1991 Ford Escort: MOT pass rate and reliability

85.9% of 1991 Ford Escorts pass the MOT first time, measured across 270 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 55,474 miles.

How the 1991 compares

  • Against all Ford Escorts (81.5%, 10,094 tests): +4.4 points
  • Against all 1991 cars (75.1%): +10.8 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Ford Escort model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 1991 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Ford Escort:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
1990 83.7% 910 51,665
1991 85.9% 270 55,474
1992 86.9% 267 51,523
1993 83.1% 354 53,355
1994 79.8% 337 55,938
1995 76.2% 432 53,183
1996 72.3% 577 56,491
1997 65.4% 538 55,617
1998 70% 414 57,517
1999 62.1% 211 56,913
2000 65.1% 455 84,577
2001 67.8% 385 100,903
2002 66.2% 293 107,459

What this means if you are buying a 1991 Escort

The 1991 is one of the stronger years for this model, passing 4.4 points more often than the Ford Escort average. That is a point in its favour, though condition and service history still matter more than the model year. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.

What a 35-year-old car fails on

A 1991 car is 35 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:

  • Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
  • Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
  • Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
  • Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
  • Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
  • Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested

That is around average, so condition and service history will tell you more than the odometer does. On a 1991 Ford Escort the average at test was 55,474 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.

The strongest year for this model is 1992 at 86.9%, and the weakest in our data is 1999 at 62.1%. That 24.8 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 1991 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All Ford Escort MOT data · Every model