Is the Ford Mondeo reliable?

On MOT evidence the Ford Mondeo is above average. It passes 76.0% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 96 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 Mondeo?

The item recorded most often is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", which appears in 14.7% of failed Ford Mondeo 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 Mondeo?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 32.7% of all Ford Mondeo tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 116,487 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.

Which Ford Mondeo years are the most reliable?

Going by MOT pass rate, Ford Mondeo cars first registered 2020–2022 do best at 85.6%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 56.5%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.

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

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 85.6% of Ford Mondeo tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 56.5%. 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 Mondeo models petrol or diesel?

Of the Ford Mondeo cars tested, 79% are diesel, 19% are petrol, 2% are hybrid. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Ford Mondeo MOT pass rate & common failures

From 172,057 recorded MOT tests of the Ford Mondeo, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Ford Mondeo passes 76.0% 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 above average, ranking it 96 of 262 models with enough data to compare fairly. Based on 172,057 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, which appears in 14.7% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 116,487 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

76.0%national average72.3%unadjusted67.2%range covered100%rank96 of 262

The Mondeo is 3.7 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is above average. The unadjusted figure is 67.2%; 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 Mondeo tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements14.7%
6,794 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn12.8%
5,922 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm11.5%
5,307 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning11.2%
5,193 occurrencesLamp not working explained
5.A tyre cords visible or damaged11.1%
5,148 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
6.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements7.4%
3,422 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained
7.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded7.3%
3,380 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
8.A tyre seriously damaged6.2%
2,867 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
9.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc6.0%
2,777 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
10.Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement5.7%
2,649 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Ford Mondeo 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 requirements32.7%
56,255 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured16.7%
28,736 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
3.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn14.0%
24,151 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
4.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded13.0%
22,288 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
5.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm12.9%
22,179 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
6.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened12.0%
20,714 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained
7.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded10.8%
18,553 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
8.A tyre seriously damaged9.4%
16,134 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the Ford Mondeo

The 19 other defects testers recorded on this model, beyond the most common listed above. Each links to what it means and what it takes to put right.

Known faults

Ford Mondeo common problems, by part and by year

The same failure record read the way a buyer asks the question: which parts wear out on a Mondeo, when they start, and how each registration year compares — including the steps that mark a generation change.

Mondeo common problems and results by year

How wear changes the picture

Mondeo pass rate by age and registration year

How often the Ford Mondeo passes at each age, with the years those cars were first registered. Tests are from 2025, so a car aged 3 to 5 was first used in 2020–2022.

3–5 yrsreg. 2020–202286%

6–8 yrsreg. 2017–201983%

9–11 yrsreg. 2014–201675%

12–14 yrsreg. 2011–201364%

15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier57%

Read this as an age curve rather than a verdict on particular model years. Nearly every car passes less often as it gets older, so a newer Mondeo outscoring an older one says more about wear than about how that year’s cars were built. Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The Mondeo fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 116,487
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel78.7%
Petrol18.8%
Hybrid2.3%

Trim names grouped into this model (14)

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

MONDEO GHIA
MONDEO GHIA X
MONDEO ST 220
MONDEO ST-LINE HEV AUTO
MONDEO ST-LINE TDCI
MONDEO ST220
MONDEO TDCI
MONDEO TITANIUM
MONDEO TITANIUM EDITION
MONDEO TITANIUM TDCI
MONDEO TITANIUM X
MONDEO TITANIUM X TDCI
MONDEO VIGNALE TDCI
MONDEO ZETEC HEV AUTO

Check a specific Ford Mondeo

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 KA — 62.7% adjusted
All Ford models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Vauxhall Zafira — 66.0% adjusted, ranked 211
Hyundai Tucson — 74.8% adjusted, ranked 115
Volkswagen Passat — 77.9% adjusted, ranked 75
Citroen Berlingo — 61.9% adjusted, ranked 247

Common questions

Is the Ford Mondeo reliable?: On MOT evidence the Ford Mondeo is above average. It passes 76.0% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 96 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 Mondeo?: The item recorded most often is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", which appears in 14.7% of failed Ford Mondeo 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 Mondeo?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 32.7% of all Ford Mondeo tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Ford Mondeo usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 116,487 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.
Which Ford Mondeo years are the most reliable?: Going by MOT pass rate, Ford Mondeo cars first registered 2020–2022 do best at 85.6%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 56.5%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.
Does a Ford Mondeo get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 85.6% of Ford Mondeo tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 56.5%. 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 Mondeo models petrol or diesel?: Of the Ford Mondeo cars tested, 79% are diesel, 19% are petrol, 2% 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.