2004 Ford Ka: MOT pass rate and reliability
56.2% of 2004 Ford Kas pass the MOT first time, measured across 1,941 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 53,945 miles.
How the 2004 compares
- Against all Ford Kas (72.7%, 180,034 tests): -16.5 points
- Against all 2004 cars (64%): -7.8 points
- National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%
Every Ford Ka model year
Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2004 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Ford Ka:
| Year | Pass rate | Tests | Avg mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 58.2% | 447 | 50,415 |
| 2002 | 56.8% | 836 | 49,616 |
| 2003 | 59% | 1,448 | 56,491 |
| 2004 | 56.2% | 1,941 | 53,945 |
| 2005 | 58% | 2,343 | 53,246 |
| 2006 | 57.2% | 2,799 | 53,858 |
| 2007 | 57.6% | 3,901 | 54,889 |
| 2008 | 56.4% | 4,944 | 55,444 |
| 2009 | 62% | 17,284 | 76,846 |
| 2010 | 63.5% | 18,130 | 74,608 |
| 2011 | 68.1% | 15,774 | 69,670 |
| 2012 | 70.8% | 16,884 | 63,785 |
| 2013 | 73.9% | 18,456 | 59,060 |
| 2014 | 76.3% | 18,483 | 53,040 |
| 2015 | 76% | 13,271 | 46,917 |
| 2016 | 78.9% | 8,280 | 42,320 |
| 2017 | 88.2% | 13,306 | 37,692 |
| 2018 | 87.3% | 11,017 | 32,403 |
| 2019 | 92.2% | 10,028 | 26,279 |
What this means if you are buying a 2004 Ka
The 2004 is a weaker year for this model, passing 16.5 points less often than the Ford Ka average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 2004 figure for all cars above rather than against newer examples. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.
What a 22-year-old car fails on
A 2004 car is 22 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:
- Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
- Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
- Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
- Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
- Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
- Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested
That is around average, so condition and service history will tell you more than the odometer does. On a 2004 Ford Ka the average at test was 53,945 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.
The strongest year for this model is 2019 at 92.2%, and the weakest in our data is 2004 at 56.2%. That 36.0 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2004 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 2001 Ford Ka - 58.2%
- 2002 Ford Ka - 56.8%
- 2003 Ford Ka - 59%
- 2005 Ford Ka - 58%
- 2006 Ford Ka - 57.2%
- 2007 Ford Ka - 57.6%