The 26MY Defender
The Defenders iconic headlights have received an update with distinctive new DRLs, and the tail lights are now flush with a dark tint for a clean, subtle finish. The gloss black bar grill is also now standard, complemented by the dark oval Land Rover badge.
Continuing with the exterior changes, front and rear bumpers have received a fresh update with new materials, alongside a new texture and pattern for the bonnet inserts and side vents. All models get new gloss black Defender wheel centre caps, and a brand new 22’’ 7 spoke Diamond Turned grey alloy wheel design has been released.
Finally for the exterior, two new colours have been announced. A metallic grey, Borasco Grey, inspired by the Borasco silver mine in Mono County, California, and Woolstone Green, inspired by Woolstone waterfall in Oxfordshire, England. Land Rover say that the deep green finish recognises the British outdoors with warm undertones energised by medium aluminium and coarse yellow mica accents.
Moving to the interior, a new 13.1inch touchscreen has been placed above the repositioned gear shifter for better ergonomics and ease of use.
Defender is also now available with Adapative Off-Road Cruise Control, an evolution of All Terrain Progress Control and allows the driver to set a desired comfort level when navigating rough terrain, reducing driver effort and improving composure and control when negotiating tricky surfaces.
A new Driver Attention Monitor has been added to the centre of the steering wheel which monitors the drivers gaze, providing audio and visual alerts if it detects the driver is not paying attention to the road ahead. It can be adjusted, enabled or disabled on the new touchscreen in the driver assistance menu.
The changes don’t stop at OCTA, as the 4.4L twin turbo V8 model has received a revised colour palette, introducing Borasco Grey and all-new Sargasso Blue, described as having a coarse sparkle reminiscent of the Sargasso Sea to the existing lineup of Charente Grey and Petra Copper. In addition to the existing Matte Protective Film available on all Defender OCTA exteriors, from late 2025 clients will also be able to choose a Patagonia White Matte Wrap finish (also planned for 5.0‑litre Defender V8 models). Named after the snow‑tipped mountains of Santa Cruz in Arizona in the US, it will offer a distinctive crisp white exterior with a smooth, matte finish.
The Defender OCTAs rugged exterior is now accentuated with new Textured Graphite finishes, giving a true sense of tough luxury, across the front and rear bumpers, bonnet vent inserts, side fender vent surrounds and two‑piece bonnet script with a Phosphor Bronze outer finish.
These new updates, from new safety features to enhanced exterior and interior aspects, apply across the 2026 Defender range, and combine to enhance the Defender even further. To enquire about the MY26 Defender for yourself, visit Duckworth Land Rover, contact us or visit our website.