Ford Mondeo: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Ford Mondeo 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 194,314 individual Ford Mondeo 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 Mondeos 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 Mondeo tested had covered 113,856 miles and was built around 2012.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Ford Mondeo 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 Mondeo 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 Mondeos actually sold for at UK salvage auction, from 13 real settled sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Ford Mondeo

1. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 1.5% of tests (5.48x the national rate for this defect)
2. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 1.7% of tests (2.28x the national rate for this defect)
3. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 2.4% of tests (2.01x the national rate for this defect)
4. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.4% of tests (1.82x the national rate for this defect)
5. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 2.5% of tests (1.62x the national rate for this defect)
6. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 2.8% of tests (1.58x the national rate for this defect)
7. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2.6% of tests (1.58x the national rate for this defect)
8. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 3.5% of tests (1.5x the national rate for this defect)
9. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 1.4% of tests (1.46x the national rate for this defect)
10. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 5% of tests (1.37x the national rate for this defect)

From 285,883 DVSA-tracked Ford Mondeo tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.33% of these flagged Ford Mondeo defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Ford Mondeo 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 Mondeo year:

• 1998 Ford Mondeo - 65.5% first-time pass, 238 tests
• 1999 Ford Mondeo - 65.3% first-time pass, 369 tests
• 2000 Ford Mondeo - 62.8% first-time pass, 662 tests
• 2001 Ford Mondeo - 62.2% first-time pass, 1,480 tests
• 2002 Ford Mondeo - 63% first-time pass, 1,707 tests
• 2003 Ford Mondeo - 61.7% first-time pass, 2,218 tests
• 2004 Ford Mondeo - 60.7% first-time pass, 3,753 tests
• 2005 Ford Mondeo - 61.6% first-time pass, 5,803 tests
• 2006 Ford Mondeo - 62.9% first-time pass, 6,988 tests
• 2007 Ford Mondeo - 62.6% first-time pass, 11,100 tests
• 2008 Ford Mondeo - 63.2% first-time pass, 14,263 tests
• 2009 Ford Mondeo - 65.7% first-time pass, 15,240 tests
• 2010 Ford Mondeo - 67.6% first-time pass, 15,669 tests
• 2011 Ford Mondeo - 70% first-time pass, 13,196 tests
• 2012 Ford Mondeo - 70.9% first-time pass, 15,804 tests
• 2013 Ford Mondeo - 72% first-time pass, 12,717 tests
• 2014 Ford Mondeo - 74.6% first-time pass, 11,748 tests
• 2015 Ford Mondeo - 82% first-time pass, 17,504 tests
• 2016 Ford Mondeo - 84.6% first-time pass, 16,234 tests
• 2017 Ford Mondeo - 86.7% first-time pass, 11,054 tests
• 2018 Ford Mondeo - 87.7% first-time pass, 7,079 tests
• 2019 Ford Mondeo - 87.7% first-time pass, 4,494 tests
• 2020 Ford Mondeo - 86.8% first-time pass, 2,091 tests
• 2021 Ford Mondeo - 87.2% first-time pass, 972 tests

Ford Mondeo by fuel type

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

• Diesel Ford Mondeo - 72.9% first-time pass, 152,062 tests
• Petrol Ford Mondeo - 70.2% first-time pass, 37,491 tests
• Hybrid Ford Mondeo - 88.5% first-time pass, 3,129 tests
• Electric Ford Mondeo - 87.5% first-time pass, 343 tests

Other Ford models

• Ford Fiesta - 71.7%
• Ford Focus - 74.4%
• Ford Transit - 67.6%
• Ford Kuga - 82.4%
• Ford Ka - 72.2%
• Ford Transit Connect - 72%
• Ford Ranger - 76.9%
• Ford C-Max - 74.8%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Lexus Rx300 - 72.3%
• Smart Roadster 80 Auto(Rhd) - 72.3%
• Mazda Bongo Friendee - 72.3%
• Ford Ka - 72.2%
• Nissan Note - 72.1%
• Ford Transit Connect - 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