Skip advert
Advertisement

Land Rover Defender SUV (1983-2016) - Reliability & safety

The aged design of the Land Rover Defender means the mechanicals are simple but safety is poor

Carbuyer Rating

2.0 out of 5

Owners Rating
Be the first to review
Reliability & safety Rating

2.5 out of 5

Land Rover as a brand doesn’t exactly have the best record for reliability, but the Defender’s basic and solid construction, paired with a very old design, means that most reliability issues should have been sorted out years ago. Its crash protection won’t fill anyone with confidence, though.

Land Rover Defender reliability

The Defender’s simple construction and old design means mechanical reliability niggles should be almost non-existent. Since they're such well loved vehicles, there are Land Rover specialists the length and breadth of the country on hand should problems arise.

Safety

The most worrying area for Defender owner is its safety. Despite the model’s very long production run, the Defender was never independently tested by Euro NCAP. Add to that the fact that it was never fitted with any airbags or seatbelt pretensioners as standard and the car starts to look worryingly unsafe. In its final years of production, Land Rover added traction and electronic stability control to the standard kit, which should at least help you avoid a crash in the first place.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Richard is a former editor of Carbuyer, as well as sister site DrivingElectric.com, and he's now Deputy Editor at Auto Express. Having spent a decade working in the automotive industry, he understands exactly what makes new car buyers tick.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Land Rover Defender review - iconic 4x4 reinvented
Defender 130
In-depth reviews
9 May 2024

Land Rover Defender review - iconic 4x4 reinvented

Most Popular

It’s official – the Dacia Duster is the Carbuyer Car of the Year 2025!
Carbuyer Car of the Year – Dacia Duster
News
23 Oct 2024

It’s official – the Dacia Duster is the Carbuyer Car of the Year 2025!

The best cheap fun cars from under £5k to over £10k
Best cheap fun cars
Best cars
25 Oct 2024

The best cheap fun cars from under £5k to over £10k

Best new car deals 2024: this week’s best PCP finance offers
Carbuyer best new car deals hero
Deals
25 Oct 2024

Best new car deals 2024: this week’s best PCP finance offers

Tips & advice

View All
Car dashboard warning lights: what does each symbol mean?
Car dashboard symbols and meanings
Tips and advice
21 Oct 2024

Car dashboard warning lights: what does each symbol mean?

Electric car charging stations: public networks, charger types, apps and maps
Charging station
Tips and advice
23 Jul 2024

Electric car charging stations: public networks, charger types, apps and maps

PCP vs HP – which type of car finance is right for you?
PCP vs HP
Tips and advice
17 May 2022

PCP vs HP – which type of car finance is right for you?

Average speed cameras: how do they work?
Average speed cameras: how do they work?
Tips and advice
21 Mar 2024

Average speed cameras: how do they work?

Best cars

View All
Top 10 best car interiors
Peugeot 208 hatchback
Best cars
25 Jun 2021

Top 10 best car interiors

Top 10 best electric cars 2024
Best electric cars
Best cars
16 May 2024

Top 10 best electric cars 2024

Top 10 best cheap-to-run cars 2024
The best cheap-to-run cars 2023
Best cars
2 Jan 2024

Top 10 best cheap-to-run cars 2024

The UK's top 10 fastest hot hatchbacks 2024
Fastest hot hatchbacks hero
Best cars
2 Jan 2024

The UK's top 10 fastest hot hatchbacks 2024