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. On a Ford Ka 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 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 what damaged Ford Kas actually sold for at UK salvage auction, from 8 real settled sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Ford Ka

1. A shock absorber bush excessively worn, 2.8% of tests (19.4x 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, 4% of tests (4.78x 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, 2.8% of tests (3.97x the national rate for this defect)
4. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 2% of tests (2.7x the national rate for this defect)
5. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 7.3% of tests (1.97x the national rate for this defect)
6. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 1.8% of tests (1.8x the national rate for this defect)
7. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 1.7% of tests (1.79x the national rate for this defect)
8. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 1.9% of tests (1.36x the national rate for this defect)
9. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 1.5% of tests (1.23x the national rate for this defect)
10. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 2.5% of tests

From 254,757 DVSA-tracked Ford Ka tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.31% of these flagged Ford Ka defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Ford Ka 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 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

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

• 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

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate