Ford Focus St: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Ford Focus St passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 10.8 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 3,601 individual Ford Focus St tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 87.5% first-time pass rate means roughly 13 in every 100 Ford Focus Sts 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 Focus St tested had covered 29,242 miles and was built around 2020.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Ford Focus St sits 10.8 points above the national average, ranked 1,054 of 2,005 models. On one bought as 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 Focus St 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 recorded closing bids for damaged Ford Focus Sts at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Ford Focus St

1. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 5.5% of tests (3.28x the national rate for this defect)
2. A tyre seriously damaged, 5.6% of tests (2.01x the national rate for this defect)
3. A tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative, 0.5% of tests (1.84x the national rate for this defect)
4. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 1.5% of tests
5. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 1.5% of tests
6. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 0.4% of tests
7. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 0.3% of tests
8. Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution., 0.2% of tests
9. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 0.2% of tests
10. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 0.2% of tests

From 3,582 DVSA-tracked Ford Focus St tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 11.88% of these flagged Ford Focus St defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Ford Focus St

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Ford Focus St before it actually fails on it.

1. A wheel badly distorted or wear between wheel and hub at spigot mounting, 4.5% of tests (4.21x the national rate for this advisory)
2. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 15.3% of tests (1.64x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 20.5% of tests, also fails
4. A tyre seriously damaged, 15.9% of tests, also fails
5. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 10.6% of tests
6. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 1.7% of tests, also fails
7. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 0.7% of tests
8. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 0.7% of tests
9. Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution., 0.6% of tests, also fails
10. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 0.6% of tests

From 3,582 DVSA-tracked Ford Focus St tests, 2024.

Ford Focus St pass rate by model year

From its 2019 to its 2021 model year, the Ford Focus St's first-time pass rate has risen 4.3 points, from 86.6% to 90.9%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Ford Focus St year:

• 2019 Ford Focus St - 86.6% first-time pass, 1,739 tests
• 2020 Ford Focus St - 88.3% first-time pass, 1,340 tests
• 2021 Ford Focus St - 90.9% first-time pass, 470 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

• BMW M3 - 87.5%
• BMW 335 - 87.5%
• Honda Fit - 87.5%
• Peugeot 2008 GT Ev - 87.5%
• Audi A3 Sport 40 Tfsi E S-A - 87.5%
• Kia Ceed GT-Line Isg - 87.5%

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
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

Embed this data

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate