2015 Ford Mondeo — MOT failures & pass rate
The 2015 Ford Mondeo passed 86.0% of its 102,175 recorded MOT tests. Against large family cars of a similar age (17.0% fail rate), the 2015 Mondeo comes out 3.0pp better. Failures cluster in lighting & signalling, tyres and brakes.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (6.8%) and tyres (6.7%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are tread depth, position lamp and brake pads — tread depth alone was recorded 3,780 times.
Condition tracks the odometer closely. Failures run at 7.4% in the 0-30k band and 17.3% in the 150k+ band, a 9.9-point spread — more than double.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 4.5pp more often than electric ones (14.5% vs 10.0%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 25.2% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 11.6% of tests failed in 2021 against 16.1% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 6.8% | 6,987 |
| 2 | Tyres | 6.7% | 6,820 |
| 3 | Brakes | 3.7% | 3,742 |
| 4 | Visibility | 2.9% | 2,911 |
| 5 | Suspension | 1.8% | 1,884 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 0.7% | 716 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tread depth | 3,780 |
| 2 | Position lamp | 3,700 |
| 3 | Brake pads | 2,785 |
| 4 | Tyre pressure monitoring system | 2,260 |
| 5 | Wipers | 2,038 |
| 6 | Headlamp aim | 1,766 |
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 | 25.2% | 25,788 |
| 2 | Brakes | 18.6% | 19,049 |
| 3 | Other defects | 7.7% | 7,890 |
| 4 | Suspension | 5.7% | 5,851 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 5.2% | 5,309 |
| 6 | Visibility | 3.6% | 3,689 |
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 | 3,884 | 7.4% |
| 30-60k | 21,721 | 10.0% |
| 60-90k | 29,308 | 13.3% |
| 90-120k | 23,931 | 16.4% |
| 120-150k | 13,340 | 17.1% |
| 150k+ | 9,958 | 17.3% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 88,559 | 14.5% |
| Petrol | 11,620 | 10.6% |
| Electric | 1,197 | 10.0% |
| Hybrid | 780 | 10.5% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 20,449 | 11.6% |
| 2022 | 20,598 | 13.0% |
| 2023 | 20,559 | 13.8% |
| 2024 | 20,464 | 15.4% |
| 2025 | 20,105 | 16.1% |
What to check before buying a 2015 Mondeo
On a 2015 Mondeo, lighting & signalling is what the MOT record says goes wrong most — it appeared in 6.8% of tests. Check these areas before you commit.
- Lighting & signalling (6.8% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Tyres (6.7% 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 (3.7% 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
How many 2015 Ford Mondeos pass their MOT?
86.0% of the 102,175 2015 Ford Mondeo MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 14.0% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2015 Ford Mondeo?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 6.8% of tests, followed by tyres (6.7%).
Does the 2015 Mondeo get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 7.4% in the 0-30k band to 17.3% in the 150k+ band.
Methodology & source. Based on 102,175 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.