Ford Ranger MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 44 model years and 608,396 tests, the Ford Ranger passes its MOT 80.8% of the time. Pick-up trucks of a similar age fail at 18.9%, so the Ranger sits squarely on the average. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, suspension and brakes.
Best and worst Ranger years
Ranked across Ranger 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
The strongest year on this record is 2022 (87.9% pass rate); the weakest is 2006 (70.3%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (10.7%) and suspension (8.0%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are headlamp aim, coil spring and position lamp — headlamp aim alone was recorded 25,433 times.
Condition tracks the odometer closely. Failures run at 9.4% in the 0-30k band and 28.1% in the 150k+ band, a 18.7-point spread — more than double.
Fuel type barely separates them — petrol fails 19.1% of the time against 19.2% for diesel.
Brakes is the most common advisory, noted on 20.0% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
How it compares
By model year
Every Ranger model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 30 | 76.7% | 23.3% | Suspension |
| 1999 | 1,408 | 72.5% | 27.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2000 | 3,374 | 72.7% | 27.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2001 | 4,313 | 72.4% | 27.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2002 | 5,863 | 71.3% | 28.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 8,259 | 71.0% | 29.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 14,480 | 70.4% | 29.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 15,854 | 71.4% | 28.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 19,240 | 70.3% | 29.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 21,899 | 72.1% | 27.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 15,393 | 73.6% | 26.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 16,779 | 73.2% | 26.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 10,127 | 73.0% | 27.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 10,690 | 75.4% | 24.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 12,595 | 75.4% | 24.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 18,804 | 78.1% | 21.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 25,097 | 79.0% | 21.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 38,497 | 79.4% | 20.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 61,984 | 82.6% | 17.4% | Suspension |
| 2017 | 62,973 | 83.3% | 16.7% | Suspension |
| 2018 | 80,511 | 85.1% | 14.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2019 | 65,855 | 85.7% | 14.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2020 | 39,551 | 85.5% | 14.5% | Suspension |
| 2021 | 36,676 | 86.9% | 13.2% | Suspension |
| 2022 | 17,422 | 87.9% | 12.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2023 | 571 | 91.2% | 8.8% | Lighting & signalling |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 10.7% | 64,843 |
| 2 | Suspension | 8.0% | 48,407 |
| 3 | Brakes | 6.3% | 38,512 |
| 4 | Body, structure & corrosion | 4.2% | 25,231 |
| 5 | Tyres | 3.2% | 19,338 |
| 6 | Visibility | 3.1% | 19,046 |
| 7 | Emissions & environmental | 3.1% | 19,005 |
| 8 | Steering | 1.3% | 8,138 |
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 | 25,433 |
| 2 | Coil spring | 25,317 |
| 3 | Position lamp | 19,245 |
| 4 | Headlamp | 17,559 |
| 5 | Rigid brake pipes | 16,051 |
| 6 | Tread depth | 13,228 |
| 7 | Joints | 12,870 |
| 8 | Rear fog lamp | 12,854 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brakes | 20.0% | 121,346 |
| 2 | Tyres | 17.1% | 104,078 |
| 3 | Suspension | 12.6% | 76,672 |
| 4 | Lighting & signalling | 8.9% | 54,066 |
| 5 | Body, structure & corrosion | 8.7% | 52,698 |
| 6 | Other defects | 7.5% | 45,693 |
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 | 60,929 | 9.4% |
| 30-60k | 170,342 | 14.3% |
| 60-90k | 153,689 | 19.4% |
| 90-120k | 105,530 | 23.6% |
| 120-150k | 63,800 | 26.3% |
| 150k+ | 53,647 | 28.1% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 607,857 | 19.2% |
| Petrol | 524 | 19.1% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 98,193 | 19.8% |
| 2022 | 111,107 | 19.2% |
| 2023 | 119,915 | 19.6% |
| 2024 | 133,311 | 18.8% |
| 2025 | 145,870 | 18.9% |
What to check before buying a Ford Ranger
- Lighting & signalling (10.7% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Suspension (8.0% 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.
- Brakes (6.3% 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 Ranger?
80.8% of the 608,396 Ford Ranger MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 19.2% fail rate, across model years 1981–2024.
What does the Ford Ranger most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 10.7% of tests, then suspension (8.0%).
Which Ranger years are best and worst for MOT results?
2022 has the best pass rate at 87.9% and 2006 the weakest at 70.3%, from 17,422 and 19,240 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Ranger MOT results?
Fail rates run at 9.4% for cars in the 0-30k band and 28.1% for 150k+, a 18.7-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Ranger more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 19.1% of the time against 19.2% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 608,396 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.