Rover 820 MOT reliability

Rover 820s passed their MOT first time 67% of the time across 193 tests in 2025.

First-time pass rate

67%

MOTs analysed

193

Still licensed (GB)

–

Body type

Sedan

Pass rate by year of first registration

Older cars fail more often, so compare a car with others of the same age. Years with very few MOTs can show extreme pass rates, even 0% or 100%, so give more weight to years with more tests.

In detail:

First registered

1997 petrol

33 MOTs

These figures come from 33 MOT tests. That's a fairly small number of cars, so they may not be typical of these cars as a whole.

Passed first time 64%. Typical mileage 107,089 (most between 71,988 and 128,698).

2005: 57% → 2006: 53% → 2007: 50% → 2008: 47% → 2009: 46% → 2010: 42% → 2011: 46% → 2012: 51% → 2013: 48% → 2014: 45% → 2015: 54% → 2016: 58% → 2017: 59% → 2018: 49% → 2019: 59% → 2020: 56% → 2021: 62% → 2022: 64% → 2023: 59% → 2024: 66% → 2025: 64%

Most common failures

Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements (12.1%)
SRS malfunction indicator lamp: warning lamp indicates a fault (9.1%)
Catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content at idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits (9.1%)
Emissions not tested: unable to be completed (9.1%)
Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (6.1%)

1997 lpg

1 MOT

These figures come from only 1 MOT test. With so few cars, a single pass or fail changes the percentages a lot, so treat them as a rough guide rather than a true average.

Passed first time 0%. Typical mileage 181,380 (most between 181,380 and 181,380).

2005: 67% → 2006: 60% → 2007: 31% → 2008: 50% → 2009: 20% → 2010: 33% → 2011: 0% → 2012: 0% → 2013: 0% → 2014: 100% → 2015: 0% → 2016: 50% → 2017: 50% → 2018: 0% → 2021: 0% → 2022: 0% → 2023: 0% → 2024: 100% → 2025: 0%

Most common failures

Prescribed areas: prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced (100.0%)
Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements (100.0%)
Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened (100.0%)
Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick (100.0%)

Where 1997 820s fail

Brakes

21.2%

Exhaust, emissions & leaks

21.2%

Lights & electrics

15.2%

Seat belts & other equipment

12.1%

Suspension & axles

9.1%

Wheels & tyres

6.1%

Visibility & wipers

6.1%

Body, structure & corrosion

3.0%

Looking at a particular car?

See its own MOT history, mileage and red flags, compared with these figures. Free.

Based on 2025 initial MOT tests in DVSA's anonymised MOT dataset (cars and light vans). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Model details: Vehicle data by VehiclesDB.