All generations and engines together · 96,233 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 76k
Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 35,601 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
The self-levelling air suspension fitted since Discovery 3 leaks down over time as the rubber air springs perish, and the compressor wears out trying to keep up. Owners see a corner sitting low overnight, an amber suspension warning, or a compressor that runs constantly and eventually gives up with a groan. It shows up anywhere from 100k miles on older Disco 3/4s to much newer Discovery 5s where the compressor and dryer unit are the usual failure point. This lines up with the measured MOT data, where this model's suspension component fails more than the class average, though a full air spring or compressor job (£400-£1,500, more if the valve block or dryer is involved) tends to happen well before it would ever show as an MOT advisory.
The 3.0-litre TDV6 and SDV6 diesel in the Discovery 4 (2009-2016) can suffer timing chain stretch, worn tensioners and cracked plastic guides, especially if oil changes have been stretched beyond the recommended interval. The giveaway is a rattle from the back of the engine on a cold start, sometimes with a fault code and rough running; left alone it can jump timing and bend valves. It's widely reported by specialists and in forums but there's no manufacturer recall or TSB found for it, so it counts as buyer folklore rather than an acknowledged fault. A full repair with uprated parts runs roughly £2,000-£4,000, which is engine-out money on a car that isn't worth much more.
On the Discovery 3 and 4 TDV6 diesels, the EGR cooler matrix can crack internally, letting coolant leak into the intake or engine oil, while the EGR valve itself clogs with carbon on cars used mostly for short trips. Symptoms are white or grey smoke on start-up, unexplained coolant loss, oily-smelling coolant, or the car dropping into limp mode. It's a well-worn complaint among specialists rather than something Land Rover has ever put a TSB against. Expect £800-£1,500 for a cooler replacement and flush; a simple valve clean is far cheaper if caught early.
Discovery 5 owners report a scattergun of electrical niggles: the touchscreen going blank or freezing, spurious warning lights and fault codes (gearbox, traction control) that clear themselves, and batteries going flat from parasitic drain. Nobody agrees on a single cause, some blame software, some a weak battery or bad earth, which is why this sits as disputed rather than a confirmed pattern. It can crop up at any age and the fix is usually a software update or battery/earth check rather than a big bill, but repeat softeware faults can point to a deeper wiring gremlin.
Warrantywise's 2026 used vehicle reliability index placed the Discovery as the least reliable used car it tracks, with Land Rover taking five of the worst ten slots overall. The site didn't pin it on one component, it's the combination of an ageing, complex 4x4 with premium parts and labour costs, but it's a reason to lean harder on a specialist pre-purchase inspection than you would with a mainstream SUV. Treat any Discovery you're viewing as a car that will need money spent on it somewhere, not if but when.
Built from the two sections above.
Same segment (Family & large SUVs), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.
Head to head with the other popular cars in its class on reliability and common faults.