Pass rate
70.1%
Below average — 2.1 pts behind the 72.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 8,242 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £49–£128
2004 Rover 75 MOT pass rate
- 2004
- typical 103,932 mi
Most common fault
Suspension
30.0% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Part only £35–£75 for Suspension pin or bush excessively worn. What fitting it takes →
1.2 pts up across model years — 5.8% in 2000, 7.0% in 2005.
Which year to buy
- Best 2007 76.2% pass
- Avoid 2004 70.1% pass · this year
Across the 8 years on record, a spread of 6.1 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 61.2%
- Typical mileage
- 104k mi
The 2004 Rover 75 MOT pass rate is 70.1% of its MOT tests — 2.1 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 30.0% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Rover 75 does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Suspension: 1.4× the national share
Suspension accounts for 30.0% of everything recorded on the 2004 Rover 75, against 21.0% nationally — 9.0 points above. Ask for the front and rear suspension to be checked on a ramp before you buy — worn bushes and broken springs are cheap to look at and expensive to discover at test time.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a Rover 75? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2004 Rover 75 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.2%, so this figure is 2.1 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 61.2%. The median 2004 Rover 75 in this dataset had covered 103,932 mi.
The most common fuel recorded here is Diesel — 71% of tests, with a 68.6% pass rate. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 69.9% of the time, April–September 70.4%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 6.21% of tests.
- 8,242 recorded tests behind this page.
- 70.1% overall pass rate, 61.2% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Rover 75, the average is 71.0% — best year 2007 (76.2%), worst 2004 (70.1%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 8,242
- Typical mileage (median)
- 103,932 mi
- Make and model
- Rover 75
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Number Plate Lamp
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the 75 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 58% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (71% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the 75
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 1,364 | 72.1% |
| West Midlands | 1,244 | 70.4% |
| South West | 1,123 | 64.9% |
| East of England | 1,079 | 70.5% |
| North West | 855 | 70.9% |
| Yorkshire | 685 | 71.4% |
| East Midlands | 624 | 71.8% |
| Scotland | 455 | 66.4% |
| Wales | 374 | 67.6% |
| North East | 333 | 73.3% |
| London | 103 | 82.5% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2004 75
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2004 75
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the lights 6.2% of tests
“registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”
Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.
-
Check corrosion 5.0% of tests
“component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength”
Look under the sills, around the jacking points and where the suspension mounts meet the body. Flaking, holed or crumbly metal fails; a brown stain on sound metal does not.
-
Check the suspension joints 3.8% of tests
“pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn”
With the car parked on level ground, rock the top of each front wheel in and out while someone watches the suspension arm. Clunks, or rubber boots split and greasy, are what testers record here.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2004 75 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £49–£128 — and 36% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £49–£128
- Cheapest common item: srs malfunction indicator lamp warning lamp…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: component mounting prescribed areas…
- £180–£450
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 50%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 36%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 8,242 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the 75, side by side
8 model years on record, from 2000 to 2007. Across them the pass rate runs from 70.1% to 76.2% — a spread of 6.1 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 72.7% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2001 71.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2002 71.4% component mounting prescribed…
- 2003 70.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2004 70.1%registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2005 71.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2006 72.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2007 76.2% headlamp lens slightly defective
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2004 Rover 75 with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2004 cars with a similar record
- Ford Mondeo 70.1%
- Honda Cr-V 70.0%
- SEAT Ibiza 70.2%
- Hyundai Santa Fe 70.2%
- Skoda Fabia 70.3%
- Land Rover Freelander 69.7%
Closest pass rates among 2004 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2004 Rover 75 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 25,370 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 7,790 | 30.00% | 20.98% | +9.02 |
| Brakes | 5,753 | 22.20% | 20.89% | +1.31 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3,353 | 12.90% | 12.21% | +0.69 |
| Tyres | 2,751 | 10.60% | 19.76% | −9.16 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 1,689 | 6.50% | 5.57% | +0.93 |
| Steering | 1,199 | 4.60% | 2.57% | +2.03 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 943 | 3.60% | 5.52% | −1.92 |
| Visibility | 853 | 3.30% | 4.97% | −1.67 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 526 | 2.00% | 0.82% | +1.18 |
| Non-component advisories | 513 | 2.00% | 4.18% | −2.18 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 6.2% | £5–20 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | Major | 5.0% | £180–450 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 4.8% | £5–25 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 3.8% | £40–150 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 3.6% | £45–110 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 3.5% | £18–45 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.4% | £30–80 |
| Srs malfunction indicator lamp warning lamp indicates a fault Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | Major | 3.3% | £3–12 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 3.3% | £80–200 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Major | 3.2% | £80–180 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 26.2% | £80–180 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 16.8% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 14.5% | £45–110 |
| Suspension arm corroded and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 13.3% | £35–85 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 10.7% | £40–150 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 10.1% | £45–95 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 121 | 82.6% | 22,510 mi |
| 30-60k | 968 | 78.2% | 47,136 mi |
| 60-90k | 1,935 | 72.9% | 75,956 mi |
| 90-120k | 2,207 | 68.6% | 104,891 mi |
| 120k+ | 2,947 | 66.5% | 155,897 mi |
Source: 8,242 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2004 75 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2004 Rover 75?
70.1% of the 8,242 2004 Rover 75 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.2% for cars first used in 2004. First-attempt pass rate: 61.2%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2004 Rover 75?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (6.21%), component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (4.97%), headlamp lens slightly defective (4.78%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2004 Rover 75 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 82.6% of the time, falling to 66.5% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2004 Rover 75 in this dataset had covered 103,932 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2004 Rover 75?
Diesel: 68.6% pass rate across 5,893 tests. Petrol: 73.9% pass rate across 2,345 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2004 Rover 75 MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 69.9% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 70.4%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.