Rover 420
Reliability, running costs, and MOT data across 4 years from 294 real MOT tests.
Avg Pass Rate
70%
Total Tests
294
Best Year
1997 (78%)
Years Covered
4
How reliable is the Rover 420?
Rover 420 by Year
Checking a specific Rover 420?
Enter the reg plate to see its individual MOT history, mileage verification, and predicted costs.
About the Rover 420
The Rover 420 has been tested 294 times in 2024 MOT data across 4 model years (1996 to 1999), with an average pass rate of 70%. That's 12 points below the national average of 82%, so check the year-by-year data carefully before buying. Available as petrol and diesel.
Best and Worst Years
The 1997 model is the most reliable with a 78% pass rate from 74 tests. The 1998 model has the lowest at 61%. With a 17 point spread, choosing the right year makes a big difference to reliability.
Reliability Trend
Older ROVER 420s tend to have better MOT pass rates than newer ones, with an average decline of 13 percentage points across model years.
Mileage Across Years
The oldest model in our data (1996) averages 100,737 miles, while the newest (1999) averages 81,796 miles. Older models have covered serious mileage, so suspension and drivetrain wear are worth checking.
Compared to the Rover brand average of 74%, the 420 is 4 points lower, placing it among the less reliable Rover models.
Click any year in the table above to see detailed running costs, individual reliability data, and comparisons with similar cars.