2008 Ford C-Max MOT pass rate: 61.5% (30,711 tests)

2008-registered Ford C-Maxs passed 61.5% of 30,711 MOT tests in 2023–2025 — 3.6 points worse than same-age cars (65.1%). This is one of the lower-scoring C-Max years after correcting for vehicle age — inspect the individual car carefully.

61.5%Pass rate, 2008 cars

96.4Age-adjusted index (100 = average)

30,711Tests analysed

102,923 miMedian mileage at test

62.1% / 59.5%Petrol vs diesel pass rate

Is the 2008 C-Max getting worse?

Pass rate of 2008-registered cars across recent test years:

Test year	Pass rate
2023	62.1% -3.3 vs same-age
2024	61.0% -3.9 vs same-age
2025	61.4% -3.8 vs same-age

The raw rate normally falls as cars age. The “vs same-age” figure compares this cohort with all UK cars registered in the same year, so normal ageing is not mistaken for a bad model year.

What fails on a 2008 C-Max

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Suspension	9,082	25.3%
2	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	7,335	20.4%
3	Tyres	4,341	12.1%
4	Brakes	4,240	11.8%
5	Body, chassis, structure	3,564	9.9%
6	Steering	2,486	6.9%

All C-Max years compared

Registration year	Tests	Pass rate	Vs same-age	Median mileage
2007	14,162	60.7%	-4.4 pts	107,002
2008 (this page)	30,711	61.5%	-3.6 pts	102,923
2009	15,886	64.8%	-1.6 pts	98,626
2010	17,671	65.1%	-2.2 pts	94,395
2011	30,857	71.3%	+2.2 pts	93,094
2012	32,362	73.0%	+1.8 pts	85,969
2013	40,639	77.3%	+3.9 pts	80,063
2014	37,461	77.8%	+1.9 pts	71,408
2015	33,794	81.3%	+2.6 pts	63,187
2016	31,341	84.7%	+3.4 pts	53,218
2017	23,785	87.1%	+3.1 pts	45,061
2018	14,307	85.8%	-0.5 pts	34,422
2019	7,865	87.5%	-0.9 pts	26,034

Weighing up which year to buy? See the full ranking: Ford C-Max years to avoid.

Buying a 2008 C-Max? Two checks first

Free MOT history checkThe exact car’s failures, advisories and mileage trail — sellers can’t edit it
Topdon OBD2 scannersTopdon diagnostic scanners with full-system readouts
XTOOL diagnostic toolsXTOOL code readers for petrol and diesel cars
Autel UK testersAutel professional-grade diagnostic testers

FAQs

Is a 2008 Ford C-Max reliable?

2008-registered examples passed 61.5% of their MOT tests (30,711 tests, 2023–2025), -3.6 points versus all UK cars registered in the same year. At roughly 18 years old with a median 102,923 miles, condition now varies car by car — always check the individual MOT history.

What mileage is too high for a 2008 C-Max?

The median tested example shows 102,923 miles. Anything far beyond that isn't automatically bad — a motorway-mile car with consistent service records often beats a low-mileage school-run car — but price accordingly and scrutinise the mileage trail for gaps or drops.

Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023–2025 extracts (96 million Class 4 initial tests; retests excluded). Only vehicles old enough for a routine first MOT are included. Age-adjusted figures compare the model-year cohort with all vehicles of the same registration year tested in the same calendar year. Contains public sector information licensed under OGL v3.0.