Ford Transit Custom MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 33 model years and 605,771 tests, the Ford Transit Custom passes its MOT 86.6% of the time. Against vans of a similar age (15.1% fail rate), the Transit Custom comes out 1.7pp better. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, visibility and brakes.
Best and worst Transit Custom years
Ranked across Transit Custom 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
Not every year is equal — 90.1% of 2023 examples pass against 76.2% of 2015 ones.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (7.2%) and visibility (6.1%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are wipers, brake pads and headlamp aim — wipers alone was recorded 29,054 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 8.5% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 17.8% once past 150k — 2.1× the risk.
Brakes is the most common advisory, noted on 19.1% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 10.8% of tests failed in 2021 against 14.0% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Transit Custom model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 106 | 72.6% | 27.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 292 | 74.3% | 25.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 726 | 76.3% | 23.7% | Brakes |
| 2015 | 1,170 | 76.2% | 23.8% | Body, structure & corrosion |
| 2016 | 1,732 | 81.7% | 18.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 1,418 | 83.0% | 17.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2018 | 159,031 | 86.6% | 13.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2019 | 192,191 | 87.1% | 12.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2020 | 113,966 | 86.6% | 13.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2021 | 96,297 | 86.3% | 13.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2022 | 37,646 | 86.2% | 13.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2023 | 1,017 | 90.1% | 9.9% | Visibility |
| 2024 | 64 | 100.0% | 0.0% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 7.2% | 43,948 |
| 2 | Visibility | 6.1% | 36,959 |
| 3 | Brakes | 4.3% | 26,298 |
| 4 | Tyres | 4.2% | 25,447 |
| 5 | Body, structure & corrosion | 1.4% | 8,410 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 1.1% | 6,522 |
| 7 | Suspension | 0.8% | 4,553 |
| 8 | Road wheels | 0.3% | 1,752 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wipers | 29,054 |
| 2 | Brake pads | 22,311 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 20,185 |
| 4 | Headlamp | 14,960 |
| 5 | Washers | 10,894 |
| 6 | Tread depth | 9,477 |
| 7 | Registration plate lamp(s) | 7,432 |
| 8 | Joints | 6,668 |
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 | 19.1% | 115,845 |
| 2 | Tyres | 18.2% | 110,090 |
| 3 | Visibility | 9.0% | 54,417 |
| 4 | Other defects | 5.6% | 34,153 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 4.2% | 25,162 |
| 6 | Suspension | 3.2% | 19,218 |
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 | 88,202 | 8.5% |
| 30-60k | 236,867 | 12.5% |
| 60-90k | 168,450 | 14.9% |
| 90-120k | 74,638 | 16.3% |
| 120-150k | 26,109 | 17.4% |
| 150k+ | 11,440 | 17.8% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 605,271 | 13.4% |
| Hybrid | 491 | 7.1% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 32,564 | 10.8% |
| 2022 | 80,984 | 11.8% |
| 2023 | 119,624 | 13.4% |
| 2024 | 169,112 | 14.0% |
| 2025 | 203,487 | 14.0% |
What to check before buying a Ford Transit Custom
- Lighting & signalling (7.2% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Visibility (6.1% 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.
- Brakes (4.3% 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 Transit Custom?
86.6% of the 605,771 Ford Transit Custom MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 13.4% fail rate, across model years 1993–2025.
What does the Ford Transit Custom most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 7.2% of tests, then visibility (6.1%).
Which Transit Custom years are best and worst for MOT results?
2023 has the best pass rate at 90.1% and 2015 the weakest at 76.2%, from 1,017 and 1,170 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Transit Custom MOT results?
Fail rates run at 8.5% for cars in the 0-30k band and 17.8% for 150k+, a 9.3-point difference.
Methodology & source. Based on 605,771 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.