Ford Transit Connect MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 30 model years and 1,043,593 tests, the Ford Transit Connect passes its MOT 77.2% of the time. That is effectively the same as vans of a similar age (22.6% fail rate), so the MOT record here is unremarkable in either direction. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, brakes and suspension.
Best and worst Transit Connect years
Ranked across Transit Connect 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: 2021 cars pass 86.5% of the time while 2004 cars manage 66.5%, a 20.0-point spread.
Lighting & signalling dominates the failure mix at 12.9% of all tests — 3.7 points clear of brakes, so it is the first thing to check.
At component level the recurring items are component mounting prescribed areas, headlamp aim and tread depth — component mounting prescribed areas alone was recorded 48,594 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 30.5% versus 11.3%.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 3.7pp more often than petrol ones (22.8% vs 19.1%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: brakes was flagged on 29.4% of tests without failing them.
The trend is improving — the fail rate fell from 23.9% in 2021 to 21.5% in 2025, as the worst-kept examples leave the fleet.
How it compares
By model year
Every Transit Connect model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 2,376 | 67.5% | 32.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 23,107 | 67.0% | 33.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 32,997 | 66.5% | 33.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 43,791 | 66.9% | 33.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 59,716 | 67.1% | 32.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 64,447 | 67.6% | 32.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 56,359 | 68.1% | 31.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 37,275 | 68.8% | 31.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 36,512 | 68.8% | 31.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 40,351 | 71.4% | 28.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 39,260 | 73.3% | 26.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 28,618 | 75.9% | 24.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 65,321 | 80.4% | 19.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 79,828 | 81.9% | 18.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 83,561 | 83.5% | 16.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 107,236 | 85.2% | 14.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2018 | 97,083 | 85.4% | 14.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2019 | 70,685 | 84.0% | 16.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2020 | 39,220 | 84.5% | 15.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2021 | 26,099 | 86.5% | 13.5% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 9,289 | 86.0% | 14.1% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 442 | 89.1% | 10.9% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 12.9% | 134,907 |
| 2 | Brakes | 9.2% | 95,802 |
| 3 | Suspension | 7.9% | 82,575 |
| 4 | Body, structure & corrosion | 6.7% | 69,928 |
| 5 | Tyres | 6.6% | 68,898 |
| 6 | Visibility | 5.8% | 60,916 |
| 7 | Emissions & environmental | 4.0% | 41,921 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 2.1% | 21,634 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Component mounting prescribed areas | 48,594 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 46,544 |
| 3 | Tread depth | 44,588 |
| 4 | Wipers | 41,258 |
| 5 | Stop lamp | 39,345 |
| 6 | Headlamp | 36,025 |
| 7 | Rigid brake pipes | 35,871 |
| 8 | Position lamp | 34,366 |
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 | 29.4% | 306,778 |
| 2 | Tyres | 28.4% | 295,961 |
| 3 | Suspension | 14.2% | 148,616 |
| 4 | Lighting & signalling | 14.2% | 148,277 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 12.6% | 131,389 |
| 6 | Other defects | 10.9% | 113,799 |
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 | 55,078 | 11.3% |
| 30-60k | 168,276 | 15.1% |
| 60-90k | 218,394 | 19.2% |
| 90-120k | 225,672 | 24.1% |
| 120-150k | 184,127 | 27.8% |
| 150k+ | 189,306 | 30.5% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 1,031,865 | 22.8% |
| Petrol | 11,571 | 19.1% |
| Gas/LPG | 101 | 21.8% |
| Electric | 52 | 19.2% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 209,043 | 23.9% |
| 2022 | 213,922 | 23.3% |
| 2023 | 211,987 | 22.9% |
| 2024 | 207,670 | 22.2% |
| 2025 | 200,971 | 21.5% |
What to check before buying a Ford Transit Connect
- Lighting & signalling (12.9% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (9.2% 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.
- Suspension (7.9% 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 Transit Connect?
77.2% of the 1,043,593 Ford Transit Connect MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 22.8% fail rate, across model years 1996–2025.
What does the Ford Transit Connect most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 12.9% of tests, then brakes (9.2%).
Which Transit Connect years are best and worst for MOT results?
2021 has the best pass rate at 86.5% and 2004 the weakest at 66.5%, from 26,099 and 32,997 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Transit Connect MOT results?
Fail rates run at 11.3% for cars in the 0-30k band and 30.5% for 150k+, a 19.2-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Transit Connect more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 19.1% of the time against 22.8% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 1,043,593 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.