2021 Ford Mustang: MOT pass rate and reliability

89.6% of 2021 Ford Mustangs pass the MOT first time, measured across 366 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 16,287 miles.

How the 2021 compares

  • Against all Ford Mustangs (84.9%, 11,933 tests): +4.7 points
  • Against all 2021 cars (90%): -0.4 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Ford Mustang model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2021 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Ford Mustang:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
2005 86.7% 332 71,078
2006 85.7% 287 71,725
2007 86.7% 294 65,669
2008 87% 216 54,036
2015 86.1% 346 40,970
2016 83.5% 2,579 36,692
2017 85.1% 1,908 33,081
2018 84.2% 2,103 30,361
2019 84.4% 1,224 23,657
2020 86.7% 897 19,064
2021 89.6% 366 16,287

What this means if you are buying a 2021 Mustang

The 2021 is one of the stronger years for this model, passing 4.7 points more often than the Ford Mustang average. That is a point in its favour, though condition and service history still matter more than the model year. 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 5-year-old car fails on

A 2021 car is 5 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 low mileage, which usually means light urban use. Short journeys are harder on batteries, brakes and exhausts than motorway miles, so do not assume low miles means low wear. On a 2021 Ford Mustang the average at test was 16,287 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.

2021 is the strongest year on record for this model at 89.6%, ahead of every other year we hold data for.

Nearby model years

All Ford Mustang MOT data · Every model