Is the Ford Ranger reliable?

On MOT evidence the Ford Ranger is below average. It passes 70.5% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 166 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 Ranger?

The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 28.2% of failed Ford Ranger 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 Ranger?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 22.1% of all Ford Ranger tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 80,010 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 Ranger get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 79.8% of Ford Ranger tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 56.2%. 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 Ranger MOT pass rate & common failures

From 121,692 recorded MOT tests of the Ford Ranger, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Ford Ranger passes 70.5% 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 166 of 262 models with enough data to compare fairly. Based on 121,692 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, which appears in 28.2% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 80,010 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

70.5%national average72.3%unadjusted72.4%range covered100%rank166 of 262

The Ranger is 1.8 percentage points below the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is below average. The unadjusted figure is 72.4%; 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 Ranger tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened28.2%
7,741 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
2.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements10.2%
2,800 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm8.2%
2,242 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 functioning8.0%
2,198 occurrencesLamp not working explained
5.Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction6.1%
1,679 occurrencesEngine management light on, or not working explained
6.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc5.9%
1,610 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained
7.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded5.9%
1,610 occurrencesBrake pipe corroded explained
8.A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED5.3%
1,450 occurrencesHeadlamp not working explained
9.An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning5.3%
1,446 occurrencesLamp not working explained
10.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen5.2%
1,417 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Ford Ranger 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 requirements22.1%
26,931 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm8.8%
10,661 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
3.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded8.3%
10,061 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
4.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured5.6%
6,769 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
5.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users5.2%
6,274 tests
6.A tyre seriously damaged4.2%
5,077 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
7.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn4.2%
5,067 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
8.Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced2.6%
3,181 testsCorrosion in a structural area explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs80%

6–8 yrs74%

9–11 yrs68%

12–14 yrs63%

15+ yrs56%

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

What gets tested

The Ranger fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 80,010
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel99.9%

Trim names grouped into this model (2)

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

RANGER 4X4 MPV
RANGER LIMITED

Check a specific Ford Ranger

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

Kia Ceed — 68.9% adjusted, ranked 182
Audi A6 — 82.4% adjusted, ranked 34
Land Rover Discovery Sport — 81.9% adjusted, ranked 40
Land Rover Defender — 74.4% adjusted, ranked 117

Common questions

Is the Ford Ranger reliable?: On MOT evidence the Ford Ranger is below average. It passes 70.5% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 166 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 Ranger?: The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 28.2% of failed Ford Ranger 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 Ranger?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 22.1% of all Ford Ranger tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Ford Ranger usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 80,010 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 Ranger get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 79.8% of Ford Ranger tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 56.2%. 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.