Where each one leads
BMW X5
- Against cars of the same age, the BMW X5 comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 10% more often than average) than the Land Rover Defender (passes 5% more often than average).
- Fewer BMW X5 cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (3.4% against 5.9%).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 BMW X5 uses 9.4 l/100 km, the 2026 Land Rover Defender 14.9.
- New BMW X5 cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 113 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 222 for the Land Rover Defender in 2022.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the diesel hybrid BMW X5 uses 9.1 l/100 km on the road, the Land Rover Defender 10.2.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol hybrid BMW X5 uses 12.4 l/100 km on the road, the Land Rover Defender 14.0.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the diesel BMW X5 uses 9.0 l/100 km on the road, the Land Rover Defender 10.2.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol BMW X5 uses 14.8 l/100 km on the road, the Land Rover Defender 15.4.
Land Rover Defender
- Against cars of the same year, the Land Rover Defender comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 56% less often than average) than the BMW X5 (fails 50% less often than average).
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| BMW X5 | Land Rover Defender | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1999–2026 | 1990–2026 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 367,747 (2010–2022) | 26,400 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 106,389 | 65,293 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 27,193 | 6,990 |
| In traffic in Finland | 111 | — |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| BMW X5 | Land Rover Defender | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 78% | 68% |
| … against cars of the same age | +10% | +5% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 0.7% | 0.3% |
| … against cars of the same year | −50% | −56% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 3.4% | 5.9% |
| US owner complaints | 3,165 | 313 |
| Most complaints about | Engine | Electrical system |
| Model year with most complaints | 2012 (271) | 2023 (85) |
| US recall campaigns | 103 | 20 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 5,465 | 1,615 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 22 | 1 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Safety
| BMW X5 | Land Rover Defender | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 4★ (2026) | — |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| BMW X5 | Land Rover Defender | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 9.4 l/100 km (2026) | 14.9 l/100 km (2026) |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | 9.1 l/100 km | 10.2 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 12.4 l/100 km | 14.0 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | 9.0 l/100 km | 10.2 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 14.8 l/100 km | 15.4 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 113 g/km | 222 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 220 kW (295 hp) | 222 kW (298 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 2,389 kg | 2,537 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €111,371 | €90,920 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 218,000 km | — |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).