts (99.9%) 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.
Handbrake efficiency below minimum (decelerometer test)
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Body and structure
One fault: drive shaft joints and boots (rear), 16 times as often as on similar cars.
Drive shaft joints and boots (rear)
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Suspension
Three faults. The strongest is the anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (rear): 6.6 times as often as on similar cars.
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (rear)
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 132 first tests, 3.0 times as often as on similar cars.
Suspension sub-frame (rear)
What it means
A suspension sub-frame insecurely attached to the chassis or axle is Major, and Dangerous when it is insecure and impairing directional stability. A sub-frame that is missing, likely to become detached, fractured or likely to fail is also Dangerous. Excessive damage or corrosion that seriously weakens it is Major.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 641 first tests, 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.
Shock absorbers (rear)
What it means
Slight seepage that leaves a film of fluid on a shock absorber does not fail it. Severe leakage, or damage so that it does not function, is Major. A shock absorber missing or likely to become detached is graded Dangerous, though a missing one is only rejected if shock absorbers were fitted as standard.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.
Seat belts and restraints
One fault: seat belt mounting area (rear), 5.8 times as often as on similar cars.
Seat belt mounting area (rear)
What it means
A seat belt anchorage likely to become detached in the event of a collision is graded Dangerous. The load bearing structure near an anchorage, called a prescribed area, is Major when its strength or continuity is significantly reduced or it is inadequately repaired. Anchorage points are inspected for all seat belts fitted, except a belt with no corresponding seat.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 30 first tests, 4.2 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.
Steering
Two faults. The strongest is the steering rack (front): 3.8 times as often as on similar cars.
Steering rack (front)
What it means
Steering gear casing retaining devices dangerously loose, or visible relative movement to the chassis or bodywork, is graded Dangerous. A casing not properly attached, or fractured, is Major, but a fracture that affects the stability or attachment of the casing is Dangerous. A gaiter damaged but still keeping dirt out is Minor, and Major once missing or no longer doing so.
Track rod end
What it means
A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play is Major, and one worn to the extent there is a serious risk of detachment is graded Dangerous. A dust cover that is damaged but still keeps dirt out is Minor, and one missing or no longer keeping dirt out is Major. Testers must tell wear from a joint's built-in clearance or spring loading.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Lamps and electrical
Two faults. The strongest is the individual direction indicators (front): 3.0 times as often as on similar cars.
Individual direction indicators (front)
What it means
Direction indicators must be amber, though vehicles first used before a set date may have white at the front and red at the rear when the indicators are combined with stop or position lamps, and sequential or dynamic ones are not a reason to fail. A lamp that is missing, inoperative or has more than half of a multiple light source not functioning is graded Major. A flashing rate outside the permitted range is graded Minor.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 184 first tests, 6.5 times as often as on similar cars.
Individual direction indicators (rear)
What it means
Direction indicators must be amber, though vehicles first used before a set date may have white at the front and red at the rear when the indicators are combined with stop or position lamps, and sequential or dynamic ones are not a reason to fail. A lamp that is missing, inoperative or has more than half of a multiple light source not functioning is graded Major. A flashing rate outside the permitted range is graded Minor.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 120 first tests, 2.2 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.
All direction indicators
Brake cable (rear)
Transmission oil leaks (rear)
Power steering pipes and hoses (front)
Brake light (rear)
Structural sub-frame condition (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
- 59in every 100
- Passed on the first test.
- Fixed at the station
- 6in every 100
- Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
- Failed
- 35in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 59.2% of 9,318 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 65.4%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 6 fixed and the 35 not fixed make the 41 in every 100 that did not pass first time.
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, 60 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 | 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 This car | 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 2008 Freelander.
Of 2008 Freelander vehicles with under 107,000 miles, 68 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 170,000 miles or more, 53 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 107,000 | 129,000–148,000 | 170,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual sidelight or tail light (front) | 1.1 | 4.9 | 7.6 |
| Coil spring (front) | 3.5 | 4.1 | 4.2 |
| Shock absorbers (rear) | 3.2 | 4.6 | 3.6 |
| Handbrake efficiency below minimum (decelerometer test) | 2.0 | 3.6 | 4.9 |
| Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) | 2.6 | 3.5 | 4.9 |
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