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BT03 OEL

2003 Land Rover Defender

Black Diesel 2495cc
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MOT Status

Valid
Expires8 Jun 2027
Tests24 (17 pass, 7 fail)
Pass rate70.8%

Mileage

104,743 mi
Last recorded104,743 miles
Recorded on9 Jun 2026
Typical for 2003 Land Rover Defender86,068 mi

Above average mileage for this year

4 checks still locked for this Land Rover
Stolen
Finance
Write-off
Keepers
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Vehicle Details

RegistrationBT03 OEL
MakeLand Rover
ModelDefender
Year2003
ColourBlack
Fuel typeDiesel
Engine2,495cc

All premium checks include

50+ data points
Finance Check (Experian) Insurance Write-off Salvage Auction Stolen Check Previous Owners Ex-Taxi, Police, NHS Mileage Anomaly Import / Export Scrapped Check Plate Changes

MOT History

17 pass 7 fail
Pass 9 Jun 2026 104,743 miles
Pass 27 Sep 2024 103,896 miles
Pass 6 Sep 2023 102,968 miles
Fail 6 Sep 2023 102,967 miles

Exhaust emissions exceed level of metered smoke for a turbo charged engine (8.2.2.2 (b))

Pass 13 Sep 2022 100,387 miles
Pass 2 Sep 2021 95,349 miles
Pass 17 Sep 2020 92,175 miles

Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (3.2 (a) (i))

Pass 18 Sep 2019 78,959 miles
Pass 15 Apr 2016 69,872 miles

Only 2 seats fitted at time of test

Fail 13 Apr 2016 69,850 miles

Exhaust emits an excessive level of metered smoke for a turbo charged engine (7.4.B.3b)

Front Inner Steering component deformed and unserviceable (2.2.C.1d)

Front registration plate missing (6.3.1a)

Nearside Front Lower Seat belt attachment fitting badly deteriorated (5.2.3)

Nearside Rear Anti-roll bar has excessive play in a pin/bush (2.4.G.2)

Nearside Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (8.2.2)

Offside Front Seat belt has a cut which has significantly weakened the webbing (5.2.2a)

Offside Stop lamp adversely affected by the operation of another lamp (1.2.1f)

Offside Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (8.2.3)

Rear fog lamp not working (1.3.2b)

Registration plate lamp not fitted (1.1.C.1b)

Only 2 seats fitted at time of test

Propshaft bolts loose

Pass 14 Feb 2015 61,398 miles

Nearside Rear brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (3.5.1i)

Offside Rear brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (3.5.1i)

both rear tyres inner treads worn

fuel cap difficult to remove

near side rear tail drop side pins ???

off side front door difficult to latch at times / bounce back

off side front door mirror arm sightly insecure

tipper pivot shaft dry/ grease

Fail 2 Feb 2015 61,275 miles

Exhaust emits excessive smoke or vapour of any colour (7.4.B.4)

Exhaust emits an excessive level of metered smoke for a turbo charged engine (7.4.B.3b)

Front Registration plate lamp not working (1.1.C.1d)

Front Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (8.2.3)

Nearside Front Lower Trailing arm rubber bush deteriorated resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2)

Nearside Front passenger door does not latch securely closed (6.2.B.1a)

Offside Front Headlamp aim aimed so that it dazzles other road users (1.8.A.1a)

Offside Front Headlamp aim too high and too far to the right. (1.8)

Offside Front Intermediate drop arm insecure (2.2.B.1a)

Offside Front Lower Trailing arm rubber bush deteriorated resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2)

Offside Rear fog lamp not working (1.3.2b)

Offside Rear position lamp(s) excessively deteriorated so that it is not visible from a reasonable distance (1.1.A.3d)

Rear Electrical wiring insecure (1.9.2a)

Rear Rear position lamp(s) insecure (1.1.A.3a)

Rear registration plate insecure (6.3.1b)

Nearside Rear brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (3.5.1i)

Offside Rear brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (3.5.1i)

both rear tyres inner treads worn

fuel cap difficult to remove

near side rear tail drop side pins ???

off side front door difficult to latch at times / bounce back

off side front door mirror arm sightly insecure

tipper pivot shaft dry/ grease

Pass 11 Jul 2013 515,585 miles

brake pedal travel close to limit

front number plate requires properly securing

Fail 8 Jul 2013 51,531 miles

Ball joint dust cover insecure so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (2.2.C.1c)

Exhaust emits an excessive level of metered smoke for a turbo charged engine (7.4.B.3b)

Centre Front Passenger's seat insecure (6.2.A.1) DANGEROUS

Centre Front Statutory seat belt missing (5.1.1) DANGEROUS

Offside Front Seat belt damaged sufficient to significantly weakened the webbing (5.2.2a) DANGEROUS

Rear position lamp(s) insecure (1.1.A.3a) DANGEROUS

Ball joint has slight play (2.2.B.1f)

brake pedal travel close to limit

front number plate requires properly securing

Fail 4 Jul 2012 439,083 miles

Engine covers fitted obscuring some components in the engine bay

Nearside Headlamp aim too low (1.8)

Nearside Rear Anti-roll bar rubber bush deteriorated but not resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2)

Offside Headlamp aim too low (1.8)

Offside Rear Anti-roll bar rubber bush deteriorated but not resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2)

Offside Rear position lamp(s) incorrect colour (1.1.A.3e)

rear number plate /lamp bar bent

tailboard centre damaged

Pass 4 Jul 2012 439,083 miles

Engine covers fitted obscuring some components in the engine bay

Nearside Rear Anti-roll bar rubber bush deteriorated but not resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2)

Offside Rear Anti-roll bar rubber bush deteriorated but not resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2)

rear number plate /lamp bar bent

tailboard centre damaged

Pass 8 Jun 2011 35,087 miles

Rear Anti-roll bar has slight play in a pin/bush (2.4.G.2)

Pass 9 Jun 2010 26,086 miles

Front tyres near outer edge of mudgaurds

Nearside Rear Anti-roll bar has slight play in a pin/bush (2.4.G.2)

Offside Rear Anti-roll bar has slight play in a pin/bush (2.4.G.2)

offside front steering ball joint gaiter split

Pass 1 Jun 2009 17,130 miles

both front road wheels/ tyres treads slightly outside body line???

both wiper blade rubbers slightly deteriorated

Fail 29 May 2009 17,106 miles

Centre Rear Registration plate lamp not fitted (1.1.C.1b)

Offside Front Headlamp aim too low (1.8)

Centre rear parking brake recording little or no effort (3.7.B.6a) DANGEROUS

Nearside Front Brake hose has insufficient room to move, resulting in fouling on any part (3.6.B.4a) DANGEROUS

Nearside Front Brake pipe fouled by moving parts (3.6.B.2a) DANGEROUS

Nearside Front Brake pipe kinked (3.6.B.2b) DANGEROUS

Parking brake: efficiency below requirements (3.7.B.7) DANGEROUS

both front road wheels/ tyres treads slightly outside body line???

both wiper blade rubbers slightly deteriorated

Pass 2 May 2008 7,895 miles
Pass 21 Nov 2006 7,477 miles

Drag link end ball joint has slight play (2.2.B.1f)

Fail 26 May 2006 6,135 miles

Headlamp aim too high when the centre of the headlamp is below 850mm from the ground (1.6.B2)

Pass 26 May 2006 6,135 miles

How Reliable is the Land Rover Defender?

Based on 2,960,045 MOT tests across 181,953 vehicles.

72.3%
Pass Rate
3,550
Miles/Year
43
Year Lifespan
181,953
On UK Roads

Top MOT Failure Points

Shock absorber has an excessively worn bush 77,499
Brake pipe excessively corroded 77,229
Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively 57,749
position lamp(s) not working 53,914
Stop lamp not working 52,341
Full Land Rover Defender reliability report

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BT03 OEL is a 2003 Land Rover Defender in Black with a 2,495cc diesel engine. This vehicle has been through 24 MOT tests with a personal pass rate of 70.8%.

Across all 2003 Land Rover Defender models, the average MOT pass rate is 73.7% with a typical mileage of 86,068 miles. This particular vehicle has a lower pass rate than the average for its year, which may indicate maintenance issues worth investigating.

The most common reason a Land Rover Defender fails its MOT is shock absorber has an excessively worn bush, accounting for 77,499 recorded failures. If you're considering buying BT03 OEL, it's worth having these areas checked by a mechanic before committing.

The Land Rover Defender typically stays on UK roads for around 43 years. At 23 years old, this Land Rover Defender is well into its expected lifespan but still has years ahead.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check the history of BT03 OEL?

You can check the full history of BT03 OEL by running a full vehicle check. This shows you finance, stolen, write-off, MOT history, mileage records and more.

What year was BT03 OEL registered?

BT03 OEL is a 2003 Land Rover Defender, first registered on 17 June 2003.

Is BT03 OEL safe to buy?

The MOT history for BT03 OEL shows 24 tests with a 70.8% pass rate. To check for outstanding finance, stolen markers, write-off history and mileage discrepancies, run a full vehicle check.

Does BT03 OEL have outstanding finance?

Finance checks require a premium vehicle report. This checks against all major UK finance providers to see if there is any outstanding finance on BT03 OEL. If you buy a car with outstanding finance, the finance company can repossess it.

No warranty or guarantee of accuracy is provided for any free data on this page. The data guarantee applies only to information obtained through the purchase of a full check.