Is the Ford S-Max reliable?

On MOT evidence the Ford S-Max is about average. It passes 71.4% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 156 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 S-Max?

The item recorded most often is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", which appears in 16.6% of failed Ford S-Max 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 S-Max?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 40.9% of all Ford S-Max tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Ford S-Max usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 106,103 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 S-Max get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 80.7% of Ford S-Max tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 55.4%. 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 S-Max models petrol or diesel?

Of the Ford S-Max cars tested, 90% are diesel, 9% are petrol, 1% are hybrid. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Ford S-Max MOT pass rate & common failures

From 67,947 recorded MOT tests of the Ford S-Max, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Ford S-Max passes 71.4% 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 about average, ranking it 156 of 262 models with enough data to compare fairly. Based on 67,947 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, which appears in 16.6% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 106,103 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

71.4%national average72.3%unadjusted64.6%range covered99%rank156 of 262

The S-Max is 0.9 percentage points below the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is about average. The unadjusted figure is 64.6%; 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 S-Max 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 requirements16.6%
3,336 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm14.1%
2,830 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
3.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn13.3%
2,671 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
4.A tyre cords visible or damaged12.3%
2,468 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
5.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc10.0%
2,013 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained
6.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning9.9%
1,982 occurrencesLamp not working explained
7.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc7.8%
1,566 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
8.A tyre seriously damaged7.5%
1,509 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
9.A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps6.8%
1,370 occurrencesLamp not working explained
10.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded5.9%
1,182 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Ford S-Max 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 requirements40.9%
27,814 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm17.9%
12,140 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
3.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn17.0%
11,553 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
4.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured15.7%
10,660 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
5.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened13.3%
9,025 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained
6.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded11.4%
7,744 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
7.A tyre seriously damaged8.3%
5,655 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
8.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users8.2%
5,576 tests

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs81%

6–8 yrs78%

9–11 yrs70%

12–14 yrs61%

15+ yrs55%

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

What gets tested

The S-Max fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 106,103
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel90.1%
Petrol9.0%
Hybrid0.9%

Trim names grouped into this model (8)

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

S-MAX ST-LINE HEV CVT
S-MAX TDCI
S-MAX TITANIUM HEV CVT
S-MAX TITANIUM SPORT TDCI
S-MAX TITANIUM TDCI
S-MAX TITANIUM TDCI 6G
S-MAX VIGNALE
S-MAX VIGNALE HEV CVT

Check a specific Ford S-Max

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

Citroen DS3 — 51.9% adjusted, ranked 262
Volkswagen Touran — 75.1% adjusted, ranked 111
Nissan Navara — 68.6% adjusted, ranked 186
Renault Kadjar — 74.0% adjusted, ranked 121

Common questions

Is the Ford S-Max reliable?: On MOT evidence the Ford S-Max is about average. It passes 71.4% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 156 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 S-Max?: The item recorded most often is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", which appears in 16.6% of failed Ford S-Max 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 S-Max?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 40.9% of all Ford S-Max tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Ford S-Max usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 106,103 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 S-Max get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 80.7% of Ford S-Max tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 55.4%. 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 S-Max models petrol or diesel?: Of the Ford S-Max cars tested, 90% are diesel, 9% 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.