2016 Ford Mondeo — MOT failures & pass rate
The 2016 Ford Mondeo passed 87.7% of its 92,898 recorded MOT tests. That is 3.0 percentage points better than large family cars of a similar age, which fail at 15.3%. Failures cluster in tyres, lighting & signalling and brakes.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — tyres (6.3%) and lighting & signalling (4.8%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are tread depth, brake pads and wipers — tread depth alone was recorded 3,507 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 7.0% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 16.4% once past 150k — 2.3× the risk.
The electric cars hold up better: 7.7% fail against 12.6% for diesel, a 4.9-point gap across 81,399 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 25.3% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 10.6% of tests failed in 2021 against 14.0% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 6.3% | 5,870 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 4.8% | 4,410 |
| 3 | Brakes | 3.1% | 2,888 |
| 4 | Visibility | 2.6% | 2,417 |
| 5 | Suspension | 1.6% | 1,513 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 0.6% | 588 |
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 | 3,507 |
| 2 | Brake pads | 2,487 |
| 3 | Wipers | 2,073 |
| 4 | Registration plate lamp(s) | 1,611 |
| 5 | Headlamp aim | 1,569 |
| 6 | Tyre pressure monitoring system | 1,159 |
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 | 25.3% | 23,529 |
| 2 | Brakes | 18.9% | 17,591 |
| 3 | Other defects | 7.2% | 6,729 |
| 4 | Suspension | 5.6% | 5,200 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 5.5% | 5,106 |
| 6 | Visibility | 3.3% | 3,076 |
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 | 5,658 | 7.0% |
| 30-60k | 24,761 | 9.7% |
| 60-90k | 28,048 | 12.4% |
| 90-120k | 18,932 | 14.2% |
| 120-150k | 9,181 | 15.5% |
| 150k+ | 6,298 | 16.4% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 80,568 | 12.6% |
| Petrol | 9,732 | 10.3% |
| Hybrid | 1,754 | 11.4% |
| Electric | 831 | 7.7% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 18,693 | 10.6% |
| 2022 | 18,582 | 11.2% |
| 2023 | 18,662 | 12.2% |
| 2024 | 18,572 | 13.4% |
| 2025 | 18,389 | 14.0% |
What to check before buying a 2016 Mondeo
The failure pattern for this year is specific enough to inspect against: tyres accounted for 6.3% of tests. Start there.
- 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.
- Lighting & signalling (4.8% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (3.1% 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 2016 Ford Mondeos pass their MOT?
87.7% of the 92,898 2016 Ford Mondeo MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 12.3% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2016 Ford Mondeo?
Tyres, recorded in 6.3% of tests, followed by lighting & signalling (4.8%).
Does the 2016 Mondeo get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 7.0% in the 0-30k band to 16.4% in the 150k+ band.
Methodology & source. Based on 92,898 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.