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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.

  • Land Rover Freelander65%
  • All Land Rover modelsThe Freelander is 12.3 pts behind77.3%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Land Rover Freelander tests in 2025.

  • 6 to 10 years5,962 tests79.1%
  • 11 years and over104,198 tests64.2%

Where Freelanders fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Land Rover Freelander tests in 2025.

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment26.1%
  • Suspension23.9%
  • Brakes18.5%
  • Steering7.8%
  • Body, chassis, structure6.7%

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.

Full Land Rover Freelander MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Freelander's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. 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

  2. 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

  3. 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
DateLicensed
End of 2014214,009
End of 2015205,002
End of 2016194,737
End of 2017182,518
End of 2018169,414
End of 2019158,178
End of 2020149,151
End of 2021140,333
End of 2022131,159
End of 2023121,947
End of 2024111,866
End of 2025102,733
End of June 202697,565

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 usedLicensed, end 2025
201411,312
201312,755
20129,951
201111,408
201012,752
20098,715
20088,788
200710,755
20064,230
20053,670
20043,016
20031,865
20021,411
2001697

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.

  • 2.2 litre82%
  • 2.0 litre15.1%
  • 1.8 litre2%

Fuel type, licensed Freelanders

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol2,0702%
Diesel95,47598%
Gas20<0.1%

Land Rover Freelander recalls

12 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Land Rover Freelander. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Freelander is affected.

  1. Oct 2015 R/2015/186

    Fire may occur

    Freelanders built May 2008 to Jun 2008 · 429 vehicles across the whole recall

    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.

  2. Aug 2013 R/2013/091

    Fire may occur

    Freelanders built Jan 2012 to Sep 2013 · 49,104 vehicles across the whole recall

    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.

  3. Dec 2008 R/2008/187

    Fire may occur

    Freelanders built Feb 2007 to May 2008 · 28,924 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    A short circuit may occur in the PTC heater which could result in the battery discharging a smell from hot/melted components or in the worst case fire.
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected to replace the PTC heater and condensation drain tube with the latest specification components.

  4. Oct 2008 R/2008/125

    Booster heater -possibility that vehicle may catch fire

    Freelanders built Feb 2007 to May 2008 · 28,871 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    It has been identified that the controller circuit of the Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) the supplementary cabin heater may short circuit. This normally results in draining of the battery and a non start situation.Additionally the short circuit may lead to a distinct smell from hot/melted components which in extreme circumstances may develop into a fire. It is noted that all of the above symptoms can occur when the vehicle is in use or parked unattended.
    Remedy
    Authorised repairers will disable the PTC operation until such time as replacement parts of the latest specification become available.

  5. Apr 2008 R/2008/024

    Sunroof may detach

    Freelanders built Nov 2006 to Jan 2008 · 11,169 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Failure of either the left or right side guide rail could cause the sun roof to become detached from its operating mechanism and bind. In certain circumstances the glass panel can become detached.
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected to install retention inserts to both sides of the glass panel guide rails.

  6. Sep 2005 R/2005/083

    Left hand rear door child safety lock lever may fail

    Freelanders built Nov 2000 to Apr 2005 · 9,834 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Should the outer door handle of the left hand rear door be operated whilst the child lock is engaged this may permit the door to be opened by operation of the interior handle.
    Remedy
    Recalled vehicles will have the suspect locks inspected and replaced if found to be defective.

  7. Jan 2005 R/2004/165

    Incorrect nut installed into rear subframe

    Freelanders built Aug 2003 · 129 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    M12 weld nuts has been incorrectly installed by a body panel supplier into the rear subframe mountings instead of the correct M14 weld nuts. A bolt that locates the frame to the body did not fit into this nut and was not installed at the vehicle assembly plant. Lack of this bolt could eventually cause the subframe to crack and become deformed. A deformed subframe could potentially lead to instability of the vehicle.
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that may be affected and inspect the subframe fixing for fitment and correct clamping. If an incorrect subframe fixing is identified the subframe will be removed and the body panel will be repaired with a new weld nut.

  8. Nov 2004 R/2004/184

    Incorrect manufacturer of the passenger airbag

    Freelanders built Aug 2004 to Oct 2004 · 610 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The deflector panel contained in the passenger side air-bag module may not have been manufactured to the correct specification. This may result in unsatisfactory performance of the deflector panel's structural integrity during air bag deployment. This could result in damage of the air bag that could allow the release of a fragment of the deflector panel into the passenger compartment.
    Remedy
    Recall the affected vehicles and replace the defective component with a quality assured one.
How to check a specific Freelander for recalls

Other Land Rover models

The most-tested Land Rover models in 2025, against the Freelander's 65% MOT pass rate.

All 8 Land Rover models

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?

12 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 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 1,548 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 October 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.