Is the Ford Galaxy reliable?

On MOT evidence the Ford Galaxy is below average. It passes 70.3% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 170 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. 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 Galaxy?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 35.9% of all Ford Galaxy tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 115,242 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 Galaxy get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 80.2% of Ford Galaxy tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 54.1%. 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 Galaxy models petrol or diesel?

Of the Ford Galaxy cars tested, 92% are diesel, 6% are petrol, 1% are hybrid. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Ford Galaxy MOT pass rate & common failures

From 55,086 recorded MOT tests of the Ford Galaxy, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Ford Galaxy passes 70.3% 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 below average, ranking it 170 of 262 models with enough data to compare fairly. Based on 55,086 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, which appears in 24.3% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 115,242 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

70.3%national average72.3%unadjusted64.4%range covered99%rank170 of 262

The Galaxy is 2.0 percentage points below the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is below average. The unadjusted figure is 64.4%; 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 Galaxy tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning24.3%
3,813 occurrencesLamp not working explained
2.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements14.3%
2,246 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm12.5%
1,958 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn12.1%
1,898 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
5.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc12.0%
1,887 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained
6.A tyre cords visible or damaged11.4%
1,787 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
7.Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning10.6%
1,667 occurrencesStop lamp not working explained
8.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc7.5%
1,171 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
9.A tyre seriously damaged6.6%
1,033 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
10.A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps6.5%
1,023 occurrencesLamp not working explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

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

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements35.9%
19,753 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured15.3%
8,454 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm15.2%
8,396 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn14.6%
8,018 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
5.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened10.5%
5,796 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained
6.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded9.8%
5,398 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
7.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users9.4%
5,201 tests
8.A tyre seriously damaged7.7%
4,258 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs80%

6–8 yrs79%

9–11 yrs67%

12–14 yrs57%

15+ yrs54%

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

What gets tested

The Galaxy fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 115,242
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel92.1%
Petrol6.5%
Hybrid1.4%

Trim names grouped into this model (7)

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

GALAXY TDCI
GALAXY TITANIUM
GALAXY TITANIUM ECOBLUE 4X4 A
GALAXY TITANIUM HEV CVT
GALAXY TITANIUM TDCI
GALAXY TITANIUM X TDCI AUTO
GALAXY ZETEC HEV CVT

Check a specific Ford Galaxy

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

Toyota Avensis — 75.2% adjusted, ranked 107
Peugeot Boxer — 71.4% adjusted, ranked 157
Mercedes-Benz SLK — 69.3% adjusted, ranked 178
Peugeot Expert — 68.2% adjusted, ranked 193

Common questions

Is the Ford Galaxy reliable?: On MOT evidence the Ford Galaxy is below average. It passes 70.3% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 170 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. 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 Galaxy?: The item recorded most often is "A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning", which appears in 24.3% of failed Ford Galaxy 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 Galaxy?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 35.9% of all Ford Galaxy tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Ford Galaxy usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 115,242 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 Galaxy get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 80.2% of Ford Galaxy tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 54.1%. 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 Galaxy models petrol or diesel?: Of the Ford Galaxy cars tested, 92% are diesel, 6% are petrol, 1% are hybrid. 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.