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W453 RCL

2000 Land Rover Defender

Blue Diesel 2495cc
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MOT Status

Valid
Expires4 Aug 2027
Tests32 (20 pass, 12 fail)
Pass rate62.5%

Mileage

251,005 mi
Last recorded251,005 miles
Recorded on5 Aug 2026
Typical for 2000 Land Rover Defender100,520 mi

Significantly above average — investigate

4 checks still locked for this Land Rover
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Vehicle Details

RegistrationW453 RCL
MakeLand Rover
ModelDefender
Year2000
ColourBlue
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

20 pass 12 fail
Pass 5 Aug 2026 251,005 miles
Fail 5 Aug 2026 251,005 miles

Offside Rear Direction indicator not working (4.4.1 (a) (ii))

Pass 31 Jul 2025 250,915 miles

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

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

Fail 31 Jul 2025 250,915 miles

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

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

Offside Rear Rear fog lamp not working (4.5.1 (a) (ii))

Pass 18 May 2023 250,437 miles

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

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

Fail 18 May 2023 250,437 miles

Registration plate lamp inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps (4.7.1 (b) (ii))

Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively both (3.4 (b) (ii))

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

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

Pass 17 Feb 2022 249,766 miles

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

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

Pass 26 Feb 2021 246,639 miles

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

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

Fail 19 Feb 2021 246,624 miles

Nearside Rear Suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength cross member (5.3.6 (a) (i))

Nearside Rear Suspension component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength outer chassis (5.3.6 (a) (i))

Nearside Rear Upper Shock absorbers has an excessively worn bush (5.3.2 (c))

Offside Front Wheel bearing has excessive play (5.1.3 (a) (i))

Registration plate lamp inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps (4.7.1 (b) (ii))

Offside Rear Outer Brake pad(s) less than 1.5 mm thick (1.1.13 (a) (ii)) DANGEROUS

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

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

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

Pass 4 Feb 2020 238,279 miles
Pass 28 Jan 2019 227,119 miles
Fail 18 Jan 2019 227,109 miles

Nearside Front Integral body structure or chassis has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of a body mounting (6.2.2 (d) (i))

Offside Front Integral body structure or chassis has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of a body mounting (6.2.2 (d) (i))

Offside Front Wheel bearing has excessive play (5.1.3 (a) (i))

Rear fog lamp not working (4.5.1 (a) (ii))

Pass 5 Feb 2018 211,752 miles

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

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

Fail 5 Feb 2018 211,750 miles

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

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

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

Pass 6 Feb 2017 196,407 miles

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

Nearside Rear Rear wheel bearing has slight play (2.6.2)

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

Pass 1 Feb 2016 180,960 miles

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

Pass 28 Jan 2015 166,708 miles
Fail 26 Jan 2015 166,708 miles

Front position lamp(s) has less than 50% of the light sources illuminating (1.1.A.3b)

Offside Headlamp excessively deteriorated so that the light output is severely reduced (1.7.5a)

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

Rear fog lamp not working (1.3.2b)

Pass 29 Jan 2014 152,728 miles
Pass 30 Apr 2013 151,319 miles

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

Offside Rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)

play in steering damper bush

Fail 29 Apr 2013 151,319 miles

Nearside Rear Shock absorber has an excessively worn bush (2.7.4)

Offside Rear Brake pad(s) less than 1.5 mm thick (3.5.1g)

Offside Rear Shock absorber has an excessively worn bush (2.7.4)

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

Offside Rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)

play in steering damper bush

Pass 5 Jul 2012 147,790 miles

Brake hydraulic reservoir fluid close to minimum level (3.6.G.1b)

Parking brake lever has little reserve travel (3.1.6b)

Rear Brake pad(s) wearing thin (3.5.1g)

brake MIL illuminated

Fail 4 Jul 2012 147,790 miles

Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (8.2.3)

Brake hydraulic reservoir fluid close to minimum level (3.6.G.1b)

Parking brake lever has little reserve travel (3.1.6b)

Rear Brake pad(s) wearing thin (3.5.1g)

brake MIL illuminated

Pass 10 Jun 2011 144,094 miles

O/S/F H/lamp lens has damage

Slight play in O/S/F W/brg

Fail 8 Jun 2011 144,094 miles

Parking brake lever has no reserve travel (3.1.6b)

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

O/S/F H/lamp lens has damage

Slight play in O/S/F W/brg

Pass 6 Jul 2010 140,506 miles

o/s/f hub has slight play

Fail 6 Jul 2010 140,506 miles

Nearside Front position lamp(s) not working (1.1.A.3b)

Nearside Rear Rear position lamp(s) not working (1.1.A.3b)

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

o/s/f hub has slight play

Pass 26 Jun 2009 135,823 miles
Pass 1 Jul 2008 125,777 miles

very slight room in both front wheel bearing

Fail 1 Jul 2008 125,777 miles

Offside Front Fuel system component leaking (7.2.3)

very slight room in both front wheel bearing

Pass 5 Jul 2007 104,978 miles
Pass 5 Jul 2006 93,563 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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W453 RCL is a 2000 Land Rover Defender in Blue with a 2,495cc diesel engine. This vehicle has been through 32 MOT tests with a personal pass rate of 62.5%.

Across all 2000 Land Rover Defender models, the average MOT pass rate is 70.6% with a typical mileage of 100,520 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 W453 RCL, 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 26 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 W453 RCL?

You can check the full history of W453 RCL by running a full vehicle check. This shows you finance, stolen, write-off, MOT history, mileage records and more.

What year was W453 RCL registered?

W453 RCL is a 2000 Land Rover Defender, first registered on 31 July 2000.

Is W453 RCL safe to buy?

The MOT history for W453 RCL shows 32 tests with a 62.5% pass rate. To check for outstanding finance, stolen markers, write-off history and mileage discrepancies, run a full vehicle check.

Does W453 RCL 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 W453 RCL. 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.