Is the Ford Ecosport reliable?

On MOT evidence the Ford Ecosport is about average. It passes 72.4% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 62% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.

What do testers most often warn about on a Ford Ecosport?

The most common advisory is "A tyre seriously damaged", noted on 24.2% of all Ford Ecosport tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Ford Ecosport usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 42,633 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Does a Ford Ecosport get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 85.2% of Ford Ecosport tests pass. By 9 to 11 years, that falls to 66.2%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Ford Ecosport models petrol or diesel?

Of the Ford Ecosport cars tested, 89% are petrol, 11% are diesel. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Ford Ecosport MOT pass rate & common failures

From 111,657 recorded MOT tests of the Ford Ecosport, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Ford Ecosport passes 72.4% of MOT tests once results are adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, against a national average of 72.3%. That is about average. Based on 111,657 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, which appears in 18.9% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 42,633 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

72.4%national average72.3%unadjusted77.1%range covered62%

The Ecosport is 0.1 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is about average. The unadjusted figure is 77.1%; the difference is what the age and mileage of this model’s fleet was hiding.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Ford Ecosport tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning18.9%
3,445 occurrencesStop lamp not working explained
2.Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement10.6%
1,925 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained
3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements10.4%
1,900 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged10.1%
1,837 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED8.7%
1,577 occurrencesHeadlamp not working explained
6.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm7.7%
1,397 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
7.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen7.1%
1,288 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
8.A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play6.6%
1,193 occurrencesBall joint worn explained
9.A tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative6.4%
1,167 occurrencesTyre pressure monitoring system inoperative explained
10.Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer6.3%
1,150 occurrencesEmissions above the permitted limit explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Ford Ecosport tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.A tyre seriously damaged24.2%
27,010 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
2.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements17.5%
19,579 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
3.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened14.2%
15,900 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm7.3%
8,161 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured5.1%
5,739 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
6.A stub axle swivel pin and/or bush excessively worn3.2%
3,600 testsBall joint worn explained
7.Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt2.6%
2,959 tests
8.Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements2.6%
2,936 testsLamp of the wrong colour, position or intensity explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs85%

6–8 yrs79%

9–11 yrs66%

Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The Ecosport fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 42,633
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol88.7%
Diesel11.3%

Trim names grouped into this model (8)

Recorded exactly as DVSA holds them. Trim-level names are rolled up so one model is not split across a dozen thin pages.

ECOSPORT ACTIVE
ECOSPORT ST-LINE
ECOSPORT ST-LINE DESIGN
ECOSPORT ST-LINE ECOBLUE
ECOSPORT TITANIUM
ECOSPORT TITANIUM ECOBLUE
ECOSPORT ZETEC
ECOSPORT ZETEC ECOBLUE

Check a specific Ford Ecosport

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other Ford models

Ford Fiesta — 67.1% adjusted
Ford Focus — 71.6% adjusted
Ford Kuga — 75.3% adjusted
Ford Transit — 68.0% adjusted
Ford Transit Custom — 77.3% unadjusted
Ford Mondeo — 76.0% adjusted
All Ford models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

BMW 4 Series — 83.2% adjusted, ranked 28
Audi TT — 81.0% adjusted, ranked 48
BMW X1 — 79.5% adjusted, ranked 59
Land Rover Freelander — 72.6% adjusted, ranked 137

Common questions

Is the Ford Ecosport reliable?: On MOT evidence the Ford Ecosport is about average. It passes 72.4% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 62% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Ford Ecosport?: The item recorded most often is "Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning", which appears in 18.9% of failed Ford Ecosport tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.
What do testers most often warn about on a Ford Ecosport?: The most common advisory is "A tyre seriously damaged", noted on 24.2% of all Ford Ecosport tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Ford Ecosport usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 42,633 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.
Does a Ford Ecosport get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 85.2% of Ford Ecosport tests pass. By 9 to 11 years, that falls to 66.2%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Ford Ecosport models petrol or diesel?: Of the Ford Ecosport cars tested, 89% are petrol, 11% are diesel. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. The adjusted rate is directly standardised across twenty-five age and mileage bands and reweighted onto the national distribution, so this model is compared against cars that have lived a similar life rather than against a younger or lighter-used fleet.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.