Land Rover Discovery: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Land Rover Discovery: 9 model years scored from 127 NHTSA owner complaints and 39 recall campaigns. Worst year 2019, best year 2022.
Land Rover Discovery: which years to avoid
Across 9 scored model years the Land Rover Discovery ranges from 69/100 in 2019 to 89/100 in 2025 — a 20-point spread, so which year you buy matters. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Electrical System (15 of them).
Safest years: 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 — scored 70 or better.
Check carefully: 2019.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2022 (score 80). Worst: 2019 (score 69, CAUTION).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 89 | BUY | $4,130 | 0 | 2 |
| 2024 | 80 | BUY | $4,336 | 7 | 4 |
| 2023 | 77 | BUY | $4,654 | 7 | 6 |
| 2022 | 80 | BUY | $4,592 | 9 | 5 |
| 2021 | 78 | BUY | $4,732 | 11 | 5 |
| 2020 | 75 | BUY | $5,487 | 18 | 6 |
| 2019 | 69 | CAUTION | $5,673 | 38 | 4 |
| 2018 | 75 | BUY | $6,048 | 37 | 4 |
| 2017 | 86 | BUY | $5,850 | 0 | 3 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Discovery sub-models & family
Variants & trims on record
Body, powertrain and trim variants of the Discovery on the federal record. Variants folded into this nameplate are counted in this page's data; the rest have too thin a record for a page of their own yet.
What goes wrong on the Land Rover Discovery
Across every Discovery model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Electrical System52 complaints across all Discovery years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Unknown Or Other28 complaints across all Discovery years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Engine22 complaints across all Discovery years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Power Train15 complaints across all Discovery years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Visibility/Wiper13 complaints across all Discovery years · typical job: Wiper motor, linkage or windscreen replacement$490–$1,200
- Structure11 complaints across all Discovery years · typical job: Body, subframe or corrosion repair$1,070–$2,920
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
What are the best Land Rover Discovery years to buy?
2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2025 at 89/100, on 0 complaints and 2 recall campaigns.
Which Land Rover Discovery years should I avoid?
The 2019 is the weakest year we score, at 69/100 (CAUTION), on 38 complaints and 4 recalls. Check the year-by-year table above before committing to any particular car.
What is the most common Land Rover Discovery problem?
52 of the complaints filed against the Discovery across all its model years sit in the Electrical System group — more than any other component.
Compare with
Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04