Ford S-Max: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Ford S-Max fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 6.7 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 73,556 individual Ford S-Max tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 70% first-time pass rate means roughly 30 in every 100 Ford S-Max 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 S-Max tested had covered 102,626 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 S-Max 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. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Ford S-Max 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 S-Max actually sold for at UK salvage auction, from 4 real settled sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Ford S-Max

1. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 1.4% of tests (5.23x the national rate for this defect)
2. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 1.8% of tests (2.42x the national rate for this defect)
3. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 2.8% of tests (2.33x the national rate for this defect)
4. A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps, 1.5% of tests (2.33x the national rate for this defect)
5. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 3.4% of tests (2.22x the national rate for this defect)
6. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.3% of tests (2.04x the national rate for this defect)
7. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.6% of tests (1.91x the national rate for this defect)
8. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 4.3% of tests (1.87x the national rate for this defect)
9. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2.7% of tests (1.64x the national rate for this defect)
10. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 1.4% of tests (1.46x the national rate for this defect)

From 108,499 DVSA-tracked Ford S-Max tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.82% of these flagged Ford S-Max defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Ford S-Max 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 S-Max year:

• 2006 Ford S-Max - 58.9% first-time pass, 1,424 tests
• 2007 Ford S-Max - 60.2% first-time pass, 4,464 tests
• 2008 Ford S-Max - 62.3% first-time pass, 4,459 tests
• 2009 Ford S-Max - 62.1% first-time pass, 5,818 tests
• 2010 Ford S-Max - 66.1% first-time pass, 8,729 tests
• 2011 Ford S-Max - 67.8% first-time pass, 6,363 tests
• 2012 Ford S-Max - 67.9% first-time pass, 6,937 tests
• 2013 Ford S-Max - 66.9% first-time pass, 6,253 tests
• 2014 Ford S-Max - 69.1% first-time pass, 6,506 tests
• 2015 Ford S-Max - 76% first-time pass, 3,309 tests
• 2016 Ford S-Max - 82.4% first-time pass, 6,862 tests
• 2017 Ford S-Max - 83.1% first-time pass, 5,305 tests
• 2018 Ford S-Max - 83.7% first-time pass, 2,395 tests
• 2019 Ford S-Max - 81.6% first-time pass, 2,339 tests
• 2020 Ford S-Max - 86.4% first-time pass, 1,165 tests
• 2021 Ford S-Max - 84.3% first-time pass, 686 tests

Ford S-Max by fuel type

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

• Diesel Ford S-Max - 70.1% first-time pass, 66,391 tests
• Petrol Ford S-Max - 73.9% first-time pass, 6,630 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 Ka - 72.2%
• Ford Transit Connect - 72%
• Ford Ranger - 76.9%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Vauxhall Combo 2300 Edition Td S/S - 70.1%
• Vauxhall Corsa - 70%
• Peugeot 308 - 70%
• Kia Carens - 70%
• Fiat 500l - 69.9%
• Hyundai Ix35 - 69.8%

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