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YF53 ETT

2003 Land Rover Defender

Orange Diesel 2495cc
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MOT Status

Valid
Expires5 Mar 2027
Tests23 (19 pass, 4 fail)
Pass rate82.6%

Mileage

153,094 mi
Last recorded153,094 miles
Recorded on6 Mar 2026
Typical for 2003 Land Rover Defender86,068 mi

Significantly above average — investigate

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

RegistrationYF53 ETT
MakeLand Rover
ModelDefender
Year2003
ColourOrange
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

19 pass 4 fail
Pass 6 Mar 2026 153,094 miles
Pass 21 Feb 2025 150,506 miles
Pass 22 Feb 2024 144,555 miles

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

Fail 22 Feb 2024 144,553 miles

Nearside Front Track rod end ball joint dust cover insecure so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (2.1.3 (g) (ii))

Steering linkage ball joint ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Steering Arm (2.1.3 (g) (ii))

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

Pass 30 Jun 2023 144,449 miles

Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material front to rear greased (1.1.11 (c))

Coil spring corroded x 4 (5.3.1 (b) (i))

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

Pass 6 Jun 2022 144,283 miles

Brake pipe corroded, covered in grease or other material front to rear greased (1.1.11 (c))

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

Rear Coil spring corroded x 2 (5.3.1 (b) (i))

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

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

Pass 26 Apr 2021 144,135 miles

Coil spring corroded x 4 coil springs (5.3.1 (b) (i))

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

Nearside Rear Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Offside Rear Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement (5.3.4 (a) (i))

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

Steering box leaking oil (2.1.1 (e) (i))

Pass 19 Sep 2019 143,869 miles

Nearside Rear Suspension component pin or bush slightly worn (5.3.4 (a) (i))

Rear Coil spring corroded x 2 (5.3.1 (b) (i))

Pass 12 Sep 2018 142,545 miles

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

Offside Front Driver's door hinge deteriorated but the door can still be readily opened and closed very slight play (6.2.3 (c) (i))

Offside Rear Other passenger door hinge deteriorated but the door can still be readily opened and closed very slight play (6.2.3 (c) (i))

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

Seat belt webbing slightly damaged or frayed both fronts and n/s/r (7.1.2 (b) (ii))

Pass 2 Nov 2016 141,822 miles

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

Offside Front Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.2.C.1c)

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

Pass 15 Oct 2015 138,240 miles

Nearside Front Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)

Offside Front Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)

Steering system has slight free play detected at steering wheel (2.2.A.1a)

oil leak

passenger seats missing

Pass 30 Oct 2014 136,159 miles

Nearside Front Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)

Offside Front Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)

Pass 4 Oct 2013 127,123 miles

Nearside Front Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)

Nearside Front Track rod end ball joint has slight play (2.2.B.1f)

Offside Front Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)

Offside Rear wheel bearing has slight play (2.6.2)

Pass 5 Oct 2012 114,905 miles

Nearside Front Suspension arm rubber bush deteriorated but not resulting in excessive movement (2.4.G.2)

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

Pass 27 Oct 2011 102,621 miles

Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt

Pass 30 Sep 2010 89,116 miles
Fail 30 Sep 2010 89,116 miles

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

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

Pass 30 Oct 2009 77,729 miles
Fail 22 Oct 2009 77,729 miles

Nearside Front Drag link end ball joint has excessive play (2.2.B.1f)

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

Pass 23 Sep 2008 64,110 miles

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

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

Fail 23 Sep 2008 64,110 miles

Rear registration plate deteriorated (6.3.1d)

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

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

Pass 28 Sep 2007 48,761 miles

slight oil leak from front diff input seal

Pass 2 Oct 2006 34,952 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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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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YF53 ETT is a 2003 Land Rover Defender in Orange with a 2,495cc diesel engine. This vehicle has been through 23 MOT tests with a personal pass rate of 82.6%.

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 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 YF53 ETT, 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 YF53 ETT?

You can check the full history of YF53 ETT by running a full vehicle check. This shows you finance, stolen, write-off, MOT history, mileage records and more.

What year was YF53 ETT registered?

YF53 ETT is a 2003 Land Rover Defender, first registered on 29 October 2003.

Is YF53 ETT safe to buy?

The MOT history for YF53 ETT shows 23 tests with a 82.6% pass rate. To check for outstanding finance, stolen markers, write-off history and mileage discrepancies, run a full vehicle check.

Does YF53 ETT 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 YF53 ETT. 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.