Question

[Scully]

Have just been asked what is the prerequisite for putting a back bench seat in a 90 Defender. Had to admit that as regards seat belts and insurance I didn't know. Any thoughts? 

[Walker570]

Is this a side bench as supplied by the factory or LR Parts dealers ?

Good question because I have ridden in quite a few which had no seat belts fitted.

Google rear bench seats for LR 90 see what turns up.

[Walker570]

I just googled it and quite a lot of information came up but non that I could say was definitive. The age and style of the LR also was part of the equation.   You can buy fold up seats for the rear of a 90 which do not appear to have seat belts BUT the google enquiry did raise that from 2007 onwards all seats in the rear of a 90 must face forward and have correctly fitted belts.

[mick miller]

If it helps my 97 90 csw had 4 individual fold up seats, all of which have seat belts which connect to a chassis mounted bar. The central seat in the front however has no seat belt fitted and is a constant mot fail unless I remove it before the test. There was never a belt fitted from the factory on this model.

As with most things land-rover the rules seem as clear as mud, but if it were me I'd tend to follow the best specifications for the age of vehicle and body type. Most vans never had rear seats so you may find if you want to retro fit you would be wise to fit the bar and belts.

[SpringDon]

Mot doesn’t require seat belts for bench seats.

insurance is tricky. Some insurers will require belts if you declare it a 6 seater. Some say lap belts are dangerous. Some don’t seem to care. It is probably worth asking them to be safe.

[Scully]

Many thanks all. It’s a query a potential buyer has regarding my old series.