Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Land Rover Range Rover Sport 2005: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 67 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2005 Land Rover Range Rover Sport were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Individual sidelight or tail light (front).

Summary

The 2005 Land Rover Range Rover Sport follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 2,647 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
67 in every 100
Did not pass first time
33 in every 100873 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
20 yearsabout 141,201 miles
First tests counted
2,647

What failed most often

  1. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)16 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Suspension arm (rear)8 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Brake light (rear)8 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 2005 Land Rover Range Rover Sport 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.

Body and structure

Two faults. The strongest is the propeller shaft: 23 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 872 of 873 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.

Propeller shaft

Failed on 29 first tests23 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A transmission shaft likely to become detached is graded Dangerous, and so is a shaft bearing likely to break up. Loose or missing securing bolts, an excessively worn bearing, or a shaft that is bent or badly damaged are graded Major. The inspection covers prop shafts, drive shafts, their couplings and bearings, and drive chains or belts, except on vehicles in a test class the manual exempts.

Chassis condition (rear)

Failed on 39 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A main load-bearing structural member that is fractured, deformed, modified or inadequately repaired is Major when structural rigidity is significantly reduced, and Dangerous where steering or braking is likely to be adversely affected. Corrosion of the body, cab or chassis at a mounting point is Dangerous where overall security or stability is impaired.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 59 first tests, 3.8 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.

Brakes

Three faults. The strongest is the electronic parking brake: 19 times as often as on similar cars.

Electronic parking brake

Failed on 20 first tests19 times as often as similar carsPossible 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.

Brake performance not tested

Failed on 34 first tests3.9 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.

Handbrake efficiency below minimum (decelerometer test)

Failed on 22 first tests3.5 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A parking brake with efficiency below the minimum requirement is graded Major, and efficiency less than half of the required value is graded Dangerous. This check applies only to vehicles whose parking brake has not already been tested as the secondary brake.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Suspension

Four faults. The strongest is the suspension arm (rear): 15 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm (rear)

Failed on 73 first tests15 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

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 86 first tests, 3.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)

Failed on 41 first tests3.3 times as often as similar carsLikely 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 81 first tests, 2.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Wheel bearings (front)

Failed on 49 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsPossible 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 38 first tests, 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (rear)

Failed on 22 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsPossible 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.

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

Lamps and electrical

One fault: rear fog light, 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Rear fog light

Failed on 20 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A missing obligatory rear fog lamp, one that is not working, or one that does not emit a steady red light is graded Major. A rear fog lamp adversely affected by the operation of any other lamp is Major too. The manual allows it to go out when main beam is switched on or when dipped beam headlamps are switched off.

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.

Vehicle structure condition

Noted on 39 first tests3.0 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
67in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
7in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
26in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 67.0% of 2,647 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 74.2%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 7 fixed and the 26 not fixed make the 33 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Diesel1,796148,974 miles6566
Petrol835123,166 miles7170

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Cars with more miles usually fail more often, so the same-mileage figure gives every fuel the mileage mix of all the cars in this year.

Same model, other years

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

4060801002005201020152020Newer cars
406080100200520102020Newer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
2005 This car67 in every 1002,647
200666 in every 1004,352
200767 in every 1004,018
200868 in every 1003,484
200970 in every 1003,660
201073 in every 1004,657
201176 in every 1004,654
201278 in every 1005,371
201379 in every 1005,861
201480 in every 1008,199
201580 in every 10010,084
201680 in every 10010,092
201783 in every 1009,586
201887 in every 10010,011
201988 in every 10010,470
202088 in every 1007,358
202188 in every 1007,990
202289 in every 1006,101

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2005 Range Rover Sport.

Of 2005 Range Rover Sport vehicles with under 111,000 miles, 72 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 170,000 miles or more, 63 in every 100 did.

Under 111,000538 tests
72
111,000–131,000507 tests
68
131,000–150,000 Typical car544 tests
67
150,000–170,000519 tests
64
170,000 and over537 tests
63

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Diesel148,974 miles6566
Petrol123,166 miles7170

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 148,974 against 123,166). At the same mileage there is no clear difference between the two.

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 111,000131,000–150,000170,000 and over
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)1.74.67.3
Suspension arm (rear)0.73.53.4
Brake light (rear)2.42.43.0
Tyre condition (rear)3.03.11.9
Drive shaft joints and boots (front)0.72.82.6

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

When a car fails

21in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

57in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

11in 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 2005 Land Rover Range Rover Sport follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Individual sidelight or tail light (front), about 16 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 67.0% of 2,647 first MOTs on the 2005 Land Rover Range Rover Sport passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 74.2%. Among 873 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Propeller shaft appears more often than on similar cars (3.3% of those tests; 29 observed failures; about 23× 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 2005 Land Rover Range Rover Sport at the first attempt were Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (15.7%), Suspension arm (rear) (8.4%) and Brake light (rear) (8.4%), 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: Propeller shaft (3.3% of those tests; 29 observed failures; about 23× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Propeller shaft shows up more often than on similar cars (3.3% of those tests; 29 observed failures; about 23× 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 2005 Land Rover Range Rover Sport include Propeller shaft, Electronic parking brake, Suspension arm (rear). 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 2005 Land Rover Range Rover Sport (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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