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

First-time pass rate88.8%
UK national average76.7%
Difference+12.1 points
Tests analysed668
Average mileage at test46,539 miles
Average year of manufacture1980
Reliability rank894 of 2,005 models

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. On a Ford Cortina bought as a 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 what damaged Ford Cortinas actually sold for 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, 1.7% of tests (3.06x the national rate for this defect)
  2. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 1.3% of tests (1.49x the national rate for this defect)
  3. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 1.8% of tests
  4. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 1.4% of tests
  5. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 1.2% of tests
  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., 1.2% of tests (3.13x 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% of tests (1.18x the national rate for this defect)
  8. 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 (1.37x the national rate for this defect)
  9. Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value, 0.8% of tests (2.89x the national rate for this defect)
  10. Audible warning inoperative, 0.8% of tests (3.78x the national rate for this defect)

From 1,123 DVSA-tracked Ford Cortina tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.99% of these flagged Ford Cortina defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Other Ford models

Models with a similar pass rate

If this car is a salvage or write-off

Embed this data

Run a site about the Ford Cortina? Embed the real DVSA pass-rate badge free, linked back to this page.

Ford Cortina MOT pass rate badge: 88.8%

<a href="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/mot/ford-cortina"><img src="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/badge/ford-cortina.svg" width="340" height="92" alt="Ford Cortina MOT Pass Rate: 88.8% - Salvage Prophet"></a>

All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate