Ford Fiesta MOT Failures: What Fails Most, From 1.3 Million 2024 Tests

The Ford Fiesta was the most-tested car in Great Britain in 2024, with 1,330,754 first-attempt MOTs. We went through every one of them in DVSA's published MOT data to find what Fiestas fail on and how that changes with age.

Ford Fiesta MOT Pass Rate in 2024

Of the Fiestas tested, 64.8% passed first time, 7.4% failed but had the defects fixed at the test centre the same day, and 27.8% failed. That's below the 71.8% average for all cars and light vans, but much of the gap comes from age. The median Fiesta at its test was ten years old, against nine for all cars.

8.9% of Fiesta tests recorded at least one dangerous defect, slightly above the 7.8% average.

Most Common Ford Fiesta MOT Failures

These are the share of Fiesta tests that failed on each item, next to the rate for all cars.

Two items stand out.

Brake lights. One Fiesta test in sixteen failed on a stop lamp, more than three times the rate for all cars. The data records the failure, not the cause, so it can't tell a blown bulb from a faulty brake light switch or a corroded bulb holder. A blown bulb is the cheapest fix on this list, though, and you can check it with a helper in a minute.

Ball joints and track rod ends. Worn front suspension ball joints failed 5.2% of Fiesta tests, and track rod ends another 3.0%. Both are steering and suspension joints that wear with mileage and potholes. Clunks over bumps or uneven tyre wear are common signs.

By group, lamps and electrical faults appeared on 16.7% of Fiesta tests, suspension on 12.9%, tyres on 8.1% and brakes on 5.7%.

Fiesta Pass Rate by Age and Year

Up to five years old, the Fiesta matches or beats the average car. Then it drops sharply. By first-registration year, 2018 Fiestas passed 84.1% of the time and 2017 Fiestas 76.4%, the biggest one-year step in the table below.

Ford moved to the eighth-generation Fiesta during 2017, so 2018 cars are mostly the newer model while 2017 cars are a mix. The MOT data doesn't record generation, so we can't say how much of the gap is the model change and how much is the extra year of age.

Petrol vs Diesel

Most Fiestas on the road are petrol: 1,152,943 petrol tests against 177,775 diesel. Overall, petrol Fiestas passed 66.2% of the time and diesels 56.0%.

Diesel Fiestas tend to be older, so we also compared cars aged eight to twelve. The gap held: petrol 64.6%, diesel 56.3%. Diesels usually cover more miles, which wears suspension and brakes faster, and the data can't separate mileage from fuel type completely.

What to Check Before a Fiesta MOT

Based on what Fiestas fail on most:

1. Brake lights. Ask someone to stand behind the car while you press the pedal. Check both lamps and the high-level one.
2. Sidelights, headlights and number plate lamps. Walk round with them switched on.
3. Tyres. Tread needs to be at least 1.6 mm across the central three-quarters. Look for cuts and bulges on the sidewalls.
4. Wipers and washers. Replace smeary blades and fill the washer bottle.
5. Knocks from the front end. If you hear clunks over bumps, have the ball joints and track rod ends checked before the test rather than after a fail.

If you're buying a used Fiesta, look up its record on the GOV.UK MOT history check. Repeated suspension advisories are a sign of work coming. For how the Fiesta compares with other popular cars, see our MOT pass rates by model. You can also compare it with the Vauxhall Corsa or the Volkswagen Golf.

How We Worked This Out

We used DVSA's 2024 anonymised MOT data: class 4 vehicles, normal first-attempt tests only (no retests). "Passed first time" means a pass with nothing to fix; passes after rectification at the test centre count as not passing first time. Failure items include fails and items rectified at the test centre, not advisories or minor defects. A test that failed on two items is counted under each.

Age is the time from first use to the test date, in whole years. We left out 488,352 tests (1.5% of all tests) whose records appear more than once with conflicting details. The figures describe what happened at tests and can't show the cause of a failure.