Land Rover Defender 90 - 110 2.4 D tyre pressures
Front 32 psi (2.2 bar), rear 35 psi (2.4 bar) on the standard 16-inch wheels. Manufacturer data, checked cold.
Manufacturer figures for the Land Rover Defender 90 - 110 2.4 D, normal load, tyres cold. If the label on your door pillar or fuel flap says something different, go with that.
Tyres at the MOT
In 2025, the Land Rover Defender (2007–2016) failed its MOT on tyres in 1.7% of 40,303 tests. Cars of the same age failed on tyres 7.1% of the time, so it failed less often than average for its age. Another 9.1% passed with a tyre advisory, usually tread close to the limit.
What the MOT tester checks on your tyres · The full 2025 figures
DVSA anonymised MOT data, 2025: MOT tests on cars (class 4), not counting retests. The figures cover the whole Land Rover Defender (2007–2016) range, not only this version. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Resetting the tyre pressure warning light on your Land Rover
Land Rovers with a warning system have sensors in each wheel; you can spot them by the metal valve with a lock nut. All new Land Rovers have had one since 2014. The classic Defender (up to 2016) and older models such as the Discovery 1 and 2 and Freelander 1 don't have one at all.
- Inflate all four tyres, cold, to the label pressures for the load you're carrying.
- There's no reset button. Drive above about 16 mph and the warning should clear within about 5 minutes.
- If your car has a load setting (Vehicle Info > Tyre Information > TPM Load Setting), set it to match: Normal (light) or Heavy.
When to reset: No reset needed. After changing a wheel or tyre, leave the car parked for 15 minutes so the system can pick up the change.
Menu names vary by model and year, so check your handbook if yours looks different. More in what the warning light means.
Got a different Defender 90 - 110 2.4 D? Check by registration
Put your reg in and we'll show the figures for your exact car, including the wheel size it left the factory on.
What tyre pressure should a Defender 90 - 110 2.4 D have?
32 psi at the front and 35 psi at the rear (2.2 and 2.4 bar) on the standard 16-inch wheels, with the tyres cold.
Should I use a higher pressure when the car is loaded?
The manufacturer gives one figure for this car, so no. If you're carrying a full load for a long motorway run, the label on the door pillar may show a higher figure — follow that if it does.
What tyre size does the Defender 90 - 110 2.4 D use?
235/85R16. The size is on the tyre's sidewall, e.g. 235/40R18.
Does the Land Rover Defender (2007–2016) fail the MOT on tyres more often?
No, less often than average for its age. In 2025, 1.7% of Land Rover Defender (2007–2016) MOT tests failed on tyres, against 7.1% for cars of the same age (DVSA MOT data, 40,303 tests). Another 9.1% passed with a tyre advisory.
Check them cold. Pressures are set for tyres that haven't been driven more than a mile or two. After a run they read 3–4 psi high.
Once a month, and before a long trip. Tyres lose about 1 psi a month on their own.
The sticker wins. If your car's door-pillar or fuel-flap label says something different, go with that — it knows your exact spec.