Ford EcoSport MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 11 model years and 526,132 tests, the Ford EcoSport passes its MOT 88.1% of the time. Small SUVs of a similar age fail at 11.4%, so the EcoSport sits squarely on the average. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, tyres and brakes.
Best and worst EcoSport years
Ranked across EcoSport years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
Build year matters more than the headline suggests: 2019 cars pass 91.5% of the time while 2014 cars manage 80.6%, a 11.0-point spread.
One area stands out: lighting & signalling, recorded in 8.5% of tests against 4.3% for the next-worst category.
At component level the recurring items are stop lamp, headlamp aim and headlamp — stop lamp alone was recorded 25,452 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 24.5% versus 6.7%.
The petrol cars hold up better: 11.3% fail against 15.4% for diesel, a 4.0-point gap across 526,129 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 23.4% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 9.8% of tests failed in 2021 against 14.1% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every EcoSport model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 51 | 86.3% | 13.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 15,704 | 80.6% | 19.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 63,235 | 82.2% | 17.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 83,766 | 84.8% | 15.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 76,830 | 86.4% | 13.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2018 | 122,559 | 91.2% | 8.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2019 | 109,537 | 91.5% | 8.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2020 | 30,663 | 90.6% | 9.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2021 | 11,679 | 89.9% | 10.1% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 11,263 | 90.4% | 9.6% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 845 | 90.1% | 9.9% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 8.5% | 44,719 |
| 2 | Tyres | 4.3% | 22,522 |
| 3 | Brakes | 3.8% | 19,903 |
| 4 | Visibility | 2.9% | 15,455 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 1.5% | 8,006 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 1.2% | 6,242 |
| 7 | Suspension | 1.1% | 5,590 |
| 8 | Steering | 0.8% | 4,252 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stop lamp | 25,452 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 12,856 |
| 3 | Headlamp | 11,162 |
| 4 | Wipers | 9,660 |
| 5 | Tread depth | 9,176 |
| 6 | Washers | 8,325 |
| 7 | Rbt (sp) | 7,827 |
| 8 | Brake pads | 5,678 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 23.4% | 123,272 |
| 2 | Brakes | 11.3% | 59,502 |
| 3 | Suspension | 10.5% | 55,125 |
| 4 | Other defects | 7.3% | 38,428 |
| 5 | Body, structure & corrosion | 2.6% | 13,600 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 2.5% | 12,922 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 236,382 | 6.7% |
| 30-60k | 214,699 | 14.2% |
| 60-90k | 62,454 | 21.1% |
| 90-120k | 10,538 | 25.6% |
| 120-150k | 1,325 | 26.2% |
| 150k+ | 273 | 24.5% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 451,946 | 11.3% |
| Diesel | 74,183 | 15.4% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 72,529 | 9.8% |
| 2022 | 99,752 | 9.8% |
| 2023 | 110,033 | 11.4% |
| 2024 | 115,637 | 13.2% |
| 2025 | 128,181 | 14.1% |
What to check before buying a Ford EcoSport
- Lighting & signalling (8.5% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Tyres (4.3% of tests): Usually a quick, known-cost fix, but check tread, age and uneven wear (which can hint at alignment or suspension issues). Typical repair: £50–£120 per tyre.
- Brakes (3.8% of tests): Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair: £100–£350 per axle.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Ford EcoSport?
88.1% of the 526,132 Ford EcoSport MOT tests in this dataset passed, an 11.9% fail rate, across model years 2013–2023.
What does the Ford EcoSport most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 8.5% of tests, then tyres (4.3%).
Which EcoSport years are best and worst for MOT results?
2019 has the best pass rate at 91.5% and 2014 the weakest at 80.6%, from 109,537 and 15,704 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect EcoSport MOT results?
Fail rates run at 6.7% for cars in the 0-30k band and 24.5% for 150k+, a 17.9-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel EcoSport more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 11.3% of the time against 15.4% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 526,132 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.