Ford Focus MOT pass rate: 74.3% (850,793 tests, 2025)

Name: Ford Focus MOT statistics 2025
Creator: OBDCode UK
License: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Last updated 24 August 2026 · OBDCode UK editorial

The Ford Focus passed 74.3% of its 850,793 MOT tests in 2025 — 3.2 points below the UK average of 77.5%. The median tested example was 12 years old with 81,596 miles on the clock.

74.3%Pass rate (2025)

850,793MOT tests analysed

81,596 miMedian mileage at test

12 yrsMedian age at test

How the Focus compares

Ford Focus

74.3%

UK average (all Class 4 vehicles)

77.5% across 33.1 million tests

Ford average (all models)

75.3%

What fails most on the Ford Focus

Across failed and rectified tests in 2025, these vehicle systems produced the most defects on the Focus:

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	147,378	26.4%
2	Suspension	131,649	23.6%
3	Tyres	89,185	16.0%
4	Brakes	70,529	12.6%
5	Noise, emissions and leaks	38,531	6.9%
6	Body, chassis, structure	34,435	6.2%

Pre-MOT checklist for Focus owners

Based on the failure profile above, ten minutes with a torch before your test removes the most likely fail items:

Walk round with all lights on: one blown bulb is the most avoidable fail there is
Bounce each corner and listen for clonks over speed bumps — suspension is this model’s (and the UK’s) top failure system
Check tread with the 20p test and inspect sidewalls for cracking — tyres close to the limit are the country’s most common advisory
Feel for a spongy pedal or pulling to one side; check pad wear through the wheel spokes if visible
A blowing exhaust or visible smoke will fail; warm the engine fully before the test

Engine management light on?

An illuminated engine management light is a Major MOT defect. Read the code, repair the cause, then confirm the light stays off — clearing a code alone is not a repair.

Understand the engine management light and MOT rules →

Focus pass rate by registration year

Lower age-adjusted outliers to inspect carefully: 2001, 2002, 2003. Strongest age-adjusted years: 2015, 2016. Full ranking and method: Ford Focus years to avoid.

Registration year	Tests	Pass rate	Vs same-age	Median mileage	Pass-rate bar
2001	16,265	62.0%	-4.6 pts	99,914	62.0% visual scale
2002	28,090	61.6%	-4.0 pts	97,529	61.6% visual scale
2003	35,366	61.8%	-3.2 pts	94,282	61.8% visual scale
2004	46,689	61.3%	-3.0 pts	101,176	61.3% visual scale
2005	64,813	63.3%	-1.2 pts	103,582	63.3% visual scale
2006	86,982	66.7%	+2.3 pts	104,900	66.7% visual scale
2007	120,109	66.8%	+1.7 pts	103,334	66.8% visual scale
2008	138,785	65.1%	-0.0 pts	104,811	65.1% visual scale
2009	164,801	66.3%	-0.1 pts	101,460	66.3% visual scale
2010	161,082	67.4%	-0.0 pts	99,494	67.4% visual scale
2011	188,090	68.0%	-1.2 pts	97,859	68.0% visual scale
2012	200,654	70.7%	-0.5 pts	91,551	70.7% visual scale
2013	216,794	71.3%	-2.0 pts	85,387	71.3% visual scale
2014	220,238	74.3%	-1.6 pts	77,636	74.3% visual scale
2015	222,941	81.5%	+2.7 pts	70,547	81.5% visual scale
2016	189,364	84.7%	+3.4 pts	61,705	84.7% visual scale
2017	188,778	86.6%	+2.6 pts	52,866	86.6% visual scale
2018	140,414	87.1%	+0.7 pts	43,139	87.1% visual scale
2019	158,090	86.5%	-1.9 pts	37,739	86.5% visual scale
2020	91,339	89.4%	-0.6 pts	30,803	89.4% visual scale
2021	17,043	89.2%	-1.3 pts	30,654	89.2% visual scale
2022	4,826	92.4%	+1.2 pts	24,112	92.4% visual scale

Same-vehicle follow-up

The defect groups above are a single-year count. The prognosis registry follows the same vehicle_id into the next MOT year. The extracts do not record the repair, a turbo part number, or a gearbox type.

Suspension: advisory follow-up · did the same fail item hold
Tyres: advisory follow-up · did the same fail item hold
Brakes: advisory follow-up · did the same fail item hold
Noise, emissions and leaks: advisory follow-up · did the same fail item hold
Body, chassis, structure: advisory follow-up · did the same fail item hold

On this model, these certificate lines have a published follow-up (cohort at least 200 cars):

Track rod end ball joint has slight play — 5,520 cars · 10.1% failed the same item the next year
Ball joint has slight play — 11,248 cars · 8.4% failed the same item the next year
Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive — 5,590 cars · 7.1% failed the same item the next year
Brake pads wearing thin — 49,107 cars · 6.1% failed the same item the next year
Exhaust system has a minor leak of exhaust gases — 10,137 cars · 5.8% failed the same item the next year

Check a specific Focus before you buy

Pass rates describe the model; they can’t tell you about the one car you’re looking at. Run its plate through our free MOT history check to see its personal record of failures, advisories and mileage readings.

Other Ford models

Fiesta71.7% pass rate · 1,279,795 tests Transit68.9% pass rate · 275,334 tests Kuga81.7% pass rate · 248,991 tests Mondeo73.0% pass rate · 171,083 tests Ka72.1% pass rate · 168,504 tests Transit Connect73.2% pass rate · 157,376 tests Ranger77.4% pass rate · 121,272 tests Ecosport83.6% pass rate · 108,543 tests

FAQs

What is the MOT pass rate for a Ford Focus?

In 2025, 74.3% of 850,793 first MOT tests on the Ford Focus were passes (UK average: 77.5%). Data: DVSA anonymised MOT results.

What does the Focus fail its MOT on most?

The biggest defect group is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment (26.4% of its recorded defects), followed by suspension.

Is the Ford Focus reliable?

MOT pass rate is one lens on durability: at 74.3% it performs below the national average at a median age of 12 years and 81,596 miles. Always check the individual car's history too.

Before you agree to the work

A fault or an advisory is a quote waiting to happen. These pages set out what a garage has to tell you, what a comparable written quote should include, and what you can do if the bill is not what you agreed.

Estimates, quotes and extra work — what a price has to cover, and when a garage may charge more than it first said.
What a diagnostic test costs — what the fee should include, and when it should come off the repair.
Tools — when to buy and when to skip — how to choose a diagnostic tool, and when a garage visit is cheaper than owning one.
Choosing a garage you can check — what to verify before you hand over the keys.
Your rights after a car repair — what to do when the work is not right, and how to put it in writing.

Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 extract (Class 4 initial tests only; retests excluded). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures rounded to one decimal place.