Ford C-Max: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Ford C-Max fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 1.9 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 112,654 individual Ford C-Max tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 74.8% first-time pass rate means roughly 25 in every 100 Ford C-Max presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is worse than average, so budget for remedial work and treat a fresh 12-month MOT as a genuine selling point rather than a given. The average Ford C-Max tested had covered 78,453 miles and was built around 2013.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Ford C-Max bought as a repairable salvage, assume the mechanical side needs more than the visible accident damage, and pad your repair estimate accordingly.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Ford C-Max rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see what damaged Ford C-Max actually sold for at UK salvage auction, from 8 real settled sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Ford C-Max

1. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 2.5% of tests (2.09x the national rate for this defect)
2. Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 1.1% of tests (2.07x the national rate for this defect)
3. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 3% of tests (1.93x the national rate for this defect)
4. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.1% of tests (1.9x the national rate for this defect)
5. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 1.5% of tests (1.52x the national rate for this defect)
6. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 3.2% of tests (1.37x the national rate for this defect)
7. A tyre seriously damaged, 2.4% of tests (1.18x the national rate for this defect)
8. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 3.9% of tests
9. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 1.8% of tests
10. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 1.6% of tests

From 154,258 DVSA-tracked Ford C-Max tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 6.66% of these flagged Ford C-Max defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Ford C-Max pass rate by model year

Pass rates fall steadily as cars age, so the model year matters as much as the model. First-time pass rate for each Ford C-Max year:

• 2006 Ford C-Max - 58.4% first-time pass, 262 tests
• 2007 Ford C-Max - 59.8% first-time pass, 4,724 tests
• 2008 Ford C-Max - 61.1% first-time pass, 10,312 tests
• 2009 Ford C-Max - 64.1% first-time pass, 5,358 tests
• 2010 Ford C-Max - 64.9% first-time pass, 5,972 tests
• 2011 Ford C-Max - 70.4% first-time pass, 10,446 tests
• 2012 Ford C-Max - 73.1% first-time pass, 10,938 tests
• 2013 Ford C-Max - 77% first-time pass, 13,782 tests
• 2014 Ford C-Max - 77.3% first-time pass, 12,652 tests
• 2015 Ford C-Max - 81.5% first-time pass, 11,406 tests
• 2016 Ford C-Max - 85.2% first-time pass, 10,546 tests
• 2017 Ford C-Max - 87.3% first-time pass, 8,041 tests
• 2018 Ford C-Max - 86.5% first-time pass, 4,865 tests
• 2019 Ford C-Max - 88.1% first-time pass, 2,696 tests

Ford C-Max by fuel type

Diesel and petrol versions of the same car fail on different things, so the fuel type moves the number:

• Diesel Ford C-Max - 75.6% first-time pass, 56,255 tests
• Petrol Ford C-Max - 74.7% first-time pass, 55,784 tests

Other Ford models

• Ford Fiesta - 71.7%
• Ford Focus - 74.4%
• Ford Transit - 67.6%
• Ford Kuga - 82.4%
• Ford Mondeo - 72.2%
• Ford Ka - 72.2%
• Ford Transit Connect - 72%
• Ford Ranger - 76.9%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Suzuki Sx4 - 75%
• Austin MINI Mayfair - 74.9%
• Mercedes-Benz 220 - 74.9%
• BMW 630 - 74.8%
• Land Rover 88 - 74.8%
• Smart (Mcc) Roadster - 74.8%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate