Ford Kuga: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Ford Kuga passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 5.7 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 255,589 individual Ford Kuga tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

First-time pass rate82.4%
UK national average76.7%
Difference+5.7 points
Tests analysed255,589
Average mileage at test67,459 miles
Average year of manufacture2016
Reliability rank1,359 of 2,005 models

What this means if you are buying one

A 82.4% first-time pass rate means roughly 18 in every 100 Ford Kugas 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 Kuga tested had covered 67,459 miles and was built around 2016.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Ford Kuga bought as a 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. See how it stacks up against the Ford Fiesta.

Looking at a specific Ford Kuga 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 Kugas actually sold for at UK salvage auction, from 8 real settled sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Ford Kuga

  1. A tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative, 0.5% of tests (2.82x the national rate for this defect)
  2. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 2.5% of tests (1.64x the national rate for this defect)
  3. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 1.9% of tests (1.19x the national rate for this defect)
  4. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 2.5% of tests
  5. A tyre seriously damaged, 1.4% of tests
  6. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 1.3% of tests
  7. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 1.1% of tests
  8. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 1.1% of tests
  9. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 1% of tests
  10. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 1% of tests

From 398,280 DVSA-tracked Ford Kuga tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 6.11% of these flagged Ford Kuga defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Ford Kuga 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 Kuga year:

Ford Kuga by fuel type

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

Other Ford models

Models with a similar pass rate

If this car is a salvage or write-off

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate