Is the Ford KA reliable?

On MOT evidence the Ford KA is well below average. It passes 62.7% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 83% 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 KA?

The item recorded most often is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", which appears in 15.4% of failed Ford KA 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 KA?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 23.3% of all Ford KA tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 57,920 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 KA get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 82.2% of Ford KA tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 54.4%. 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 KA models petrol or diesel?

Of the Ford KA cars tested, 99% are petrol, 1% are diesel. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Ford KA MOT pass rate & common failures

From 169,345 recorded MOT tests of the Ford KA, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Ford KA passes 62.7% 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 well below average. Based on 169,345 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, which appears in 15.4% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 57,920 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

62.7%national average72.3%unadjusted66.3%range covered83%

The KA is 9.6 percentage points below the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well below average. The unadjusted figure is 66.3%; 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 KA tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn15.4%
7,282 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
2.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage13.2%
6,255 occurrencesShock absorber defective explained
3.A shock absorber bush excessively worn12.6%
5,943 occurrencesShock absorber defective explained
4.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn10.5%
4,954 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
5.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements10.4%
4,927 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
6.The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired8.6%
4,077 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
7.Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning8.3%
3,928 occurrencesStop lamp not working explained
8.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning8.2%
3,849 occurrencesLamp not working explained
9.Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement7.9%
3,713 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained
10.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen7.8%
3,696 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Ford KA 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 requirements23.3%
39,494 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened18.1%
30,669 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained
3.A tyre seriously damaged17.3%
29,260 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
4.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn16.3%
27,531 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
5.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage10.1%
17,177 testsShock absorber defective explained
6.Exhaust system leaking or insecure9.1%
15,358 testsExhaust leaking or insecure explained
7.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured7.9%
13,376 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
8.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users6.3%
10,637 tests

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

6–8 yrs82%

9–11 yrs69%

12–14 yrs64%

15+ yrs54%

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

What gets tested

The KA fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 57,920
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol98.8%
Diesel1.2%

Trim names grouped into this model (4)

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

KA +
KA + ZETEC
KA EDGE
KA TITANIUM

Check a specific Ford KA

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

Hyundai Tucson — 74.8% adjusted, ranked 115
Vauxhall Zafira — 66.0% adjusted, ranked 211
Toyota Prius — 81.4% adjusted, ranked 45
Volkswagen Passat — 77.9% adjusted, ranked 75

Common questions

Is the Ford KA reliable?: On MOT evidence the Ford KA is well below average. It passes 62.7% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 83% 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 KA?: The item recorded most often is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", which appears in 15.4% of failed Ford KA 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 KA?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 23.3% of all Ford KA tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Ford KA usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 57,920 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 KA get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 82.2% of Ford KA tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 54.4%. 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 KA models petrol or diesel?: Of the Ford KA cars tested, 99% are petrol, 1% 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.