2003 Ford Transit Connect: MOT pass rate and reliability

57.1% of 2003 Ford Transit Connects pass the MOT first time, measured across 2,395 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 142,934 miles.

How the 2003 compares

  • Against all Ford Transit Connects (72.6%, 167,884 tests): -15.5 points
  • Against all 2003 cars (64.7%): -7.6 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Ford Transit Connect model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2003 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Ford Transit Connect:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
2002 59.2% 250 144,844
2003 57.1% 2,395 142,934
2004 57.2% 3,470 141,447
2005 56% 4,814 142,942
2006 56.5% 6,978 141,544
2007 56.6% 7,971 144,534
2008 57.5% 7,147 140,327
2009 57.8% 4,950 128,569
2010 57.4% 4,962 133,188
2011 60.8% 5,682 129,194
2012 63.3% 5,645 118,509
2013 66.2% 4,305 113,773
2014 74.1% 10,408 120,674
2015 76.7% 12,986 111,395
2016 79.5% 13,897 103,529
2017 81.6% 18,136 91,649
2018 81.5% 16,640 80,562
2019 80% 14,961 67,686
2020 81% 11,138 57,462
2021 84.9% 11,034 47,064

What this means if you are buying a 2003 Transit Connect

The 2003 is a weaker year for this model, passing 15.5 points less often than the Ford Transit Connect average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 2003 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 23-year-old car fails on

A 2003 car is 23 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 very high mileage. Clutches, dual-mass flywheels and head gaskets have usually been through at least one repair by this point, so ask for evidence rather than assume the car is original everywhere. On a 2003 Ford Transit Connect the average at test was 142,934 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 2021 at 84.9%, and the weakest in our data is 2005 at 56%. That 28.9 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2003 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All Ford Transit Connect MOT data · Every model