Ford Grand C-Max MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 20 model years and 222,469 tests, the Ford Grand C-Max passes its MOT 80.3% of the time. That is 1.3 percentage points worse than MPVs of a similar age, which fail at 18.4%. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, tyres and brakes.
Best and worst Grand C-Max years
Ranked across Grand C-Max 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 85.4% of the time while 2011 cars manage 75.5%, a 9.9-point spread.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (9.9%) and tyres (8.3%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are brake pads, tread depth and headlamp aim — brake pads alone was recorded 10,028 times.
Condition tracks the odometer closely. Failures run at 11.6% in the 0-30k band and 27.1% in the 150k+ band, a 15.5-point spread — more than double.
The petrol cars hold up better: 17.8% fail against 20.4% for diesel, a 2.7-point gap across 222,469 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 32.2% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 17.1% of tests failed in 2021 against 22.0% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Grand C-Max model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 779 | 78.8% | 21.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 35,283 | 75.5% | 24.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 24,638 | 77.8% | 22.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 28,763 | 78.6% | 21.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 25,891 | 79.0% | 21.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 23,038 | 81.6% | 18.4% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 39,476 | 82.4% | 17.6% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 22,921 | 84.8% | 15.2% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 16,377 | 84.2% | 15.8% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 5,277 | 85.4% | 14.6% | Visibility |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 9.9% | 22,119 |
| 2 | Tyres | 8.3% | 18,425 |
| 3 | Brakes | 5.9% | 13,081 |
| 4 | Visibility | 4.5% | 10,012 |
| 5 | Suspension | 3.3% | 7,430 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 2.8% | 6,279 |
| 7 | Emissions & environmental | 2.3% | 5,053 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 0.7% | 1,547 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brake pads | 10,028 |
| 2 | Tread depth | 9,030 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 7,034 |
| 4 | Stop lamp | 6,962 |
| 5 | Wipers | 6,818 |
| 6 | Joints | 5,372 |
| 7 | Position lamp | 5,155 |
| 8 | Pins and bushes | 4,677 |
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 | 32.2% | 71,609 |
| 2 | Brakes | 23.3% | 51,722 |
| 3 | Suspension | 16.0% | 35,607 |
| 4 | Other defects | 14.7% | 32,791 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 7.0% | 15,452 |
| 6 | Visibility | 4.5% | 10,104 |
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 | 20,445 | 11.6% |
| 30-60k | 63,644 | 15.8% |
| 60-90k | 72,040 | 20.6% |
| 90-120k | 44,042 | 24.3% |
| 120-150k | 15,905 | 26.3% |
| 150k+ | 6,251 | 27.1% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 166,152 | 20.4% |
| Petrol | 56,317 | 17.8% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 43,650 | 17.1% |
| 2022 | 45,527 | 18.8% |
| 2023 | 45,380 | 20.0% |
| 2024 | 44,498 | 20.8% |
| 2025 | 43,414 | 22.0% |
What to check before buying a Ford Grand C-Max
- Lighting & signalling (9.9% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Tyres (8.3% 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 (5.9% 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 Grand C-Max?
80.3% of the 222,469 Ford Grand C-Max MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 19.7% fail rate, across model years 2006–2025.
What does the Ford Grand C-Max most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 9.9% of tests, then tyres (8.3%).
Which Grand C-Max years are best and worst for MOT results?
2019 has the best pass rate at 85.4% and 2011 the weakest at 75.5%, from 5,277 and 35,283 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Grand C-Max MOT results?
Fail rates run at 11.6% for cars in the 0-30k band and 27.1% for 150k+, a 15.5-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Grand C-Max more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 17.8% of the time against 20.4% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 222,469 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.