2003 Ford Fusion MOT pass rate: 63.6% (11,193 tests)

2003-registered Ford Fusions passed 63.6% of 11,193 MOT tests in 2023–2025 — 1.4 points worse than same-age cars (65.0%). This is one of the lower-scoring Fusion years after correcting for vehicle age — inspect the individual car carefully.

63.6%Pass rate, 2003 cars

98.6Age-adjusted index (100 = average)

11,193Tests analysed

95,418 miMedian mileage at test

63.4% / 64.5%Petrol vs diesel pass rate

Is the 2003 Fusion getting worse?

Pass rate of 2003-registered cars across recent test years:

Test year	Pass rate
2023	64.1% -0.4 vs same-age
2024	63.1% -1.7 vs same-age
2025	63.5% -2.6 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 2003 Fusion

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	4,302	28.7%
2	Brakes	3,294	22.0%
3	Suspension	2,674	17.9%
4	Noise, emissions and leaks	1,590	10.6%
5	Tyres	915	6.1%
6	Visibility	902	6.0%

All Fusion years compared

Registration year	Tests	Pass rate	Vs same-age	Median mileage
2002	1,537	63.4%	-2.2 pts	95,002
2003 (this page)	11,193	63.6%	-1.4 pts	95,418
2004	12,295	64.4%	+0.1 pts	95,002
2005	13,727	65.9%	+1.4 pts	92,925
2006	19,791	63.8%	-0.6 pts	89,606
2007	21,700	68.0%	+2.9 pts	86,086
2008	23,583	69.9%	+4.8 pts	80,883
2009	24,978	71.5%	+5.1 pts	76,818
2010	16,905	73.0%	+5.7 pts	70,584
2011	7,479	77.7%	+8.5 pts	66,576
2012	2,377	80.4%	+9.2 pts	57,548

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

Buying a 2003 Fusion? 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 2003 Ford Fusion reliable?

2003-registered examples passed 63.6% of their MOT tests (11,193 tests, 2023–2025), -1.4 points versus all UK cars registered in the same year. At roughly 23 years old with a median 95,418 miles, condition now varies car by car — always check the individual MOT history.

What mileage is too high for a 2003 Fusion?

The median tested example shows 95,418 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.