Ford MOT pass rates and reliability
We have 4,456,560 MOT tests on Ford cars from 2023, covering 30 models with enough tests to compare. Choose a model to see what it fails on most often, how its pass rate changes with age and how far it is typically driven.
Across 4,456,560 MOT tests on Ford cars in 2023, 68% passed first time, close to the national average of 71% for all cars. Of the Ford models with enough tests, the Puma did best at 90% and the Focus C MAX did least well at 52%. Newer models pass more often whatever the make, so compare cars of a similar age.
Ford models
| Model | Tests | First-time pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| Fiesta | 1,440,962 | 66% |
| Focus | 986,031 | 68% |
| Transit | 317,603 | 63% |
| Kuga | 273,206 | 80% |
| Mondeo | 215,234 | 67% |
| KA | 190,207 | 68% |
| Transit Connect | 170,280 | 64% |
| C MAX | 117,815 | 70% |
| Transit Custom | 104,577 | 79% |
| Ranger | 99,381 | 71% |
| Ecosport | 98,104 | 81% |
| S MAX | 78,247 | 65% |
| Galaxy | 65,848 | 63% |
| Fusion | 58,497 | 60% |
| B MAX | 54,936 | 72% |
| Grand C MAX | 36,750 | 69% |
| Puma | 29,923 | 90% |
| Transit Courier | 24,047 | 72% |
| Focus C MAX | 18,497 | 52% |
| Tourneo | 14,424 | 74% |
| Tourneo Connect | 12,692 | 78% |
| Mustang | 11,977 | 83% |
| Escort | 11,034 | 75% |
| Edge | 8,915 | 85% |
| Tourneo Custom | 6,134 | 82% |
| Allied | 3,411 | 80% |
| Sierra | 2,866 | 85% |
| Capri | 2,479 | 82% |
| Freedom | 1,416 | 81% |
| Roller Team | 1,067 | 86% |
What Ford cars fail on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, across all models, against the figure for all cars.
- Lights and electrics14.3% (all cars 11.3%)
- Suspension10.2% (all cars 9.0%)
- Tyres7.0% (all cars 6.4%)
- Brakes6.5% (all cars 6.8%)
- Visibility5.0% (all cars 4.8%)
- Body and structure4.0% (all cars 3.5%)
- Exhaust and emissions3.5% (all cars 3.1%)
- Steering2.0% (all cars 1.8%)
Most common Ford failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Stop lamp: not working 3.6%
- Position lamp: not working 3.0%
- Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 2.6%
- Coil spring: fractured or broken 2.1%
- Suspension arms, ball joint: ball joint excessively worn 1.4%
- Headlamp: not working on dipped beam 1.2%
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 1.1%
- Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn 1.0%
Check a particular Ford
Model figures tell you what to look out for. To see one car's own MOT history, mileage and tax, enter its registration.
Source: Department for Transport, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023, cars and light vans, normal tests only. Pass rates are first-time passes; a pass after repair at the test station counts as a fail. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.