Land Rover Freelander, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls
97,565 Land Rover Freelanders are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 65% of initial MOT tests, 7.3 points below the 72.3% UK average.
Looking at a specific Freelander? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Land Rover Freelander at the MOT
65% of 110,162 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Freelander 432nd of 575 models. Land Rover Freelanders aged 6 to 10 years passed 79.1% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 64.2%.
First-time pass rate, 2025
Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.
Pass rate by age at test
Land Rover Freelander tests in 2025.
Where Freelanders fail
Share of all failure items recorded on Land Rover Freelander tests in 2025.
The items testers recorded most often were track rod end ball joint has excessive play (4.4%), position lamp not working (4.3%) and stop lamp not working (3.8%).
The MOT page lists every common Freelander MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.
What to look at on a viewing
The Freelander's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.
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Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting.26.1% of Freelander failure items
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Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.23.9% of Freelander failure items
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Brakes
Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing.18.5% of Freelander failure items
Land Rover Freelanders in the UK
97,565 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 54% since the end of 2014.
- Change since 2014
- −54%from 214,009 licensed
- Typical year of first use
- 2010half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2010 or earlier
- Declared off the road
- 31,34224% of those registered, under SORN
Licensed Land Rover Freelanders since 2014
Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.
Show the figures
| Date | Licensed |
|---|---|
| End of 2014 | 214,009 |
| End of 2015 | 205,002 |
| End of 2016 | 194,737 |
| End of 2017 | 182,518 |
| End of 2018 | 169,414 |
| End of 2019 | 158,178 |
| End of 2020 | 149,151 |
| End of 2021 | 140,333 |
| End of 2022 | 131,159 |
| End of 2023 | 121,947 |
| End of 2024 | 111,866 |
| End of 2025 | 102,733 |
| End of June 2026 | 97,565 |
How old they are
Licensed Land Rover Freelanders by year of first use.
A further 539 were first used before 2001.
Show the figures
| First used | Licensed, end 2025 |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 11,312 |
| 2013 | 12,755 |
| 2012 | 9,951 |
| 2011 | 11,408 |
| 2010 | 12,752 |
| 2009 | 8,715 |
| 2008 | 8,788 |
| 2007 | 10,755 |
| 2006 | 4,230 |
| 2005 | 3,670 |
| 2004 | 3,016 |
| 2003 | 1,865 |
| 2002 | 1,411 |
| 2001 | 697 |
Freelander engines and fuel
2.2 litre engines made up 82% of Land Rover Freelander MOT tests in 2025, followed by 2.0 litre at 15%. Diesel accounts for 98% of licensed Freelanders and petrol for 2.1%.
Engine size at MOT, 2025
Share of 110,134 initial MOT tests in 2025.
Fuel type, licensed Freelanders
DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.
| Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 2,070 | 2% |
| Diesel | 95,475 | 98% |
| Gas | 20 | <0.1% |
Land Rover Freelander recalls
2 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Land Rover Freelander. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Freelander is affected.
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Oct 2015 R/2015/186
Fire may occur
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- The controller circuit for the Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) Heater fitted to affected vehicles may short circuit. This normally results in flat battery but may also cause non starting Additionally the short circuit may cause a distinct smell from hot and/or melted components which in extreme circumstances may develop in to a fire. All of these symptoms can occur when the vehicle is in use or parked and unattended.
- Remedy
- On affected vehicles replace PTC with latest design version.
-
Aug 2013 R/2013/091
Fire may occur
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- It is possible that a leak can occur between the injector spill rail connection and the plastic fuel return pipe. This can cause leakage of fuel which can either pool on the engine cylinder head and then become deposited onto the road surface where it could cause a skid risk to other motorist or if the fuel comes into contact with extremely hot engine components an exhaust manifold for instance it is possible that an under bonnet fire could ensue.
- Remedy
- Recall all affected vehicles inspect the fuel spill rail/return pipe and if required replace the spill rail with a new modified rail.
Other Land Rover models
The most-tested Land Rover models in 2025, against the Freelander's 65% MOT pass rate.
- Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
- Land Rover Discovery
- Land Rover Range Rover Sport
- Land Rover Defender
- Land Rover Discovery Sport
- Land Rover Range Rover
Land Rover Freelander FAQs
How many Land Rover Freelanders are there in the UK?
97,565 Land Rover Freelanders were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 31,342 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.
Is the Land Rover Freelander reliable?
MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 65% first-time pass rate for the Land Rover Freelander across 110,162 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
Has the Land Rover Freelander had any recalls?
2 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Land Rover Freelander. The most recent was published in October 2015. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.
What should I check before buying a used Land Rover Freelander?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, suspension and brakes. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.
How do I check a Land Rover Freelander's history?
Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.
Already found a Freelander?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Across the 1,389 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Land Rover history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Land Rover VIN check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to July 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.