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L981 SGW

1994 Land Rover Defender

Green Diesel 2495cc
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MOT Status

Valid
Expires2 Sep 2027
Tests16 (12 pass, 4 fail)
Pass rate75%

Mileage

227,257 mi
Last recorded227,257 miles
Recorded on21 Aug 2026
Typical for 1994 Land Rover Defender120,267 mi

Significantly above average — investigate

4 checks still locked for this Land Rover
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Vehicle Details

RegistrationL981 SGW
MakeLand Rover
ModelDefender
Year1994
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

12 pass 4 fail
Pass 21 Aug 2026 227,257 miles

Oil leak, but not excessive from the engine (8.4.1 (a) (i))

Pass 3 Sep 2025 217,702 miles

Nearside Front Wheel bearing has slight play (5.1.3 (a) (i))

Nearside Rear Wheel bearing has slight play (5.1.3 (a) (i))

Offside Front Wheel bearing slightly noisy (5.1.3 (b) (i))

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

Offside Rear Wheel bearing has slight play (5.1.3 (a) (i))

oil leak

Pass 20 Aug 2024 207,669 miles

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

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

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

Oil leak, but not excessive from the engine (8.4.1 (a) (i))

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

undersealed

Pass 1 Aug 2023 194,126 miles

Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material all dirty (1.1.11 (c))

Front Brake pad(s) wearing thin (1.1.13 (a) (ii))

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

Nearside Front Vehicle structure or chassis corroded within 30cm of a mounting, but not seriously affecting overall security (6.2.2 (d) (i))

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

Oil leak, but not excessive gear box, transfer and both diffs (8.4.1 (a) (i))

under body and chassis dirty

Pass 6 Aug 2022 181,761 miles

Coil spring corroded all (5.3.1 (b) (i))

Front Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material both (1.1.11 (c))

Front Registration plate deteriorated but not likely to be misread (0.1 (b))

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

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

Rear Registration plate deteriorated but not likely to be misread (0.1 (b))

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

Pass 16 Aug 2021 174,442 miles

Oil leak, but not excessive from the engine (8.4.1 (a) (i))

Power steering pipe/hose has slight seepage (2.1.5 (a))

Steering box has slight free play detected at steering wheel (2.3 (a) (i))

Pass 21 Aug 2020 165,251 miles
Pass 20 Aug 2020 165,251 miles

Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material Front to rear at rear section... (1.1.11 (c))

Offside Rear Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))

Offside Rear Direction indicator lens defective which has no effect on emitted light Broken (4.4.1 (b) (i))

Reverse lamp missing...

Fail 14 Aug 2020 165,214 miles

Brake pedal anti-slip provision missing + Clutch pedal (1.1.2 (c))

Nearside Drag link end ball joint has excessive play (2.1.3 (b) (i))

Offside Drag link end ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Drop arm end/ball joint dry (2.1.3 (g) (ii))

Rear Exhaust has a major leak of exhaust gases (6.1.2 (a))

Rear Suspension component ball joint excessively worn Axle 'A' Frame (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Rear Suspension component pin or bush excessively worn O/S & N/S Radius arm bushes - Chassis end (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Steering linkage deformed Drag link bent... (2.1.3 (c) (i))

Track rod end seriously misaligned Ball joints dry + track rod rubbing on front diff (2.1.3 (e))

Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material Front to rear at rear section... (1.1.11 (c))

Front Brake pad(s) wearing thin (1.1.13 (a) (ii))

Offside Headlamp aim too high and too far to the right. Adjusted (4.1.2 (a))

Offside Rear Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))

Offside Rear Direction indicator lens defective which has no effect on emitted light Broken (4.4.1 (b) (i))

Reverse lamp missing...

Pass 16 Aug 2019 155,595 miles

Offside Rear Suspension component mounting prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive chassie (5.3.6 (a) (i))

Rear Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material (1.1.11 (c))

Pass 9 Aug 2018 74,898 miles

Offside Rear Suspension component mounting prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive (5.3.6 (a) (i))

Fail 3 Aug 2018 74,895 miles

Rear Exhaust has a major leak of exhaust gases (6.1.2 (a))

Rear Towbar excessively corroded within 30cm of towbar mounting (6.1.6 (i) (i))

Front Fuel pipe leaking excessively or a risk of fire (6.1.3 (b) (ii)) DANGEROUS

Offside Rear Suspension component mounting prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive (5.3.6 (a) (i))

Pass 18 Aug 2017 68,135 miles
Fail 17 Aug 2017 68,135 miles

Offside Front Fuel system component leaking (7.2.3)

Offside Rear Rear fog lamp not working (1.3.2b)

Pass 12 Aug 2016 55,861 miles

Offside Front floor structure is corroded to excess - has been plated on inside of vehicle

Offside Rear outrigger is corroded to excess outside prescribed areas

Steering box has a slight oil leak (2.2.D.2e)

corrosion present on chassis sections

exhaust system is deteriorated

wipers manually parked

Fail 8 Aug 2016 55,848 miles

Battery insecure (1.9.1)

Headlamp aim too low (1.8)

Nearside Rear Tyre has ply or cords exposed (4.1.D.1b)

Steering system has excessive free play detected at the steering wheel (steering box fitted) (2.2.A.1a)

Offside Front floor structure is corroded to excess - has been plated on inside of vehicle

Offside Rear outrigger is corroded to excess outside prescribed areas

Steering box has a slight oil leak (2.2.D.2e)

corrosion present on chassis sections

exhaust system is deteriorated

wipers manually parked

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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Not all vehicle check providers are the same. Some don't offer a data guarantee, which means if their information is wrong, you're on your own. Every CarVerify report is backed by a £30,000 finance data guarantee.

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L981 SGW is a 1994 Land Rover Defender in Green with a 2,495cc diesel engine. This vehicle has been through 16 MOT tests with a personal pass rate of 75%.

Across all 1994 Land Rover Defender models, the average MOT pass rate is 68.3% with a typical mileage of 120,267 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 L981 SGW, 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 32 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 L981 SGW?

You can check the full history of L981 SGW by running a full vehicle check. This shows you finance, stolen, write-off, MOT history, mileage records and more.

What year was L981 SGW registered?

L981 SGW is a 1994 Land Rover Defender, first registered on 31 December 1994.

Is L981 SGW safe to buy?

The MOT history for L981 SGW shows 16 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 L981 SGW 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 L981 SGW. 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.