MOT fail rates by first-use year

2016 Ford Fiesta MOT fail rate and common faults

How Ford Fiesta cars first used in 2016 did at their MOTs from 2022 to 2025, against all cars of the same age. From 462,405 DVSA MOT tests of these cars. First use is usually the date the car was first registered.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 9 years, tested in 2025

MOT fail rate at age 9 (n=113,185)32.4%

All cars at 9 years (n=9,949,012)27.1%

Difference+5.2 pts

MOT tests of 2016 cars, 2022 to 2025462,405

What stands out

In 2025, at 9 years old, Ford Fiesta cars first used in 2016 failed 32.4% of MOTs (113,185 tests), 5.2 points above the 27.1% for all cars that age.
From 2022 to 2025, as these cars went from 6 to 9 years old, the fail rate moved from 28.8% to 32.4%.
Ford Fiesta cars first used a year earlier, in 2015, failed 32.5% at the same age of 9 years (126,390 tests, in 2024).
The most common fail item that is not a wear item, for the Ford Fiesta at 9 years, is suspension ball joint worn, at 5.3 per 100 MOTs (all cars: 1.5).

MOT fail rate by test year

Ford Fiesta cars first used in 2016: share of MOT tests that failed, by test year, against all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Test year	Age	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars	Difference
2022	6 years	28.8%	117,931	17.8%	+11.0 pts
2023	7 years	30.0%	116,461	20.6%	+9.3 pts
2024	8 years	31.1%	114,828	23.8%	+7.4 pts
2025	9 years	32.4%	113,185	27.1%	+5.2 pts

Most common faults at 9 years

These figures cover all Ford Fiesta MOTs at 9 years: cars first used 2013 to 2016, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=481,387). The list uses every first-use year so it has enough tests. Wear items (tyres, brake pads, wipers, bulbs) say more about upkeep than about the design.

MOT fail items

Fail item	Per 100 MOTs	All cars
Brake light not working Wear	7.8	1.7
Suspension ball joint worn	5.3	1.5
Steering track rod end: ball joint play	2.8	1.0
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm Wear	2.6	2.5
Dipped headlight not working Wear	2.4	1.5
Coil spring broken	2.4	2.7
Headlamp aim: too low Wear	1.7	1.1
Brake pads under 1.5 mm Wear	1.6	2.0
Tyre pressure monitoring system: malfunctioning or obviously inoperative	1.6	0.9
Swivel pins and bushes: swivel pin and/or bush excessively worn	1.5	0.1

Per 100 of the MOTs above (n=481,387). A test with two items counts once for each.

Advisories

Advisory	Per 100 MOTs	All cars
Tyre tread close to the legal limit or worn on the edge Wear	17.1	16.4
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing Wear	9.9	8.5
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	7.5	9.2
Brake pads wearing thin Wear	6.5	8.3
Coil spring: corroded	6.4	2.0
Swivel pins and bushes: swivel pin and/or bush slightly worn	6.3	0.4
Shock absorber misting oil	4.5	3.1
Suspension ball joint: slight play	3.6	1.2
Track rod end ball joint: slight play	2.5	0.9
Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Wear	2.5	1.6

Per 100 of the MOTs above (n=481,387). A test with two items counts once for each.

Fuel type at 9 years

These figures cover all Ford Fiesta MOTs at 9 years: cars first used 2013 to 2016, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=481,387). Each fuel is set against all cars of the same fuel and age. Fuels with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.

Fuel	Share of tests	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars, same fuel	Median mileage
Petrol	87.4%	31.5%	420,550	26.3%	56,100 miles
Diesel	12.6%	41.0%	60,834	28.3%	85,869 miles

Fail rate by mileage at 9 years

These figures cover all Ford Fiesta MOTs at 9 years: cars first used 2013 to 2016, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=481,387). At 9 years, Ford Fiesta cars at over 150,000 miles failed more often (46.1%, n=4,330) than those at under 30,000 miles (15.1%, n=49,912). Bands with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.

Mileage at test	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars
Under 30,000 miles	15.1%	49,912	14.3%
30,000 to 60,000 miles	28.0%	196,268	23.0%
60,000 to 90,000 miles	38.8%	165,091	29.4%
90,000 to 120,000 miles	45.0%	51,140	32.8%
120,000 to 150,000 miles	47.1%	11,388	34.1%
Over 150,000 miles	46.1%	4,330	33.8%

Car tax rules for a 2016 car

Cars first registered from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 are taxed by CO2 emissions band, from band A (the lowest emissions) to band M. The band is set by the CO2 figure on the V5C logbook.

These are the rules, not the amount for a specific car. Car tax check

ULEZ and clean air zones

Petrol cars first registered from 2006 usually meet Euro 4, the petrol standard for the London ULEZ, so they usually do not pay the daily charge.
Diesel cars first registered from September 2015 usually meet Euro 6, the diesel standard for the London ULEZ, so they usually do not pay the daily charge.
The clean air zones in Birmingham and Bristol use the same Euro 4 petrol and Euro 6 diesel standards. The low emission zones in Scotland use them too, but enforce them with fines, not a daily charge.

The Euro standard of the car decides, not the year alone. ULEZ checker

Other years of the Ford Fiesta

2015 Ford Fiesta 2017 Ford Fiesta

Other Ford models first used in 2016

Model	Age at test	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars
Ford Focus (2016)	9 years in 2025	23.0%	63,496	27.1%
Ford Kuga (2016)	9 years in 2025	21.9%	33,240	27.1%
Ford Mondeo (2016)	9 years in 2025	19.6%	16,068	27.1%
Ford EcoSport (2016)	9 years in 2025	31.3%	14,079	27.1%
Ford C-Max (2016)	9 years in 2025	22.2%	10,637	27.1%
Ford Ranger (2016)	9 years in 2025	27.6%	10,213	27.1%
Ford Ka (2016)	9 years in 2025	27.9%	8,271	27.1%
Ford B-Max (2016)	9 years in 2025	25.9%	7,170	27.1%

More on the Ford Fiesta

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

Found one you might buy? Vet the specific car.

These figures describe 2016 Ford Fiesta cars as a group, not any one car. The VetTheCar Buying Report looks at the car you are buying: its MOT history, what similar cars did next, and what to ask the seller.

See an example Buying Report All car tools

Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 28 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources

Car tax and clean air zone rules are summarised from GOV.UK and Transport for London guidance. They are general rules and are not drawn from the MOT data.