Ford Focus C-Max: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Ford Focus C-Max fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 17.2 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 14,400 individual Ford Focus C-Max tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 59.5% first-time pass rate means roughly 41 in every 100 Ford Focus C-Max 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 C-Max tested had covered 108,638 miles and was built around 2006.

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 C-Max 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. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Ford Focus C-Max 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 C-Max actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Ford Focus C-Max

1. Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow, 3.2% of tests (20.58x the national rate for this defect)
2. Headlamp reflector or lens seriously defective or missing, 3.1% of tests (19.56x the national rate for this defect)
3. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 10% of tests (5.68x the national rate for this defect)
4. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 4.1% of tests (3.62x the national rate for this defect)
5. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 2.5% of tests (3.61x the national rate for this defect)
6. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 4.2% of tests (3.45x the national rate for this defect)
7. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 4.4% of tests (3.29x the national rate for this defect)
8. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 10.4% of tests (2.82x the national rate for this defect)
9. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 2.6% of tests (2.8x the national rate for this defect)
10. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 4.4% of tests (2.66x the national rate for this defect)

From 21,219 DVSA-tracked Ford Focus C-Max tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.02% of these flagged Ford Focus C-Max defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Ford Focus C-Max 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 C-Max year:

• 2004 Ford Focus C-Max - 56.5% first-time pass, 2,265 tests
• 2005 Ford Focus C-Max - 59.3% first-time pass, 3,164 tests
• 2006 Ford Focus C-Max - 60.6% first-time pass, 4,540 tests
• 2007 Ford Focus C-Max - 61% first-time pass, 2,981 tests
• 2008 Ford Focus C-Max - 62.6% first-time pass, 618 tests
• 2009 Ford Focus C-Max - 66.1% first-time pass, 230 tests

Ford Focus C-Max 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 C-Max - 60.7% first-time pass, 10,318 tests
• Diesel Ford Focus C-Max - 58.5% first-time pass, 3,926 tests

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

• Mitsubishi Grandis - 59.7%
• Hyundai Accent - 59.6%
• Nissan Pickup - 59.6%
• Renault Grand Espace - 59.4%
• Mitsubishi Shogun Pinin - 59.1%
• Mazda 5 - 59%

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

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate