Ford Focus MOT pass rate & common failures
6,079,104 MOT tests on the Ford Focus (1990–2025) give it a 79.4% pass rate. That is effectively the same as small family cars of a similar age (20.2% 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 Focus years
Ranked across Focus 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 94.0% of the time while 1999 cars manage 67.8%, a 26.1-point spread.
Lighting & signalling dominates the failure mix at 12.5% of all tests — 3.4 points clear of suspension, so it is the first thing to check.
At component level the recurring items are headlamp aim, tread depth and position lamp — headlamp aim alone was recorded 346,000 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 30.0% versus 7.9%.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 14.4pp more often than hybrid ones (21.4% vs 7.0%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 28.6% 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 Focus model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 847 | 67.2% | 32.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1999 | 13,084 | 67.8% | 32.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2000 | 24,127 | 68.9% | 31.1% | Suspension |
| 2001 | 49,771 | 69.9% | 30.1% | Suspension |
| 2002 | 85,325 | 69.7% | 30.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 107,139 | 69.8% | 30.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 160,936 | 70.0% | 30.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 220,908 | 71.4% | 28.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 275,777 | 73.5% | 26.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 340,693 | 74.2% | 25.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 356,303 | 73.8% | 26.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 398,005 | 74.9% | 25.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 374,356 | 75.6% | 24.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 425,449 | 76.1% | 23.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 441,587 | 77.6% | 22.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 472,710 | 77.9% | 22.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 459,959 | 80.9% | 19.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 437,577 | 85.9% | 14.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 363,800 | 87.9% | 12.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 358,146 | 89.3% | 10.7% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 265,885 | 89.8% | 10.2% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 251,617 | 88.8% | 11.2% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 128,912 | 90.5% | 9.5% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 46,878 | 91.6% | 8.4% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 18,046 | 92.8% | 7.2% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 1,250 | 94.0% | 6.0% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 12.5% | 759,955 |
| 2 | Suspension | 9.1% | 555,694 |
| 3 | Tyres | 6.3% | 384,043 |
| 4 | Brakes | 4.5% | 273,334 |
| 5 | Visibility | 3.6% | 222,126 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 2.9% | 174,745 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 2.8% | 167,674 |
| 8 | Steering | 1.1% | 67,209 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Headlamp aim | 346,000 |
| 2 | Tread depth | 221,508 |
| 3 | Position lamp | 220,735 |
| 4 | Coil spring | 219,738 |
| 5 | Pins and bushes | 168,215 |
| 6 | Headlamp | 149,159 |
| 7 | Washers | 146,155 |
| 8 | Stop lamp | 140,120 |
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 | 28.6% | 1,741,092 |
| 2 | Suspension | 22.7% | 1,378,087 |
| 3 | Brakes | 18.9% | 1,150,094 |
| 4 | Other defects | 11.1% | 671,804 |
| 5 | Body, structure & corrosion | 7.3% | 441,842 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 6.9% | 416,197 |
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 | 563,507 | 7.9% |
| 30-60k | 1,389,947 | 13.7% |
| 60-90k | 1,681,681 | 20.9% |
| 90-120k | 1,387,538 | 25.9% |
| 120-150k | 713,024 | 28.6% |
| 150k+ | 327,977 | 30.0% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 4,147,255 | 20.2% |
| Diesel | 1,931,092 | 21.4% |
| Hybrid | 691 | 7.0% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,302,554 | 21.0% |
| 2022 | 1,271,448 | 20.4% |
| 2023 | 1,236,041 | 20.5% |
| 2024 | 1,167,313 | 20.4% |
| 2025 | 1,101,748 | 20.6% |
What to check before buying a Ford Focus
- Lighting & signalling (12.5% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Suspension (9.1% 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 (6.3% 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.
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 Focus?
79.4% of the 6,079,104 Ford Focus MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 20.6% fail rate, across model years 1990–2025.
What does the Ford Focus most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 12.5% of tests, then suspension (9.1%).
Which Focus years are best and worst for MOT results?
2023 has the best pass rate at 94.0% and 1999 the weakest at 67.8%, from 1,250 and 13,084 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Focus MOT results?
Fail rates run at 7.9% for cars in the 0-30k band and 30.0% for 150k+, a 22.1-point difference.
Is the hybrid or diesel Focus more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 7.0% of the time against 21.4% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 6,079,104 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.