Ford Ka: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Ford Ka fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 4.5 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 181,163 individual Ford Ka tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 72.2% first-time pass rate means roughly 28 in every 100 Ford Kas 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 Ka tested had covered 54,869 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. The Ford Ka sits 4.5 points below the national average, ranked 1,703 of 2,005 models. On one bought as 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 Ka 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 the median recorded closing bid for a damaged Ford Ka: £225 at UK salvage auction, from 31 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Ford Ka

1. A shock absorber bush excessively worn, 3.5% of tests (18.21x the national rate for this defect)
2. 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, 3.8% of tests (4.02x the national rate for this defect)
3. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 3.5% of tests (3.66x the national rate for this defect)
4. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 2.6% of tests (2.52x the national rate for this defect)
5. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 9% of tests (1.78x the national rate for this defect)
6. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 2.1% of tests (1.63x the national rate for this defect)
7. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2.2% of tests (1.61x the national rate for this defect)
8. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 2.3% of tests (1.23x the national rate for this defect)
9. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 3.2% of tests
10. A tyre seriously damaged, 2.7% of tests

From 181,041 DVSA-tracked Ford Ka tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.36% of these flagged Ford Ka defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Ford Ka

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 Ka before it actually fails on it.

1. A shock absorber bush excessively worn, 3.8% of tests (8.02x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 10% of tests (3.51x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 16.4% of tests (3.48x the national rate for this advisory)
4. 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, 4.8% of tests (3.16x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 10.5% of tests (2.69x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
6. A wheel badly distorted or wear between wheel and hub at spigot mounting, 2.7% of tests (2.57x the national rate for this advisory)
7. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 24.2% of tests (1.81x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
8. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 8.1% of tests (1.57x the national rate for this advisory)
9. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 2.5% of tests (1.26x the national rate for this advisory)
10. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 6.9% of tests (1.24x the national rate for this advisory)

From 181,041 DVSA-tracked Ford Ka tests, 2024.

Ford Ka pass rate by model year

From its 2001 to its 2019 model year, the Ford Ka's first-time pass rate has risen 34 points, from 58.2% to 92.2%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Ford Ka year:

• 2001 Ford Ka - 58.2% first-time pass, 447 tests
• 2002 Ford Ka - 56.8% first-time pass, 836 tests
• 2003 Ford Ka - 59% first-time pass, 1,448 tests
• 2004 Ford Ka - 56.2% first-time pass, 1,941 tests
• 2005 Ford Ka - 58% first-time pass, 2,343 tests
• 2006 Ford Ka - 57.2% first-time pass, 2,799 tests
• 2007 Ford Ka - 57.6% first-time pass, 3,901 tests
• 2008 Ford Ka - 56.4% first-time pass, 4,944 tests
• 2009 Ford Ka - 62% first-time pass, 17,284 tests
• 2010 Ford Ka - 63.5% first-time pass, 18,130 tests
• 2011 Ford Ka - 68.1% first-time pass, 15,774 tests
• 2012 Ford Ka - 70.8% first-time pass, 16,884 tests
• 2013 Ford Ka - 73.9% first-time pass, 18,456 tests
• 2014 Ford Ka - 76.3% first-time pass, 18,483 tests
• 2015 Ford Ka - 76% first-time pass, 13,271 tests
• 2016 Ford Ka - 78.9% first-time pass, 8,280 tests
• 2017 Ford Ka - 88.2% first-time pass, 13,306 tests
• 2018 Ford Ka - 87.3% first-time pass, 11,017 tests
• 2019 Ford Ka - 92.2% first-time pass, 10,028 tests

Ford Ka by fuel type

The Ford Ka's two most-tested fuel types split by 12.7 points: petrol passes first time 72.8% of the time (177,822 tests) against 60.1% for diesel (2,212 tests).

• Petrol Ford Ka - 72.8% first-time pass, 177,822 tests
• Diesel Ford Ka - 60.1% first-time pass, 2,212 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 Transit Connect - 72%
• Ford Ranger - 76.9%
• Ford C-Max - 74.8%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Smart Roadster 80 Auto(Rhd) - 72.3%
• Mazda Bongo Friendee - 72.3%
• Ford Mondeo - 72.2%
• Nissan Note - 72.1%
• Ford Transit Connect - 72%
• Lexus Is200 - 72%

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