Rover 75, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls
5,152 Rover 75s are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 59.9% of initial MOT tests, 12.4 points below the 72.3% UK average.
Looking at a specific Rover 75? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Rover 75 at the MOT
59.9% of 6,210 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Rover 75 494th of 575 models.
First-time pass rate, 2025
Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.
Where Rover 75s fail
Share of all failure items recorded on Rover 75 tests in 2025.
The items testers recorded most often were component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (7.5%), headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect (4.9%) and pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (4.4%).
The MOT page lists every common Rover 75 MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.
What to look at on a viewing
The Rover 75's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.
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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.31.1% of Rover 75 failure items
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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.21.6% of Rover 75 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.15.7% of Rover 75 failure items
Rover 75s in the UK
5,152 were licensed at the end of June 2026, the 2nd most of any Rover. The number licensed has fallen 90% since the end of 2014.
- Change since 2014
- −90%from 52,238 licensed
- Typical year of first use
- 2003half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2003 or earlier
- Declared off the road
- 8,91463% of those registered, under SORN
Licensed Rover 75s since 2014
Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.
Show the figures
| Date | Licensed |
|---|---|
| End of 2014 | 52,238 |
| End of 2015 | 44,282 |
| End of 2016 | 36,804 |
| End of 2017 | 29,272 |
| End of 2018 | 23,190 |
| End of 2019 | 18,487 |
| End of 2020 | 14,969 |
| End of 2021 | 12,145 |
| End of 2022 | 10,026 |
| End of 2023 | 8,201 |
| End of 2024 | 6,670 |
| End of 2025 | 5,553 |
| End of June 2026 | 5,152 |
How old they are
Licensed Rover 75s by year of first use.
A further 294 were first used before 1988.
Show the figures
| First used | Licensed, end 2025 |
|---|---|
| 2007 | 14 |
| 2006 | 137 |
| 2005 | 707 |
| 2004 | 1,400 |
| 2003 | 1,160 |
| 2002 | 870 |
| 2001 | 496 |
| 2000 | 247 |
| 1999 | 102 |
| 1998 | 0 |
| 1997 | 0 |
| 1996 | 0 |
| 1995 | 0 |
| 1994 | 0 |
| 1993 | 0 |
| 1992 | 0 |
| 1991 | 0 |
| 1990 | 0 |
| 1989 | 0 |
| 1988 | 0 |
Rover 75 engines and fuel
2.0 litre engines made up 67% of Rover 75 MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.8 litre at 17%. Diesel accounts for 55% of licensed Rover 75s and petrol for 45%.
Engine size at MOT, 2025
Share of 6,208 initial MOT tests in 2025.
Fuel type, licensed Rover 75s
DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.
| Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 2,324 | 45% |
| Diesel | 2,815 | 55% |
| Gas | 13 | 0.3% |
Rover 75 recalls
2 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Rover 75. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Rover 75 is affected.
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May 2004 R/2004/036
Possible damage and deflation of tyre due to road spring
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- There is a possibility that the if a front road spring failed at the lower end it could contact and damage the tyre
- Remedy
- Recall affected vehicles and fit an additional lower road spring retention fixture which will protect the tyre in the event of a spring failure
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Jul 2002 R/2002/050
Front suspension spring concern
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Vehicles operating in high corrosion areas may experience fracture of the front suspension road springs. A broken spring may in exceptional circumstances damage the inside wall of the tyre.
- Remedy
- Change the original springs for quality assured repalcements.
Other Rover models
The most-tested Rover models in 2025, against the Rover 75's 59.9% MOT pass rate.
Rover 75 FAQs
How many Rover 75s are there in the UK?
5,152 Rover 75s were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 8,914 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.
Is the Rover 75 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 59.9% first-time pass rate for the Rover 75 across 6,210 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
Has the Rover 75 had any recalls?
2 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Rover 75. The most recent was published in May 2004. 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 Rover 75?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: suspension, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 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 Rover 75'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 Rover 75?
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 Rover history 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.