Ford Focus years to avoid — 2.7 million MOT tests ranked

Inspect most carefully: 2001, 2002, 2003. Strongest in the data: 2015 or 2016. The ranking uses 2.7 million MOT tests across 22 registration years (2023–2025) and compares each year with all UK cars of the same age. Fuel-type signal: diesels show an average 4.1-point pass-rate deficit on this model. That may reflect mileage and use as well as the car itself, so inspect DPF and emissions history rather than treating fuel type as a verdict.

Every Focus year, ranked

The age-adjusted MOT index sets 100 as the pass rate of all UK cars registered in the same year and tested in the same calendar year. Higher is better. This prevents an old car being labelled a “bad year” simply because it is old.

Rank	Year	Index	Vs same-age	Pass rate	Tests
1	2016 Strong	103.4	+3.4 pts	84.7%	189,364
2	2015 Strong	102.7	+2.7 pts	81.5%	222,941
3	2017	102.6	+2.6 pts	86.6%	188,778
4	2006	102.3	+2.3 pts	66.7%	86,982
5	2007	101.7	+1.7 pts	66.8%	120,109
6	2022	101.2	+1.2 pts	92.4%	4,826
7	2018	100.7	+0.7 pts	87.1%	140,414
8	2010	100.0	-0.0 pts	67.4%	161,082
9	2008	100.0	-0.0 pts	65.1%	138,785
10	2009	99.9	-0.1 pts	66.3%	164,801
11	2012	99.5	-0.5 pts	70.7%	200,654
12	2020	99.4	-0.6 pts	89.4%	91,339
13	2011	98.8	-1.2 pts	68.0%	188,090
14	2005	98.8	-1.2 pts	63.3%	64,813
15	2021	98.7	-1.3 pts	89.2%	17,043
16	2014	98.4	-1.6 pts	74.3%	220,238
17	2019	98.1	-1.9 pts	86.5%	158,090
18	2013	98.0	-2.0 pts	71.3%	216,794
19	2004	97.0	-3.0 pts	61.3%	46,689
20	2003 Inspect	96.8	-3.2 pts	61.8%	35,366
21	2002 Inspect	96.0	-4.0 pts	61.6%	28,090
22	2001 Inspect	95.4	-4.6 pts	62.0%	16,265

Why 2001 and 2002 and 2003 rank lower

The 2003 cohort passes 61.8% of tests (-3.2 points versus same-age cars) at a median 94,282 miles, with suspension the leading failure system. The 2002 cohort passes 61.6% of tests (-4.0 points versus same-age cars) at a median 97,529 miles, with suspension the leading failure system. The 2001 cohort passes 62.0% of tests (-4.6 points versus same-age cars) at a median 99,914 miles, with suspension the leading failure system. This is population-level evidence, not a known-fault list: service history, engine version and the individual MOT record can outweigh the registration-year average.

How to use this before buying

Rankings describe the cohort, not the car. A cherished 2001 example beats a neglected 2015 one — always run the specific reg through the free MOT history check.
Read the advisories. Repeated notes for the same component across years mean the owner has been ignoring it. Decode them in our advisory library.
Fuel matters on this model. The diesel deficit (4.1 points) usually traces to DPF and emissions kit on low-mileage use — check for P2463-type soot codes on the test drive.
Scan before you pay. A 2-minute OBD scan reveals stored faults the dashboard hides — see our scanner guide.

FAQs

Which Focus years should I avoid?

Based on 2.7 million MOT tests adjusted against cars of the same age, 2001, 2002, 2003 are the lower-scoring outliers. That is a prompt for closer inspection, not proof that every car from those years is bad.

What is the best Focus year to buy used?

2015 and 2016 lead the age-adjusted MOT ranking. The score compares each registration year with all UK cars of the same age; the specific car's history and condition still take priority.

Is the Focus reliable overall?

Across 2.7 million tests, the median age-adjusted index is 99.5 (100 equals the pass rate of all cars registered in the same year). Use the spread between years as one signal, then check the individual registration.

Methodology: index = 100 + the model-year cohort’s MOT pass-rate difference versus all UK vehicles registered in the same year and tested in the same calendar year. Class 4 initial tests only; retests excluded; at least 1,500 tests per page. “Inspect” years are below both the same-age baseline and the model’s median index by at least 2 points. Association is not proof of a model-year defect. DVSA anonymised data 2023–2025, OGL v3.0.