Is the Ford Mustang reliable?

On MOT evidence the Ford Mustang is well above average. It passes 80.6% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 72% 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 Mustang?

The item recorded most often is "Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement", which appears in 21.2% of failed Ford Mustang 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 Mustang?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 18.5% of all Ford Mustang tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 39,398 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 Mustang years are the most reliable?

Going by MOT pass rate, Ford Mustang cars first registered 2020–2022 do best at 88.5%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 82.3%. 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 Mustang get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 88.5% of Ford Mustang tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 82.3%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Model reliability file

Ford Mustang MOT pass rate & common failures

From 12,306 recorded MOT tests of the Ford Mustang, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Ford Mustang passes 80.6% 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 above average. Based on 12,306 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, which appears in 21.2% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 39,398 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

80.6%national average72.3%unadjusted83.6%range covered72%

The Mustang is 8.3 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well above average. The unadjusted figure is 83.6%; 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 Mustang tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement21.2%
378 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained
2.A tyre cords visible or damaged17.2%
306 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
3.Parking brake inoperative on one side14.6%
260 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained
4.Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value10.3%
183 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained
5.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen10.1%
180 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
6.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements9.9%
177 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
7.Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen6.9%
123 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
8.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn6.4%
114 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
9.A tyre seriously damaged6.2%
111 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
10.Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements5.5%
98 occurrencesRegistration plate missing, insecure or illegible explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Ford Mustang 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 requirements18.5%
2,281 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A tyre seriously damaged9.8%
1,207 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
3.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured8.5%
1,042 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm4.6%
561 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements2.1%
261 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
6.A tyre seriously damaged1.8%
227 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
7.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users1.6%
193 tests
8.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn1.4%
178 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the Ford Mustang

The 24 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 Mustang 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 Mustang, when they start, and how each registration year compares — including the steps that mark a generation change.

Mustang common problems and results by year

How wear changes the picture

Mustang pass rate by age and registration year

How often the Ford Mustang 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. 2020–202288%

6–8 yrsreg. 2017–201983%

9–11 yrsreg. 2014–201682%

12–14 yrsreg. 2011–201382%

15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier82%

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 Mustang 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 Mustang fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 39,398
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol99.9%

Trim names grouped into this model (3)

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

FORD MUSTANG
MUSTANG 55 EDITION
MUSTANG 55 EDITION AUTO

Check a specific Ford Mustang

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 Proace — 69.7% adjusted, ranked 174
Citroen Nemo — 59.3% adjusted, ranked 255
Jeep Compass — 71.8% adjusted, ranked 152
Volkswagen California — 76.5% adjusted, ranked 91

Common questions

Is the Ford Mustang reliable?: On MOT evidence the Ford Mustang is well above average. It passes 80.6% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 72% 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 Mustang?: The item recorded most often is "Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement", which appears in 21.2% of failed Ford Mustang 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 Mustang?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 18.5% of all Ford Mustang tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Ford Mustang usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 39,398 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 Mustang years are the most reliable?: Going by MOT pass rate, Ford Mustang cars first registered 2020–2022 do best at 88.5%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 82.3%. 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 Mustang get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 88.5% of Ford Mustang tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 82.3%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

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.