Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Land Rover Range Rover 2005: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 69 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2005 Land Rover Range Rover were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Handbrake efficiency below minimum (decelerometer test).

Summary

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

At a glance

How 2,186 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
69 in every 100
Did not pass first time
31 in every 100671 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
20 yearsabout 142,915 miles
First tests counted
2,186

What failed most often

  1. Handbrake efficiency below minimum (decelerometer test)12 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)11 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Suspension arm ball joint (front)10 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 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

Two faults. The strongest is the handbrake efficiency below minimum (decelerometer test): 17 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 670 of 671 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)

Failed on 83 first tests17 times as often as similar carsLikely 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.

Rigid brake pipes (rear)

Failed on 52 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible 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.

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

Suspension

Two faults. The strongest is the anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (rear): 4.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (rear)

Failed on 24 first tests4.0 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.

Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)

Failed on 33 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 66 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.

Body and structure

Two faults. The strongest is the vehicle structure condition (rear): 4.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Vehicle structure condition (rear)

Failed on 33 first tests4.0 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Structure that is fractured, deformed, corroded, modified or inadequately repaired is failed on rigidity only if the overall structural rigidity of the vehicle is significantly reduced. Structure that is likely to affect steering or braking adversely is graded Dangerous. Prescribed areas are not covered here, as they are checked under other sections, including brakes and steering.

Chassis condition (rear)

Failed on 27 first tests2.3 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.

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.

Suspension sub-frame pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 35 first tests11 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Rigid brake pipes (front)

Noted on 103 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension sub-frame (rear)

Noted on 112 first tests2.4 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
69in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
5in 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 69.3% of 2,186 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 73.7%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 5 fixed and the 26 not fixed make the 31 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Diesel1,409148,330 miles6969
Petrol756130,715 miles7069

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.

40608010020002005201020152020Older carsNewer cars
4060801002000200520102020Older carsNewer 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, 67 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
199669 in every 100319
199773 in every 100431
199870 in every 100495
199969 in every 100553
200072 in every 100796
200174 in every 1001,026
200271 in every 100997
200370 in every 1001,499
200468 in every 1001,986
2005 This car69 in every 1002,186
200667 in every 1002,624
200769 in every 1003,061
200870 in every 1002,178
200971 in every 1002,343
201073 in every 1003,036
201173 in every 1003,491
201274 in every 1004,206
201378 in every 1008,552
201483 in every 1005,380
201582 in every 1005,778
201681 in every 1005,063
201784 in every 1005,083
201888 in every 1004,975
201988 in every 1004,454
202088 in every 1003,349
202189 in every 1003,800
202290 in every 1003,827

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.

Of 2005 Range Rover vehicles with under 112,000 miles, 78 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 176,000 miles or more, 63 in every 100 did.

Under 112,000439 tests
78
112,000–133,000423 tests
69
133,000–152,000 Typical car446 tests
71
152,000–176,000447 tests
66
176,000 and over427 tests
63

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 112,000133,000–152,000176,000 and over
Handbrake efficiency below minimum (decelerometer test)2.13.65.4
Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)2.32.03.7
Suspension arm ball joint (front)2.32.73.3
Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)2.13.84.4
Rigid brake pipes (rear)2.71.33.0

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

When a car fails

23in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

54in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

10in 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 follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Handbrake efficiency below minimum (decelerometer test), about 12 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 69.3% of 2,186 first MOTs on the 2005 Land Rover Range Rover passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 73.7%. Among 671 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Handbrake efficiency below minimum (decelerometer test) appears more often than on similar cars (12.4% of those tests; 83 observed failures; about 17× 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 at the first attempt were Handbrake efficiency below minimum (decelerometer test) (12.4%), Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) (10.7%) and Suspension arm ball joint (front) (10.0%), 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: Handbrake efficiency below minimum (decelerometer test) (12.4% of those tests; 83 observed failures; about 17× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Handbrake efficiency below minimum (decelerometer test) shows up more often than on similar cars (12.4% of those tests; 83 observed failures; about 17× 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 include Handbrake efficiency below minimum (decelerometer test), Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (rear), Vehicle structure condition (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 (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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