Ford S Max MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 25 model years and 483,919 tests, the Ford S Max passes its MOT 77.3% of the time. That is effectively the same as MPVs of a similar age (22.1% fail rate), so the MOT record here is unremarkable in either direction. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, tyres and suspension.
Best and worst S Max years
Ranked across S 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: 2018 cars pass 87.7% of the time while 2006 cars manage 68.5%, a 19.1-point spread.
Lighting & signalling dominates the failure mix at 10.9% of all tests — 3.5 points clear of tyres, so it is the first thing to check.
At component level the recurring items are tread depth, pins and bushes and brake pads — tread depth alone was recorded 22,409 times.
Condition tracks the odometer closely. Failures run at 10.4% in the 0-30k band and 28.2% in the 150k+ band, a 17.8-point spread — more than double.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 12.3pp more often than hybrid ones (22.9% vs 10.5%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 32.2% of tests without failing them.
How it compares
By model year
Every S Max model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 14,076 | 68.5% | 31.4% | Suspension |
| 2007 | 38,422 | 70.6% | 29.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 35,071 | 72.5% | 27.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 42,874 | 73.1% | 26.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 60,180 | 75.1% | 24.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 42,654 | 76.0% | 24.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 46,184 | 75.8% | 24.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 41,029 | 76.2% | 23.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 41,746 | 77.7% | 22.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 19,846 | 82.3% | 17.7% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 39,965 | 85.8% | 14.2% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 30,334 | 86.8% | 13.3% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 13,814 | 87.7% | 12.3% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 10,968 | 85.0% | 15.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2020 | 4,027 | 87.2% | 12.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2021 | 1,759 | 86.2% | 13.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2022 | 889 | 87.8% | 12.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2023 | 66 | 90.9% | 9.1% | Lighting & signalling |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 10.9% | 52,963 |
| 2 | Tyres | 7.5% | 36,119 |
| 3 | Suspension | 7.4% | 35,898 |
| 4 | Brakes | 5.7% | 27,719 |
| 5 | Body, structure & corrosion | 4.5% | 21,770 |
| 6 | Visibility | 3.6% | 17,644 |
| 7 | Emissions & environmental | 2.7% | 13,035 |
| 8 | Steering | 2.2% | 10,688 |
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 | 22,409 |
| 2 | Pins and bushes | 19,957 |
| 3 | Brake pads | 17,482 |
| 4 | Position lamp | 16,574 |
| 5 | Headlamp aim | 15,021 |
| 6 | Stop lamp | 11,452 |
| 7 | Registration plate lamp(s) | 11,391 |
| 8 | Joints | 11,158 |
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% | 155,612 |
| 2 | Suspension | 26.8% | 129,681 |
| 3 | Brakes | 25.7% | 124,136 |
| 4 | Other defects | 16.7% | 80,614 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 12.7% | 61,542 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 7.6% | 36,891 |
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 | 19,446 | 10.4% |
| 30-60k | 75,627 | 14.9% |
| 60-90k | 115,117 | 20.9% |
| 90-120k | 122,051 | 24.9% |
| 120-150k | 88,677 | 27.3% |
| 150k+ | 61,842 | 28.2% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 440,295 | 22.9% |
| Petrol | 42,873 | 21.4% |
| Hybrid | 749 | 10.5% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 103,230 | 21.9% |
| 2022 | 102,478 | 22.3% |
| 2023 | 99,222 | 22.9% |
| 2024 | 92,807 | 23.3% |
| 2025 | 86,182 | 23.3% |
What to check before buying a Ford S Max
- Lighting & signalling (10.9% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Tyres (7.5% 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.
- Suspension (7.4% 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.
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 S Max?
77.3% of the 483,919 Ford S Max MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 22.7% fail rate, across model years 2001–2025.
What does the Ford S Max most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 10.9% of tests, then tyres (7.5%).
Which S Max years are best and worst for MOT results?
2018 has the best pass rate at 87.7% and 2006 the weakest at 68.5%, from 13,814 and 14,076 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect S Max MOT results?
Fail rates run at 10.4% for cars in the 0-30k band and 28.2% for 150k+, a 17.8-point difference.
Is the hybrid or diesel S Max more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 10.5% of the time against 22.9% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 483,919 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.