Ford Transit Courier MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 12 model years and 142,157 tests, the Ford Transit Courier passes its MOT 83.2% of the time. Vans of a similar age fail at 17.4%, so the Transit Courier sits squarely on the average. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, tyres and visibility.
Best and worst Transit Courier years
Ranked across Transit Courier 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: 2022 cars pass 88.2% of the time while 2014 cars manage 78.1%, a 10.2-point spread.
One area stands out: lighting & signalling, recorded in 12.5% of tests against 5.9% for the next-worst category.
At component level the recurring items are stop lamp, headlamp aim and tread depth — stop lamp alone was recorded 8,213 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 24.1% versus 10.4%.
The petrol cars hold up better: 13.9% fail against 17.2% for diesel, a 3.3-point gap across 142,157 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 25.2% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 15.7% of tests failed in 2021 against 17.7% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Transit Courier model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 6,897 | 78.1% | 21.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 21,971 | 78.6% | 21.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 17,165 | 80.0% | 20.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 23,700 | 83.0% | 17.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2018 | 25,267 | 85.6% | 14.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2019 | 21,379 | 85.4% | 14.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2020 | 12,241 | 85.1% | 14.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2021 | 8,208 | 87.3% | 12.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2022 | 5,206 | 88.2% | 11.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2023 | 109 | 94.5% | 5.5% | Visibility |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 12.5% | 17,754 |
| 2 | Tyres | 5.9% | 8,357 |
| 3 | Visibility | 5.5% | 7,821 |
| 4 | Suspension | 3.9% | 5,553 |
| 5 | Brakes | 3.3% | 4,712 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 3.1% | 4,354 |
| 7 | Steering | 1.0% | 1,414 |
| 8 | Body, structure & corrosion | 1.0% | 1,377 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stop lamp | 8,213 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 6,506 |
| 3 | Tread depth | 5,896 |
| 4 | Headlamp | 4,712 |
| 5 | Wipers | 4,493 |
| 6 | Washers | 3,748 |
| 7 | Registration plate lamp(s) | 2,996 |
| 8 | Brake pads | 2,963 |
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% | 35,803 |
| 2 | Brakes | 13.4% | 19,097 |
| 3 | Visibility | 9.4% | 13,375 |
| 4 | Lighting & signalling | 7.1% | 10,093 |
| 5 | Other defects | 7.1% | 10,040 |
| 6 | Suspension | 5.0% | 7,098 |
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 | 18,192 | 10.4% |
| 30-60k | 42,156 | 13.9% |
| 60-90k | 38,245 | 17.4% |
| 90-120k | 24,138 | 20.7% |
| 120-150k | 11,392 | 22.6% |
| 150k+ | 7,743 | 24.1% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 126,700 | 17.2% |
| Petrol | 15,457 | 13.9% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 19,292 | 15.7% |
| 2022 | 24,981 | 16.1% |
| 2023 | 28,464 | 16.4% |
| 2024 | 32,403 | 17.4% |
| 2025 | 37,017 | 17.7% |
What to check before buying a Ford Transit Courier
- Lighting & signalling (12.5% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Tyres (5.9% 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.
- Visibility (5.5% of tests): Wipers, washers, mirrors and screen damage — usually inexpensive, but check for chips in the driver's line of sight. Typical repair: £15–£150.
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 Courier?
83.2% of the 142,157 Ford Transit Courier MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 16.8% fail rate, across model years 2014–2025.
What does the Ford Transit Courier most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 12.5% of tests, then tyres (5.9%).
Which Transit Courier years are best and worst for MOT results?
2022 has the best pass rate at 88.2% and 2014 the weakest at 78.1%, from 5,206 and 6,897 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Transit Courier MOT results?
Fail rates run at 10.4% for cars in the 0-30k band and 24.1% for 150k+, a 13.7-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Transit Courier more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 13.9% of the time against 17.2% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 142,157 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.