Used buying checklist

Land Rover Discovery Sport reliability, common problems and used buying checks

A used Land Rover Discovery Sport looks better than average for reliability in UK MOT data: 12.3% of 104,415 tests failed, compared with 18.7% across all indexed models. A good example should have a clean MOT history for windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, tyres and wheels, and lights and electrical.

Sources used: DVSA MOT tests (Apr 2026); vehicle recalls (Apr 2026); MOT fault wording (May 2025). MOT data does not capture every reliability issue, especially intermittent engine, gearbox or infotainment faults that do not appear during the test.

• 12.3% MOT failure rate
• Median tested mileage 53,033 miles
• 12,866 failed MOT tests analysed

Most useful finding

Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors is the clearest area to check

Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors is the clearest named problem area in this model's MOT history (6.8 MOT notes per 100 tests). Example MOT phrases from this area include provides insufficient washer liquid, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, and items removed from drivers view prior to test.

Example MOT phrases to search in the car's history:

• provides insufficient washer liquid
• damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view
• Items removed from drivers view prior to test
• does not clear the windscreen effectively
• Nail in tyre
• has no recorded effort at a wheel
• Spare tyre defective
• primary retaining device excessively deteriorated
• slightly damaged
• for LED or HID headlamp inoperative

Before you view one

Focus on windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, tyres and wheels, and lights and electrical

The model's recorded failure rate is 12.3%, -6.4 percentage points compared with the average across all models. Use the seller questions below to check whether repeat MOT notes have actually been repaired.

• MOT tests analysed104,415 tests
• Median tested mileage53,033 miles
• Failed MOT tests12,866

Used buyer verdict

Should you buy a used Land Rover Discovery Sport?

87.7% of the MOT tests we analysed for this model passed. The model's recorded failure rate is 12.3%, -6.4 percentage points compared with the average across all models. This is a buying brief for the exact car in front of you: clean repeat history matters more than badge reputation.

Better than average in our MOT data

Green light if The car has a tidy MOT pattern, recent repairs for windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, tyres and wheels, and lights and electrical, matching tyres, and paperwork for service or recall work.

Renegotiate if The latest MOT mentions windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, tyres and wheels, and lights and electrical, consumables are due together, or the seller cannot show what was fixed after advisories.

Walk away if Dangerous defects, corrosion near structural areas, warning lights, or the same component family keep returning without clear repair evidence.

• Repeat unresolved MOT notes for windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, tyres and wheels, and lights and electrical
• windscreen, wipers, and mirrors appearing across more than one MOT
• Any dangerous MOT failure on the exact car, especially if the same area appears again later
• No paperwork showing applicable recall work has been completed
• A seller who cannot explain MOT wording such as "provides insufficient washer liquid"

What should I check first?

Start with windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, tyres and wheels, lights and electrical, and corrosion and structure. The checklist on this page explains why each area is being recommended, what to inspect, and what to ask the seller. Each item shows whether it comes from MOT results, recall notices, or a standard used-car check.

• Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors Seen in MOT results

  Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors is one of the most common MOT problem areas for this model (6.8 MOT notes per 100 tests).

  What to check: Check windscreen damage, wiper operation, washers, mirrors, and demisting.

  • Ask the seller: Have windscreen, wiper, washer, mirror, or demisting faults appeared in recent MOT history?
  • Example MOT wording: provides insufficient washer liquid; damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view; Items removed from drivers view prior to test
  • Where it shows up: seen across most mileage ranges
• Tyres and wheels Seen in MOT results

  Tyres and wheels is one of the most common MOT problem areas for this model (2.2 MOT notes per 100 tests).

  What to check: Check tyre age, tread depth, sidewall damage, wheel condition, and alignment wear.

  • Ask the seller: Have uneven tyre wear, damaged tyres, wheel damage, or alignment issues been corrected?
  • Example MOT wording: Nail in tyre; has no recorded effort at a wheel; Spare tyre defective
  • Where it shows up: most visible around 0-50k and 50-100k miles
• Lights and electrical Seen in MOT results

  Lights and electrical is one of the most common MOT problem areas for this model (2.2 MOT notes per 100 tests).

  What to check: Check every lamp, warning light, horn, battery condition, and dashboard messages.

  • Ask the seller: Have any lighting, warning-light, horn, battery, or electrical MOT notes come back more than once?
  • Example MOT wording: slightly damaged; for LED or HID headlamp inoperative; missing in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
  • Where it shows up: most visible around 0-50k, 50-100k, 100-150k, and 150-200k miles
• Corrosion and structure Seen in MOT results

  Corrosion and structure is one of the most common MOT problem areas for this model (2.0 MOT notes per 100 tests).

  What to check: Inspect sills, subframes, mounting points, arches, and underside corrosion advisories.

  • Ask the seller: Has any sill, subframe, mounting-point, chassis, or structural corrosion advisory been repaired properly?
  • Example MOT wording: excessively corroded; attachment bracket/mounting corroded and seriously weakened; ferrule excessively corroded
  • Where it shows up: most visible around 0-50k, 50-100k, and 100-150k miles
• Suspension and steering Seen in MOT results

  Suspension and steering is one of the most common MOT problem areas for this model (1.2 MOT notes per 100 tests).

  What to check: Listen for knocks, check uneven tyre wear, and inspect steering play.

  • Ask the seller: Has any suspension, steering, ball-joint, spring, or wheel-bearing advisory been repaired?
  • Example MOT wording: ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated; ball joint excessively worn; ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt
  • Where it shows up: most visible around 100-150k, 150-200k, and 200k+ miles
• Emissions, engine, and exhaust Seen in MOT results

  Emissions, engine, and exhaust is one of the most common MOT problem areas for this model (1.1 MOT notes per 100 tests).

  What to check: Check warning lights, smoke, exhaust leaks, recent emissions failures, and service history.

  • Ask the seller: Has the car had repeat emissions, smoke, exhaust, lambda, or engine-warning MOT failures?
  • Example MOT wording: leaking excessively from engine; has a major leak of exhaust gases; emissions exceed manufacturer's specified limit
  • Where it shows up: most visible around 150-200k miles

What changes with mileage?

Past 100k miles on the Land Rover Discovery Sport, MOT records most often point to windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, corrosion and structure, and lights and electrical.

Common MOT problem areas

104,415 MOT tests analysed for this model

88,114 Distinct vehicles represented

12.3% Recorded MOT test failure rate — -6.4 percentage points vs all models

Common faults: what usually fails on this model?

Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors is the clearest named problem area in the MOT history (6.8 MOT notes per 100 tests). These counts are issue notes, not failure rates, because a single MOT can list several faults.

Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors

• provides insufficient washer liquid
• damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view

6.8 MOT notes per 100 tests

Tyres and wheels

• Nail in tyre
• has no recorded effort at a wheel

2.2 MOT notes per 100 tests

Lights and electrical

• slightly damaged
• for LED or HID headlamp inoperative

2.2 MOT notes per 100 tests

Corrosion and structure

• excessively corroded
• attachment bracket/mounting corroded and seriously weakened

2.0 MOT notes per 100 tests

Suspension and steering

• ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated
• ball joint excessively worn

1.2 MOT notes per 100 tests

Emissions, engine, and exhaust

• leaking excessively from engine
• has a major leak of exhaust gases

1.1 MOT notes per 100 tests

Brakes

• remains on when the brakes are released

0.0 MOT notes per 100 tests

Recall-related areas to verify

Official recall areas

Manufacturer recall notices for the Land Rover Discovery Sport mainly involve 5 areas: emissions, engine, and exhaust, lights and electrical, mixed recall notices, and seatbelts and safety systems. Treat each as something to verify on the specific car you are viewing; the recall table below shows the official notice text.

Emissions, engine, and exhaust

• The rubberised fuel return hose assembly may have been incorrectly manufactured
• Vehicles failed to routinely achieve the required levels of co2 emissions

6 recalls · 60,617 vehicles

Lights and electrical

• Gear Shift Module Moisture Ingress
• Electric Power Inverter Converter B (EPICB) Software Update

5 recalls · 65,121 vehicles

Mixed recall notices

• Security Guidance
• Security Enhancement

4 recalls · 104,153 vehicles

Seatbelts and safety systems

• Damaged front seat belt pre tensioner tube may have been installed on the seat belt retractor
• Seat belt pretensioner may not deploy

2 recalls · 11,609 vehicles

Corrosion and structure

• Right-hand side lower A Pillar bolt that may not have been tightened to the correct torque.

1 recall · 782 vehicles

Mileage and age checks

Mileage changes: what starts showing up after high mileage?

Past 100k miles on the Land Rover Discovery Sport, MOT records most often point to windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, corrosion and structure, and lights and electrical. On lower-mileage cars, the most common named areas are windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, tyres and wheels, and lights and electrical.

Mileage range	Tests	Vehicles	Failure rate (vs all models)	Median mileage
0-50k	46,367	39,782	10.9%+0.1 percentage points vs all models	37,433 miles
50-100k	52,857	44,548	13.4%-7.3 percentage points vs all models	65,828 miles
100-150k	4,530	3,787	15.1%-11.1 percentage points vs all models	109,953 miles
150-200k	231	182	20.8%-6.5 percentage points vs all models	161,734 miles
200k+	16	15	6.3%-20.3 percentage points vs all models	221,797 miles

Problem areas by mileage

Past 100k miles on the Land Rover Discovery Sport, MOT records most often point to windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, corrosion and structure, and lights and electrical.

Mileage range	Car areas most often recorded	Specific MOT defect examples
0-50k	Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors (6.7 MOT notes per 100 tests) Tyres and wheels (2.3 MOT notes per 100 tests) Lights and electrical (1.7 MOT notes per 100 tests)	No exact MOT wording is available for this mileage range.
50-100k	Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors (6.6 MOT notes per 100 tests) Corrosion and structure (2.4 MOT notes per 100 tests) Lights and electrical (2.4 MOT notes per 100 tests)	No exact MOT wording is available for this mileage range.
100-150k	Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors (9.8 MOT notes per 100 tests) Corrosion and structure (4.2 MOT notes per 100 tests) Lights and electrical (3.9 MOT notes per 100 tests)	No exact MOT wording is available for this mileage range.
150-200k	Lights and electrical (8.2 MOT notes per 100 tests) Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors (7.8 MOT notes per 100 tests) Suspension and steering (6.9 MOT notes per 100 tests)	No exact MOT wording is available for this mileage range.
200k+	Suspension and steering (6.3 MOT notes per 100 tests) Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors (6.3 MOT notes per 100 tests)	No exact MOT wording is available for this mileage range.

Fair comparisons: is this problem normal for its age?

The MOT failure rate rises from 14.7% at 0-3 years to 20.0% at 15+ years. Compare the car with the nearest age range before treating a fault as normal wear or a warning sign. The average MOT failure rate across all models in the same dataset is 18.7%. The highest failure rate by age is 20.0% for 15+ years cars, based on 5 tests.

Age range	Tests	Vehicles	Failure rate (vs all models)	Median age
0-3 years 2023–2026 reg.	34	27	14.7%+6.3 percentage points vs all models	3.0 years
3-6 years 2020–2023 reg.	49,908	42,387	12.0%+1.4 percentage points vs all models	5.0 years
6-10 years 2016–2020 reg.	54,467	46,429	12.6%-4.0 percentage points vs all models	7.0 years
10-15 years 2011–2016 reg.	1	1	0.0%-23.5 percentage points vs all models	13.7 years
15+ years pre-2011 reg.	5	4	20.0%-5.9 percentage points vs all models	17.4 years

Recall records and data freshness

Recall context: are there safety notices to know about?

6 relevant recall notices appear for this model. Treat them as safety checks to verify for the exact car, not as normal MOT wear.

2025-10-30	Gear Shift Module Moisture Ingress On Affected vehicles it is possible that moisture has entered the Gear Shift Module (GSM) during the assembly process. Under certain conditions there is a risk that this moisture could result in non-illumination of the Light Emitting Diode (LED) indicating the selected gear. Non-illumination of the LED gear indicator adjacent to the shifter would not conform to regulated requirements for automatic transmission control position indicator illumination. Affected vehicles will have the Gear Shift Module replaced.
2025-08-05	Electric Power Inverter Converter B (EPICB) Software Update On affected vehicles due to a software issue in the Electric Power Inverter Converter B (EPICB) it is possible that as the high voltage battery depletes during driving in EV mode the engine may not restart when the state of charge reduces and the vehicle will therefore lose power. There will not be an associated warning to the driver. Vehicle’s software to be updated in the Electric Power Inverter Converter B (EPICB) and other modules as required to ensure complete cross-module integration. In parallel an over-the-air update will be rolled out and customers who successfully complete this update will not need to visit a retailer.
2025-05-28	AJ21-D4 Turbo Oil Feed Pipe Leak - Incorrectly Repaired On affected vehicles the turbocharger oil feed pipe clamp may have been installed in the incorrect orientation. Incorrectly installed pipe clamp will not provide sufficient clamp load and therefore risk an oil leak. Replace oil feed pipe O-rings and fit replacement pipe clamp correctly.
2025-05-09	Security Guidance Jaguar Land Rover in conjunction with law enforcement and insurance bodies is aware of the increase in thefts of vehicles in specific geographical locations within the United Kingdom. there is no fault with Jaguar Land Rover's security systems and they continue to meet stringent automotive legislation. Jaguar Land Rover is offering owners guidance on how to maximise vehicle security and protect against theft. Vehicle registered keepers will be sent a security guidance letter only - there is no repair action.
2025-01-27	Security Enhancement For affected vehicles the manufacturer has developed a software enhancement to further increase vehicle security. The software enhancement will deploy this update and reduce the theft risk.
2024-06-26	AJ21-D4 Turbo Oil Feed Pipe Leak Affected vehicles have a Turbocharger oil feed pipe that may over time loosen and lead to an oil leak Replace the Turbocharger oil feed pipe O-rings and install an additional clamp.

Related searches

Common ways people look up the Land Rover Discovery Sport. Each link runs the search and lands on the relevant section of this report.

• Land Rover Discovery Sport common problems
• Land Rover Discovery Sport reliability
• Land Rover Discovery Sport after 100k miles
• Land Rover Discovery Sport after 200k miles
• Land Rover Discovery Sport high mileage common problems
• Land Rover Discovery Sport age related problems
• Land Rover Discovery Sport MOT failures
• Land Rover Discovery Sport recalls

Related reliability guides

Sources used: DVSA MOT tests (Apr 2026); vehicle recalls (Apr 2026); MOT fault wording (May 2025). These are patterns from many MOT tests and recall notices. They help you decide what to inspect and what to ask; they do not certify the condition of one specific car.