Ford Fiesta MOT Pass Rate
The Ford Fiesta has an MOT pass rate of 76.9%, compared with a UK average of 79.1%, based on 295,633 DVSA MOT tests from 2004 to March 2026. It ranks 283rd of 386 cars we track by pass rate.
The most common MOT problem area on the Ford Fiesta is tyres, at 26% of all defects and advisories recorded.
Allowing for age, the weakest Ford Fiesta years are 2016, 2015 and 2009, which fail more often than the average car registered in the same year.
Data: DVSA MOT test results, 2004 to March 2026. Last updated 3 September 2026.
- Ford Fiesta MOT pass rate
- 76.9%
- UK average pass rate
- 79.1%
- MOT tests analysed
- 295,633
Ranked 283 of 386 models by MOT pass rate (1 is the highest).
What the Ford Fiesta fails on
Every defect and advisory recorded at MOT, grouped by area. Includes advisories as well as failure items.
| Area | Share of all items | Items per 100 tests | Items recorded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 26% | 51.2 | 151,242 |
| Brakes | 19.4% | 38.1 | 112,770 |
| Lights and signalling | 17% | 33.5 | 99,060 |
| Suspension | 15.1% | 29.7 | 87,663 |
| Other items | 6.2% | 12.2 | 36,192 |
| Exhaust and emissions | 3.6% | 7.1 | 21,081 |
| Windscreen and wipers | 3.3% | 6.6 | 19,369 |
| Corrosion | 3.1% | 6 | 17,851 |
| Bodywork | 2.2% | 4.3 | 12,592 |
| Fuel system | 1.9% | 3.7 | 10,865 |
| Steering | 1.2% | 2.4 | 7,114 |
| Electrical | 0.4% | 0.9 | 2,542 |
| Drivetrain | 0.3% | 0.6 | 1,721 |
| Structure | 0.2% | 0.4 | 1,151 |
Fail rate by mileage
How the Ford Fiesta holds up as the miles build, using the odometer reading at each test.
| Mileage at test | Fiesta fail rate | UK fail rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 miles | 14.3% | 13.1% | 108,708 |
| 40,000 to 79,999 miles | 25.3% | 21.7% | 120,919 |
| 80,000 to 119,999 miles | 32.9% | 28.3% | 51,161 |
| 120,000 miles or more | 36.6% | 31.4% | 14,264 |
Which years to avoid
Fail rate by year first registered, next to the UK fail rate for all cars registered that year. Older cars fail more often whatever the model, so compare each year with its own UK figure.
| Year | Fiesta fail rate | UK fail rate, same year | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 26% | 26.3% | 96 |
| 1994 | 23.7% | 26.6% | 97 |
| 1996 | 33.1% | 26.4% | 136 |
| 1997 | 29.5% | 25.5% | 122 |
| 1998 | 27.5% | 24.4% | 346 |
| 1999 | 31.1% | 25.3% | 586 |
| 2000 | 29.2% | 24.5% | 507 |
| 2001 | 24.6% | 25% | 793 |
| 2002 | 26.1% | 25% | 2,034 |
| 2003 | 23.5% | 25.3% | 4,215 |
| 2004 | 24.7% | 25.3% | 7,265 |
| 2005 | 25.3% | 25.4% | 8,788 |
| 2006 | 25.4% | 25.3% | 13,259 |
| 2007 | 24.6% | 25.2% | 16,124 |
| 2008 | 26.2% | 25.3% | 17,129 |
| 2009 | 27.1% | 24.9% | 24,468 |
| 2010 | 25.8% | 24.5% | 25,718 |
| 2011 | 23.9% | 23.4% | 20,979 |
| 2012 | 23.5% | 22.6% | 24,515 |
| 2013 | 23.2% | 21.6% | 24,444 |
| 2014 | 22.2% | 20.2% | 25,673 |
| 2015 | 22.6% | 18.7% | 22,900 |
| 2016 | 22.3% | 17.3% | 18,782 |
| 2017 | 17.4% | 15.6% | 14,901 |
| 2018 | 13% | 14.7% | 11,737 |
| 2019 | 12.6% | 13.8% | 7,122 |
| 2020 | 15.2% | 13.3% | 1,788 |
| 2021 | 11.5% | 12.9% | 357 |
| 2022 | 10.3% | 12.7% | 312 |
| 2023 | 12.8% | 11.9% | 219 |
Years with fewer than 50 tests, and cars too new to have reached their first MOT, are left out.
Ford Fiesta MOT questions
Is the Ford Fiesta reliable?
On MOT results the Ford Fiesta is worse than average: it passes 76.9% of tests against a UK average of 79.1%, ranking 283rd of 386 cars we track. Allowing for the age of the cars tested, its fail rate of 23.1% is 1.3 percentage points higher than the 21.8% you would expect from the average car of the same registration years. A pass rate is one useful signal of how well a model holds up, but it does not capture breakdowns between tests, repair costs or how an individual car has been looked after, so always check the history of the specific car.
What does the Ford Fiesta usually fail its MOT on?
Across 295,633 MOT tests, the areas most often flagged on the Ford Fiesta were tyres (26%), brakes (19.4%) and lights and signalling (17%), shown as a share of all defects and advisories recorded. These counts include advisories as well as failure items, so they show where problems tend to appear rather than only what caused a fail.
Which Ford Fiesta years should I avoid?
Comparing each year with the average car of the same age, the weakest years of the Ford Fiesta were 2016 (22.3% fail rate against 17.3% for all cars first registered that year, 18,782 tests), 2015 (22.6% fail rate against 18.7% for all cars first registered that year, 22,900 tests) and 2009 (27.1% fail rate against 24.9% for all cars first registered that year, 24,468 tests). The strongest relative to their age were 2003, 2018 and 2019. Older cars fail more often whatever the model, which is why each year is compared with its own age group. Only years with at least 1,000 tests are included.
Does the Ford Fiesta get worse with mileage?
Yes. The Ford Fiesta fails 14.3% of MOT tests taken at under 40,000 miles and 36.6% at 120,000 miles or more, based on 108,708 and 14,264 tests respectively. Across all models the equivalent figures are 13.1% and 31.4%.
How does the Ford Fiesta compare with the national average?
The Ford Fiesta passes 76.9% of MOT tests, 2.2 percentage points below the UK average of 79.1% across all 6,681,613 tests in the data. That places it 283rd of 386 cars with at least 1,000 tests, where 1st has the highest pass rate.
Check a specific Ford Fiesta
See the full MOT history of the exact car you're looking at, free.
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Known problems to watch for
Other Ford models
Data: DVSA MOT test results for Great Britain, 2004 to March 2026, published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures cover 295,633 tests. Last updated 3 September 2026. How these figures are calculated.
How to cite this data: Source: CarBuyerIQ analysis of DVSA MOT test data, https://www.carbuyeriq.com/mot-pass-rates/ford/fiesta