Ford Focus: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Ford Focus fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 2.3 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 923,051 individual Ford Focus tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 74.4% first-time pass rate means roughly 26 in every 100 Ford Focus 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 Focus tested had covered 81,950 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 Focus 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. See how it stacks up against the Ford Fiesta.

Looking at a specific Ford Focus 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 Focus actually sold for at UK salvage auction, from 39 real settled sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Ford Focus

1. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 3.1% of tests (1.74x the national rate for this defect)
2. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 1.9% of tests (1.56x the national rate for this defect)
3. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 2.5% of tests (1.5x the national rate for this defect)
4. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2.3% of tests (1.4x the national rate for this defect)
5. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 3.1% of tests (1.34x the national rate for this defect)
6. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 1.6% of tests (1.32x 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, 1.1% of tests (1.3x the national rate for this defect)
8. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 1.1% of tests (1.27x the national rate for this defect)
9. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 4.4% of tests (1.19x the national rate for this defect)
10. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 1.2% of tests (1.19x the national rate for this defect)

From 1,358,268 DVSA-tracked Ford Focus tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.52% of these flagged Ford Focus defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Ford Focus 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 Focus year:

• 1999 Ford Focus - 57.2% first-time pass, 1,297 tests
• 2000 Ford Focus - 60.1% first-time pass, 2,362 tests
• 2001 Ford Focus - 62% first-time pass, 5,335 tests
• 2002 Ford Focus - 61.9% first-time pass, 9,235 tests
• 2003 Ford Focus - 61.5% first-time pass, 11,672 tests
• 2004 Ford Focus - 61.2% first-time pass, 15,471 tests
• 2005 Ford Focus - 63.3% first-time pass, 21,427 tests
• 2006 Ford Focus - 66.6% first-time pass, 28,910 tests
• 2007 Ford Focus - 66.8% first-time pass, 39,998 tests
• 2008 Ford Focus - 64.9% first-time pass, 46,653 tests
• 2009 Ford Focus - 66.3% first-time pass, 55,735 tests
• 2010 Ford Focus - 67.2% first-time pass, 54,531 tests
• 2011 Ford Focus - 68% first-time pass, 63,787 tests
• 2012 Ford Focus - 71.2% first-time pass, 67,859 tests
• 2013 Ford Focus - 71.9% first-time pass, 73,238 tests
• 2014 Ford Focus - 74.7% first-time pass, 74,437 tests
• 2015 Ford Focus - 81.6% first-time pass, 75,426 tests
• 2016 Ford Focus - 84.7% first-time pass, 64,007 tests
• 2017 Ford Focus - 86.7% first-time pass, 63,862 tests
• 2018 Ford Focus - 87% first-time pass, 47,766 tests
• 2019 Ford Focus - 86.4% first-time pass, 53,571 tests
• 2020 Ford Focus - 89.8% first-time pass, 30,736 tests
• 2021 Ford Focus - 88.5% first-time pass, 9,033 tests
• 2022 Ford Focus - 91.9% first-time pass, 492 tests

Ford Focus by fuel type

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

• Petrol Ford Focus - 75.4% first-time pass, 624,338 tests
• Diesel Ford Focus - 73.7% first-time pass, 292,548 tests

Other Ford models

• Ford Fiesta - 71.7%
• Ford Transit - 67.6%
• Ford Kuga - 82.4%
• Ford Mondeo - 72.2%
• Ford Ka - 72.2%
• Ford Transit Connect - 72%
• Ford Ranger - 76.9%
• Ford C-Max - 74.8%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Nissan Patrol - 74.6%
• Austin MINI 1000 City E - 74.5%
• Fiat Ducato Motorhome - 74.5%
• Kia Rio - 74.3%
• Mercedes-Benz Sprinter - 74.3%
• MINI One D - 74.3%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• Best salvage cars for beginners
• 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