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J8 TRH

1996 Land Rover Defender

Green Diesel 2495cc
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MOT Status

Valid
Expires4 Dec 2026
Tests28 (21 pass, 7 fail)
Pass rate75%

Mileage

178,673 mi
Last recorded178,673 miles
Recorded on5 Dec 2025
Typical for 1996 Land Rover Defender122,435 mi

Significantly above average — investigate

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Vehicle Details

RegistrationJ8 TRH
MakeLand Rover
ModelDefender
Year1996
ColourGreen
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

21 pass 7 fail
Pass 5 Dec 2025 178,673 miles

Front Oil leak, but not excessive (8.4.1 (a) (i))

Nearside Vehicle structure is corroded but structural rigidity is not significantly reduced (6.1.1 (c) (i))

Rear Brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (1.1.14 (a) (ii))

Rear Vehicle structure is corroded but structural rigidity is not significantly reduced (6.1.1 (c) (i))

Pass 19 Nov 2024 178,155 miles
Pass 27 Oct 2023 175,647 miles

Offside Front Anti-roll bar linkage pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement "D" bush and link contaminated (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Oil leak, but not excessive (8.4.1 (a) (i))

Power steering component has slight seepage from a component (2.1.5 (a))

Fail 19 Oct 2023 175,528 miles

Offside Headlamp not working on dipped beam (4.1.1 (a) (ii))

Offside Rear Suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength 2 areas (5.3.6 (a) (i))

Offside Front Anti-roll bar linkage pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement "D" bush and link contaminated (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Oil leak, but not excessive (8.4.1 (a) (i))

Power steering component has slight seepage from a component (2.1.5 (a))

Pass 24 Oct 2022 170,629 miles

Nearside Rear Anti-roll bar ball joint has slight play (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Offside Front Anti-roll bar pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Power steering component has slight seepage from a component (2.1.5 (a))

rear axle upper support link rubber bush deteriorated

Fail 20 Oct 2022 170,607 miles

Offside Rear Shock absorbers insecurely attached (5.3.2 (a) (i))

Nearside Rear Anti-roll bar ball joint has slight play (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Offside Front Anti-roll bar pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Power steering component has slight seepage from a component (2.1.5 (a))

rear axle upper support link rubber bush deteriorated

Pass 22 Oct 2021 167,276 miles
Fail 19 Oct 2021 167,276 miles

Nearside Track rod end ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (2.1.3 (g) (ii))

Nearside Track rod end ball joint has slight play (2.1.3 (b) (i))

Pass 19 Oct 2020 164,887 miles
Pass 17 Oct 2019 162,088 miles

Nearside Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.1.3 (g) (i))

rear axle steady joint - ball joint rubber deteriorated

Pass 18 Oct 2018 158,866 miles

Steering linkage ball joint has slight play at drop arm (2.1.3 (b) (i))

rear axle centre steady - top joint bush split

Pass 17 Oct 2017 153,890 miles

Oil leak ()

Pass 17 Oct 2016 149,895 miles
Pass 17 Nov 2015 148,276 miles
Fail 12 Nov 2015 148,176 miles

Ball joint has excessive play drop arm / box (2.2.B.1f)

Front Electrical wiring insecure winch ? fouling steering ram (1.9.2a)

Rear Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover excessively damaged so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt both (2.4.G.2)

Rear fog lamp obviously incorrectly positioned fitted to nearside (1.3.2a)

Pass 24 Oct 2014 145,699 miles
Pass 21 Oct 2013 142,480 miles
Pass 17 Oct 2012 137,465 miles

Nearside Front Shock absorber has a light misting of oil (2.7.3)

Offside Front Shock absorber has a light misting of oil (2.7.3)

Fail 15 Oct 2012 137,453 miles

Parking brake lever has no reserve travel (3.1.6b)

Parking brake: efficiency below requirements (3.7.C.1b)

Nearside Front Shock absorber has a light misting of oil (2.7.3)

Offside Front Shock absorber has a light misting of oil (2.7.3)

Pass 17 Oct 2011 133,974 miles
Pass 21 Oct 2010 130,520 miles

Power steering component(s) has slight seepage from a seal (2.3.3b)

Pass 26 Oct 2009 128,227 miles

Power steering component(s) has slight seepage from a seal (2.3.3b)

Pass 23 Oct 2008 124,579 miles

Offside Front Shock absorber has a light misting of oil (2.7.3)

imbalance on rear brakes

slight leak centre exhaust at joint , system has moved on joint

wiper mechanism worn , nearside wiper reduced swept area

Fail 17 Oct 2008 124,579 miles

Offside Headlamp aim too far to the right (1.8)

Offside Headlamp insecure (1.7.3)

Offside Front wheel bearing has excessive play (2.5.A.3c) DANGEROUS

Nearside Front wheel bearing has slight play (2.5.A.3c)

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

Offside Front Shock absorber has a light misting of oil (2.7.3)

front brake discs worn , at wear limit , recommend replace

imbalance on rear brakes

nearside rear inner brake pad low

slight leak centre exhaust at joint , system has moved on joint

wiper mechanism worn , nearside wiper reduced swept area

Pass 13 Nov 2007 122,313 miles

Nearside Front Shock absorber has a light misting of oil (2.7.3)

Nearside Front wheel bearing has slight play (2.5.A.3c)

Nearside Rear Upper Shock absorber has a slightly worn bush (2.7.4)

Offside Front Shock absorber has a light misting of oil (2.7.3)

Offside Front wheel bearing has slight play (2.5.A.3c)

Offside Rear Upper Shock absorber has a slightly worn bush (2.7.4)

Fail 13 Nov 2007 122,313 miles

Nearside Headlamp aim too low and too far to the left. (1.8)

Nearside Registration plate lamp not working (1.1.5c)

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

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

Nearside Front Shock absorber has a light misting of oil (2.7.3)

Nearside Front wheel bearing has slight play (2.5.A.3c)

Nearside Rear Upper Shock absorber has a slightly worn bush (2.7.4)

Offside Front Shock absorber has a light misting of oil (2.7.3)

Offside Front wheel bearing has slight play (2.5.A.3c)

Offside Rear Upper Shock absorber has a slightly worn bush (2.7.4)

Pass 14 Nov 2006 116,263 miles

Offside Front wheel bearing has slight play (2.5.A.3c)

Pass 21 Sep 2005 94,493 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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J8 TRH is a 1996 Land Rover Defender in Green with a 2,495cc diesel engine. This vehicle has been through 28 MOT tests with a personal pass rate of 75%.

Across all 1996 Land Rover Defender models, the average MOT pass rate is 69.0% with a typical mileage of 122,435 miles. This particular vehicle has performed better than the average for its year.

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 J8 TRH, 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 30 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 J8 TRH?

You can check the full history of J8 TRH by running a full vehicle check. This shows you finance, stolen, write-off, MOT history, mileage records and more.

What year was J8 TRH registered?

J8 TRH is a 1996 Land Rover Defender, first registered on 2 July 1996.

Is J8 TRH safe to buy?

The MOT history for J8 TRH shows 28 tests with a 75% pass rate. To check for outstanding finance, stolen markers, write-off history and mileage discrepancies, run a full vehicle check.

Does J8 TRH 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 J8 TRH. 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.