Ford Cortina: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Ford Cortina passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 12.1 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 668 individual Ford Cortina tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 88.8% first-time pass rate means roughly 11 in every 100 Ford Cortinas presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is better than average, so a well-kept example is a reasonably safe used buy. The average Ford Cortina tested had covered 46,539 miles and was built around 1980.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Ford Cortina sits 12.1 points above the national average, ranked 894 of 2,005 models. On one bought as repairable salvage, the mechanical side is less likely to spring surprises, so your repair estimate should hold up reasonably well.

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 Cortina 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 recorded closing bids for damaged Ford Cortinas at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Ford Cortina

1. Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.4% of tests (3.21x the national rate for this defect)
2. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 1.9% of tests
3. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 1.8% of tests
4. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 1.6% of tests
5. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 1.6% of tests (1.34x the national rate for this defect)
6. Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle., 1.5% of tests (2.86x the national rate for this defect)
7. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 1.3% of tests (1.42x the national rate for this defect)
8. Audible warning inoperative, 0.9% of tests (3.18x the national rate for this defect)
9. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 0.9% of tests
10. A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps, 0.9% of tests

From 669 DVSA-tracked Ford Cortina tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.54% of these flagged Ford Cortina defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Ford Cortina

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Ford Cortina before it actually fails on it.

1. A wheel bearing with excessive play, 3.7% of tests (5.76x the national rate for this advisory)
2. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 2.8% of tests (2.28x the national rate for this advisory)
3. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 6.6% of tests (1.18x the national rate for this advisory)
4. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 5.8% of tests, also fails
5. A tyre seriously damaged, 3% of tests
6. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 2.1% of tests
7. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 1.9% of tests
8. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 1.6% of tests, also fails
9. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 1.6% of tests (1.23x the national rate for this advisory)
10. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 1.3% of tests, also fails

From 669 DVSA-tracked Ford Cortina tests, 2024.

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

• Ford Kuga Titanium Ecoblue - 88.8%
• Land Rover R Rover Velar Rdyn Se D Mhev A - 88.8%
• Audi Q3 S Line Black Ed 35 Tfsi - 88.8%
• Kia Proceed GT-Line Isg S-A - 88.8%
• Chevrolet Camaro - 88.8%
• Vauxhall Corsa Se - 88.7%

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
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

Embed this data

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate