Ford Escort: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Ford Escort passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 3.9 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 10,207 individual Ford Escort tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

First-time pass rate80.6%
UK national average76.7%
Difference+3.9 points
Tests analysed10,207
Average mileage at test55,895 miles
Average year of manufacture1990
Reliability rank1,416 of 2,005 models

What this means if you are buying one

A 80.6% first-time pass rate means roughly 19 in every 100 Ford Escorts 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 Escort tested had covered 55,895 miles and was built around 1990.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Ford Escort 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 Escort 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 Escorts actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Ford Escort

  1. Emissions levels exceed default limits, 2.6% of tests (8.93x the national rate for this defect)
  2. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any seat belt anchorage (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 2% of tests (8.67x the national rate for this defect)
  3. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 2.7% of tests (7.39x the national rate for this defect)
  4. Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point, 1.4% of tests (7.19x the national rate for this defect)
  5. 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, 5.6% of tests (6.79x 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., 2.3% of tests (5.79x the national rate for this defect)
  7. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 1.9% of tests (1.72x the national rate for this defect)
  8. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 1.3% of tests (1.64x the national rate for this defect)
  9. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 1.2% of tests (1.5x the national rate for this defect)
  10. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 1.3% of tests (1.41x the national rate for this defect)

From 23,153 DVSA-tracked Ford Escort tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.07% of these flagged Ford Escort defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Ford Escort 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 Escort year:

Ford Escort by fuel type

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

Other Ford models

Models with a similar pass rate

If this car is a salvage or write-off

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate