Ranked #51 car in the UK · 4x4 · 18,207 units sold last year
The Land Rover Defender (L663, 2020 on) reinvented the icon as a genuinely capable luxury 4x4 - properly tough off-road yet comfortable and tech-rich on it. Offered as the short 90, family 110 and long 130, with strong petrol and diesel engines. It nails the brief of a do-anything family adventurer, though, like all modern JLR cars, electrical and air-suspension health needs a careful pre-purchase check.
combined
The short version
Forecourt score
Value 70 · Reliability 6 · Insurance 22
The Land Rover Defender holds its value well and is dearer to run than most. Its MOT-based reliability is below average, 58 out of 100, ahead of 6% of the cars we track. On three-year value retention it ranks better than 70% of models.
The Forecourt score blends how this car ranks against the catalogue on value retention, reliability and insurance cost (weighted 40/40/20). Higher is better; running cost is not yet folded in.
Estimates are tuned to the version you choose.
Fuel
Diesel · 2997cc
Power
249 ps
Drivetrain
AWD
Cam drive
Chain
Quoted MPG
33 mpg
The volume Defender. 3.0L straight-six diesel with mHEV, 249 PS, 600 Nm, 8-speed ZF auto, AWD. 110 body (5-door). X-Dynamic SE trim — 20-inch wheels, premium textile/leather, air suspension. The Defender most fleet buyers ordered.
Tidy and well looked-after for its age — the typical car.
Remembered as you browse other cars.
Optional — fills in the exact year and ULEZ status for your specific car. The registration isn’t stored.
Estimated market value
How we got this number — click for the breakdown, or to challenge it.£54,300
Range £46,800 – £62,350
medium confidence
Fair value — depreciation is moderating.
At 22,746 miles it’s below the ~30,505 typical for a 3-year-old — a well-kept reading.
Seen one for sale?
A data-led guide from the depreciation curve, UK parc trend and reliability — not financial advice.
How a 2023-registration Land Rover Defender loses value over time.
Based on the 2023 car with 22,746 miles you entered above — worth about £54,300 today — here is the cost of owning it for the next 5 years, at roughly 7,582 miles a year.
5-year total
£23,755
Per year
£4,751
All-in per mile
£0.63
Fuel per mile
17.4p
Uses current UK pump and home-charging prices (DESNZ weekly), typical-driver insurance and manufacturer service intervals. "Fuel per mile" is just the energy input — so an EV at ~9p and a diesel at ~22p make running-cost comparison direct. A guide; your own costs will vary.
Where this car ranks against the 340 vehicles in our index — higher is better.
Percentile rank across our full index. A measure is shown only where the data spreads meaningfully across the index.
How the available versions compare on price, running cost, and the headaches each tends to develop.
The volume Defender. Strong residuals — Defender depreciation lower than other LR products. D250 is the value sweet spot; D300 the long-distance / towing pick. Air suspension worth specifying for the comfort and off-road geometry.
Watch for
P300 for buyers who don't do many miles; P400 the better-balanced petrol. V8 is the connoisseur's choice — 525 PS in a Defender is genuinely silly. Octa (separate variant) at top adds proper off-road suspension.
Watch for
The only genuine 3rd-row-for-adults 7-seater at this price/capability. Discovery offers 7 seats too but Defender 130 is more spacious. Loses some Defender off-road geometry for length. The proper big-family Land Rover.
Watch for
Fuel/energy costs based on this week’s UK averages (w/c 22/06/2026) · Petrol 153.3p/L, Diesel 172.5p/L, Electricity 27.0p/kWh · DESNZ
Group 30 of 50 (upper-mid — pricier to insure) · Comprehensive · 3 years NCB
Indicative annual comprehensive premiums for this car, by driver age band and risk profile. Pick the combination closest to your circumstances.
Estimated annual premium · typical, age 33-39
£1,360/ year
Roughly £113 per month
Typical
Average UK driver — 3 years NCB, average postcode, no recent claims.| Age band | Lower risk | Typical | Higher risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age 17-25 | £3,101 | £3,876 | £5,039 |
| Age 26-32 | £1,618 | £1,904 | £2,323 |
| Age 33-39Selected | £1,197 | £1,360 | £1,605 |
| Age 40-49 | £1,016 | £1,129 | £1,309 |
| Age 50+ | £906 | £1,006 | £1,188 |
How we estimate this
Indicative annual comprehensive premium estimates. The 'Typical' figure represents an average UK driver in each age band; Lower and Higher risk show the realistic spread driven by factors UK insurers legitimately price on (postcode, occupation, claims history, NCB, voluntary excess, modifications). Based on 10,000 miles/yr, £250 voluntary excess, and the no-claims bonus selected above. Always get individual quotes before buying.
Adjust the annual mileage to match how you'll actually use the car. Insurance is what you selected above (age 33-39, typical risk, 3 yrs NCB).
Routine service
£290
Annual main-dealer service
Major service
£280
Every 2 years, annualised
Road tax
£195
Standard rate, post year-one
Fuel
£1,556
40 mpg, £1.49/L
Insurance
£1,360
Age 33-39, group 30
Clean-air zones
✓ ULEZ compliantBased on London ULEZ standards — Birmingham, Bath, Bristol, Sheffield, Glasgow and other UK clean-air zones generally follow the same rules.
Excludes depreciation and unscheduled repairs (see next section).
What out-of-warranty repairs typically run, by mileage band. Your selected mileage is highlighted.
0-30k miles
£120
per year · low risk
30-60k miles
£360
per year · low risk
60-100k miles
£780
per year · medium risk
100k+ miles
£1,350
per year · high risk
215/65 R17 · 235/55 R18 · 235/50 R19
What a full set of four will cost you (including fit and balance), and which brand each tier of buyer should pick. A typical set lasts about 24,000 miles.
Budget
£400
set of 4, fitted · £85 per tyre
Mid-range
£580
set of 4, fitted · £130 per tyre
Premium
£840
set of 4, fitted · £195 per tyre
Factory options ranked by how much of their original cost they recover at resale. Anything above 70% return tends to make money back; below 40% is paying for your own enjoyment.
| Option | New cost | Added used value | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
Tow bar (factory-fit) Niche, but the buyers who want one will pay for it. | £650 | £450 | 69% |
Parking sensors & reversing camera Near-expected now — its absence costs more than its presence returns. | £500 | £300 | 60% |
Heated seats / cold-weather pack | £450 | £200 | 44% |
Adaptive / matrix LED headlights | £900 | £400 | 44% |
Metallic or premium paint Almost universal — an unusual colour is the bigger resale risk. | £600 | £200 | 33% |
Panoramic / opening roof | £1,100 | £350 | 32% |
Advanced driver-assistance pack | £1,500 | £450 | 30% |
Larger alloy wheels | £700 | £200 | 29% |
Premium sound system | £800 | £200 | 25% |
Drawn from owner reports and warranty data. Filtered for relevance to 22,746 miles.
Watch now
Failure typically happens around your current mileage.
Upcoming
A known weak point — but you haven't reached its usual mileage yet.
Already due
Past its usual failure mileage. Either already fixed, or about to.
Recorded in 13.9% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 3,091,222 DVSA MOT tests analysed.
Recorded in 11.9% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 3,091,222 DVSA MOT tests analysed.
Recorded in 10.1% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 3,091,222 DVSA MOT tests analysed.
Recorded in 6.0% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 3,091,222 DVSA MOT tests analysed.
Recorded in 4.7% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 3,091,222 DVSA MOT tests analysed.
Recorded in 6.2% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 3,091,222 DVSA MOT tests analysed.
"Parts low/medium/high" indicates how easy the replacement part is to source — discontinued or specialist parts mean longer workshop time and bigger bills.
Euro NCAP's independent crash-test rating for the Land Rover Defender, from its 2020 assessment.
The Defender’s passenger compartment remained stable in the offset frontal test.
Independent crash-test data from Euro NCAP. Star ratings reflect the test protocol of the year shown — newer protocols are stricter, so a 5-star from 2024 represents a higher bar than a 5-star from 2014.
How this model fares at its MOT as it ages — from 3,141,735 real DVSA test records.
MOT pass rate by age
A 3-year-old Defender passes its MOT 84.9% of the time; by 25 years that has slipped to 68.9%. The y-axis is zoomed to this model’s range so the trend is readable.
Longevity
From 52 vehicles registered in 1963.
Survival by registration year
Each point is one registration cohort. Older cars on the left, newer on the right. A flatter line means the model holds up over time; a steep drop means cohorts disappear from UK roads faster.
What’s on the road
The fuel-type split of every Defender currently MOT’d in the UK. From 272,745 vehicles.
Common MOT failures by mileage
The defect categories this Defender fails on most often, and how the failure rate climbs as the miles add up — from the same DVSA test records.
| Category | 0-30k | 30-60k | 60-100k | 100k+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 3% | 6% | 11% | 14% |
| Lighting & signalling | 3% | 5% | 9% | 12% |
| Brakes | 3% | 5% | 8% | 10% |
| Driver's view | 3% | 4% | 5% | 6% |
| Tyres & wheels | 1% | 2% | 3% | 5% |
| Body & structure | 1% | 1% | 3% | 6% |
Share of MOT tests in each mileage band with at least one defect in that category. The peak band for each is highlighted.
Typical mileage by age
The average odometer reading for a Defender at MOT, by age — measured from the same DVSA records, not assumed. A useful yardstick for whether a given car has done more or fewer miles than its age suggests.
Mean recorded mileage at MOT by vehicle age, from DVSA test records (ages with at least 10 tests shown).
Below average
Composite of MOT pass rate, defect prevalence and cohort survival from 3,091,222 tests — high confidence.
MOT outlook · age 5 years
18th percentile — Among the worst — investigate carefully
Based on 113,897 MOT tests · ranked against 248 catalogue models with comparable data
Where this car sits in the catalogue
Pass-rate distribution across 248 catalogue models
Safety recalls
Manufacturers occasionally issue safety recalls to fix a fault free of charge. You can check whether the Land Rover Defender, or your exact vehicle, has any outstanding recalls on the official DVSA service.
Check on GOV.UKOpens the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency recall checker. Choose the make, model and year of manufacture — no registration needed.
A general indicator from UK 2025 theft data and this car’s characteristics — not a prediction for any one vehicle.
Whole-car theft
Higher
Desirable SUVs like this are relay-theft targets — keyless entry can be exploited from the driveway in under a minute.
Parts theft
Around average
Parts-theft risk is around average — catalytic-converter theft is the main thing to be aware of on any petrol or diesel car.
Worth doing
Whether driving a Land Rover Defender into a UK clean-air zone will cost you anything. Rules use the same Euro standard across most zones — petrol from 2006 and diesel from 2015 onwards are exempt; pure electric is always exempt.
| City | Area | Daily charge | Likely outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | All of Greater London (within the M25) | £12.50 | Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6. |
| Birmingham | Inside the A4540 Middleway | £8.00 | Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6. |
| Bristol | City centre and part of the Portway | £9.00 | Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6. |
| Glasgow | City centre | — | Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6. |
| Edinburgh | City centre | — | Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6. |
| Aberdeen | City centre | — | Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6. |
| Dundee | City centre | — | Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6. |
Model-level guidance only. To check a specific registration, use the official gov.uk clean-air zone checker. Zone charges and boundaries are set by local councils and change over time.
How well-supported Land Rover is across the UK — a practical read on how easy servicing, parts and warranty work will be to find.
Franchised UK dealers
~110
Large network
Premium SUV
Network size relative to the UK's largest (Land Rover is 2.4% of all franchised outlets)
Servicing, parts and warranty work are easy to find UK-wide, and most independent garages know the brand well — which keeps maintenance competitive.
For context, the UK has roughly 4,500 franchised car-dealer outlets in total, plus about 15,500 independent garages.
Approximate figures, curated from public UK industry sources (NFDA, Car Dealer Magazine). Franchised networks shrink year on year — these indicate network size, not an exact count.
Length
4,600 mm
Width
1,880 mm
Height
1,650 mm
Kerb weight
1,750 kg
Boot
500–1,600 L
Fuel tank
60 L
Of every Land Rover Defender ever registered in the UK, this is what's actively on the road, parked off the road on a SORN, or gone for good.
Total ever registered
189,301
Currently taxed & on road
158,483
84% of all registered
SORN (off road)
30,818
16% of all registered
Scrapped or exported
0
UK fleet trend — 2014 to 2025
+10.7% vs 2024Source: DfT VEH0124 vehicle licensing statistics (year-end 2025) · Updated 1 Jul 2026
Common questions
Same underpinnings
Longitudinal-engine platform for the larger Range Rover models, Discovery, Velar and Jaguar F-Pace. Different badges, often substantially different residuals, but broadly the same mechanicals and repair cost profile.
Land Rover
Range Rover
Land Rover
Range Rover Sport
Land Rover
Range Rover Velar
Land Rover
Discovery
Land Rover
Defender 130
Jaguar
F-Pace
Jaguar
XE
Jaguar
XF
Jaguar
I-Pace
Jaguar Land Rover Modular Longitudinal Architecture · JLR
Common questions
Answers are generated from this car's Forecourt data — DVSA MOT records, DfT licensing statistics and our valuation model — and update with the weekly data refresh.