Ford Fiesta MOT pass rate & common failures
8,785,208 MOT tests on the Ford Fiesta (1980–2025) give it a 78.8% pass rate. That is effectively the same as superminis of a similar age (20.7% fail rate), so the MOT record here is unremarkable in either direction. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, suspension and tyres.
Best and worst Fiesta years
Ranked across Fiesta 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: 2023 cars pass 94.5% of the time while 1998 cars manage 66.4%, a 28.1-point spread.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (12.6%) and suspension (9.8%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are stop lamp, ball joint and headlamp aim — stop lamp alone was recorded 484,607 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 8.3% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 31.3% once past 150k — 3.8× the risk.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 20.4pp more often than hybrid ones (26.5% vs 6.1%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 27.5% of tests without failing them.
How it compares
Versions & engines
MOT records broken out by the engine designations buyers actually search for.
By model year
Every Fiesta model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 146 | 85.6% | 14.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1981 | 353 | 88.4% | 11.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1982 | 581 | 88.3% | 11.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1983 | 878 | 86.8% | 13.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1984 | 329 | 89.4% | 10.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1985 | 536 | 83.6% | 16.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1986 | 663 | 85.5% | 14.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1987 | 1,120 | 83.8% | 16.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1988 | 2,003 | 84.0% | 16.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1989 | 1,473 | 82.8% | 17.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1990 | 1,056 | 82.5% | 17.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1991 | 1,774 | 83.5% | 16.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1992 | 1,094 | 78.4% | 21.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1993 | 1,019 | 75.9% | 24.1% | Brakes |
| 1994 | 1,377 | 72.9% | 27.1% | Suspension |
| 1995 | 1,915 | 74.2% | 25.9% | Brakes |
| 1996 | 2,714 | 69.5% | 30.5% | Suspension |
| 1997 | 5,017 | 68.0% | 32.0% | Suspension |
| 1998 | 11,185 | 66.4% | 33.6% | Suspension |
| 1999 | 14,242 | 66.8% | 33.2% | Suspension |
| 2000 | 13,556 | 67.7% | 32.3% | Suspension |
| 2001 | 23,532 | 68.5% | 31.5% | Suspension |
| 2002 | 62,771 | 71.5% | 28.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 127,105 | 72.4% | 27.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 166,798 | 72.1% | 27.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 197,789 | 71.8% | 28.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 322,338 | 71.8% | 28.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 380,729 | 73.6% | 26.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 404,488 | 73.2% | 26.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 633,348 | 73.1% | 26.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 588,052 | 73.8% | 26.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 564,525 | 75.1% | 24.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 650,063 | 75.8% | 24.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 721,553 | 77.8% | 22.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 762,253 | 80.3% | 19.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 775,759 | 81.1% | 18.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 704,083 | 81.4% | 18.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 520,643 | 86.8% | 13.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2018 | 512,980 | 90.7% | 9.3% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 346,552 | 91.1% | 8.9% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 166,281 | 91.0% | 9.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2021 | 61,239 | 93.5% | 6.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2022 | 27,820 | 93.9% | 6.1% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 1,460 | 94.5% | 5.5% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 12.6% | 1,105,012 |
| 2 | Suspension | 9.8% | 863,712 |
| 3 | Tyres | 6.1% | 535,410 |
| 4 | Brakes | 4.5% | 394,503 |
| 5 | Visibility | 3.9% | 337,829 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 3.0% | 264,543 |
| 7 | Steering | 2.7% | 235,480 |
| 8 | Body, structure & corrosion | 2.6% | 232,626 |
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 | 484,607 |
| 2 | Ball joint | 364,496 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 360,785 |
| 4 | Tread depth | 261,683 |
| 5 | Coil spring | 244,511 |
| 6 | Position lamp | 241,384 |
| 7 | Headlamp | 232,849 |
| 8 | Track rod end | 215,115 |
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 | 27.5% | 2,415,146 |
| 2 | Suspension | 22.8% | 1,999,242 |
| 3 | Brakes | 20.0% | 1,756,150 |
| 4 | Other defects | 11.1% | 975,210 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 6.9% | 606,040 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 5.4% | 475,400 |
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 | 1,327,802 | 8.3% |
| 30-60k | 2,691,430 | 17.0% |
| 60-90k | 2,451,148 | 24.7% |
| 90-120k | 1,497,865 | 29.0% |
| 120-150k | 588,443 | 30.8% |
| 150k+ | 219,310 | 31.3% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 7,520,779 | 20.3% |
| Diesel | 1,263,408 | 26.5% |
| Hybrid | 948 | 6.1% |
| Electric | 43 | 27.9% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,755,207 | 20.5% |
| 2022 | 1,793,950 | 20.7% |
| 2023 | 1,791,910 | 21.1% |
| 2024 | 1,746,993 | 21.7% |
| 2025 | 1,697,148 | 21.8% |
What to check before buying a Ford Fiesta
- Lighting & signalling (12.6% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Suspension (9.8% of tests): Worn drop links, bushes, springs or shocks — listen for knocks over bumps and check for uneven tyre wear. Typical repair: £150–£450 per corner.
- Tyres (6.1% 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.
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 Fiesta?
78.8% of the 8,785,208 Ford Fiesta MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 21.1% fail rate, across model years 1980–2025.
What does the Ford Fiesta most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 12.6% of tests, then suspension (9.8%).
Which Fiesta years are best and worst for MOT results?
2023 has the best pass rate at 94.5% and 1998 the weakest at 66.4%, from 1,460 and 11,185 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Fiesta MOT results?
Fail rates run at 8.3% for cars in the 0-30k band and 31.3% for 150k+, a 22.9-point difference.
Is the hybrid or diesel Fiesta more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 6.1% of the time against 26.5% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 8,785,208 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.