Ford Transit MOT pass rate & common failures

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

The Transit is 4.3 percentage points below the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is below average. The unadjusted figure is 62.4%; 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 Transit tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1. 1.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc25.9%

   22,423 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained

2. 2.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded19.5%

   16,833 occurrencesBrake pipe corroded explained

3. 3.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 repaired17.6%

   15,237 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained

4. 4.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn16.0%

   13,793 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained

5. 5.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning12.9%

   11,165 occurrencesLamp not working explained

6. 6.A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps10.1%

   8,758 occurrencesLamp not working explained

7. 7.Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning10.1%

   8,733 occurrencesStop lamp not working explained

8. 8.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm9.9%

   8,581 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained

9. 9.Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced9.7%

   8,390 occurrencesCorrosion in a structural area explained

10. 10.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen8.7%

    7,558 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Ford Transit tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1. 1.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded36.0%

   101,128 testsBrake pipe corroded explained

2. 2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn24.2%

   67,909 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained

3. 3.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured21.2%

   59,526 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained

4. 4.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements18.4%

   51,759 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained

5. 5.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm11.9%

   33,561 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained

6. 6.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users11.8%

   33,201 tests

7. 7.A tyre seriously damaged9.7%

   27,383 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

8. 8.Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced4.8%

   13,467 testsCorrosion in a structural area explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

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

What gets tested

The Transit fleet

Average mileage recorded at test

118,623

Across examples of every age, so this is a description of the fleet rather than an annual figure.

Fuel mix of tested cars

Diesel99.5%

Compare within the range

Other Ford models

• Ford Fiesta — 67.1% adjusted
• Ford Focus — 71.6% adjusted
• Ford Kuga — 75.3% adjusted
• Ford Transit Custom — 77.3% unadjusted
• Ford Mondeo — 76.0% adjusted
• Ford KA — 62.7% adjusted
• All Ford models →

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

• Kia Sportage — 71.7% adjusted, ranked 153
• Honda Civic — 74.8% adjusted, ranked 113
• Toyota Aygo — 70.4% adjusted, ranked 168
• Renault Clio — 59.1% adjusted, ranked 256

Common questions

Is the Ford Transit reliable?

On MOT evidence the Ford Transit is below average. It passes 68.0% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 195 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 Transit?

The item recorded most often is "A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc", which appears in 25.9% of failed Ford Transit 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 Transit?

The most common advisory is "Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded", noted on 36.0% of all Ford Transit tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 118,623 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 Transit get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 80.6% of Ford Transit tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 55.1%. 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.

Further reading

Make sense of the numbers

• How to judge reliability from evidence rather than reputation
• What counts as high or low mileage for a car’s age
• The most common MOT failures and how to avoid them
• What to check before buying a used Ford