Diesel Ford Focus: MOT pass rate

73.7% of diesel Ford Focus pass the MOT first time, measured across 292,548 DVSA tests on that fuel type alone. Average mileage at test was 97,971.

Diesel against the other Ford Focus versions

Fuel Pass rate Tests
Petrol 75.4% 624,338
Diesel 73.7% 292,548
All Ford Focus74.8%916,938

Why the fuel type changes the number

Diesels carry DPFs, EGR valves and stricter smoke limits, so emissions and exhaust faults account for failures petrol cars never see.

On the Ford Focus specifically, petrol is the strongest at 75.4%, and this diesel version sits 1.1 points below the 74.8% model average.

What it means if you are buying one

The diesel Ford Focus fails more often than the model average, so budget for the items that catch this fuel type and treat a fresh MOT as worth paying for. Check the exact car, decode the VIN and check the mileage before you bid.

Mileage is part of the answer

The average diesel Ford Focus had covered 97,971 miles at test, against 77,898 for the petrol. That is above average and into the range where cambelts and water pumps are due if they have not already been done, so ask for the service history rather than take the mileage on trust.

Fuel type and mileage are tangled together: diesels are usually bought by higher-mileage drivers, so some of any gap between fuels is the miles rather than the engine. The per-year figures on the Ford Focus page separate age from fuel if you want to isolate one.

Other Ford Focus fuel types

All Ford Focus MOT data · Every model