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MOT fail rates

Ford S-Max MOT fail rate by age

How often the Ford S-Max fails its MOT at each age, compared with all cars of the same age, and what it fails on. From 301,431 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated

At 13 years, the most tested age

MOT fail rate at age 13 (n=29,983)39.9%
All cars at 13 years (n=6,612,160)38.3%
Median mileage at test116,645
All cars, median mileage92,305

176 of 293 model groups with enough tests fail less often at 13 years.

What stands out

  • At 3 years the Ford S-Max fails 18.9% of MOTs (5,090 tests), 6.9 points above the 12.1% for all cars that age. At 18 years it fails 47.6% (4,758 tests), 4.3 points above the 43.3% average.
  • The gap is widest at 3 years: 6.9 points above all cars.
  • Its most common structural or mechanical fail item at 13 years: Suspension arm bush worn, at 6.1 per 100 MOTs.

MOT fail rate by age

3 years 18 years 52.3%

Solid line: this model. Dashed line: all cars at the same age.

Ford S-Max: share of MOT tests that failed, by age, against all cars. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
AgeMOT fail rateTests (n)All carsDifferenceMedian mileage
3 years18.9%5,09012.1%+6.9 pts24,784 miles
4 years18.3%6,68713.4%+5.0 pts33,158 miles
5 years19.5%11,26915.3%+4.2 pts42,825 miles
6 years19.8%17,03217.8%+2.0 pts51,761 miles
7 years20.8%17,96020.6%+0.2 pts60,451 miles
8 years25.1%22,17523.8%+1.3 pts70,139 miles
9 years30.7%23,48827.1%+3.6 pts78,916 miles
10 years34.6%23,67030.3%+4.3 pts89,146 miles
11 years36.5%26,89733.3%+3.2 pts98,840 miles
12 years37.3%29,91036.0%+1.4 pts107,853 miles
13 years39.9%29,98338.3%+1.7 pts116,645 miles
14 years42.0%27,83240.3%+1.7 pts124,728 miles
15 years44.4%26,39641.6%+2.9 pts131,055 miles
16 years46.4%18,10542.6%+3.8 pts136,230 miles
17 years47.5%10,17943.1%+4.4 pts140,335 miles
18 years47.6%4,75843.3%+4.3 pts139,493 miles

Most common fail items at 13 years

Split into structural or mechanical items and wear items. Wear items (tyres, brake pads, wipers, bulbs) say more about upkeep than about the design.

Structural and mechanical

Fail itemPer 100 MOTs
Suspension arm bush worn Major6.1
Driveshaft CV boot split Major3.7
Steering track rod end: ball joint play Major2.1
Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Major2

Out of 29,983 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Wear and upkeep

Fail itemPer 100 MOTs
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm Dangerous5.7
Side/position light not working Major5
Tyre with cords exposed Dangerous4.4
Brake pads under 1.5 mm Dangerous4.1
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Major3.6
Brake light not working Major2.9

Out of 29,983 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Other models at 13 years

ModelMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars
Ford Fiesta42.3%372,52238.3%
Ford Focus40.3%255,60338.3%
Ford KA38.6%70,54338.3%

MOT fail rate by first-use year

Each year has its own page: the fail rate for cars first used that year at each MOT from 2022 to 2025 with at least 1,000 tests, the most common faults at that age, and the car tax and ULEZ rules for that year.

First-use year data updated .

Latest MOT age with at least 1,000 tests for each first-use year.
First usedAge at testMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars
200618 years in 202448.3%1,44843.3%
200718 years in 202547.3%3,30943.3%
200817 years in 202546.1%3,55743.1%
200916 years in 202543.8%4,90342.6%
201015 years in 202541.7%7,85841.6%
201114 years in 202538.9%6,01340.3%
201213 years in 202539.6%6,67138.3%
201312 years in 202538.6%6,03836.0%
201411 years in 202535.9%6,31833.3%
201510 years in 202530.5%3,29130.3%
20169 years in 202524.1%6,87227.1%
20178 years in 202521.3%5,26823.8%
20187 years in 202519.3%2,40220.6%
20196 years in 202526.3%2,30317.8%
20205 years in 202519.5%1,14615.3%

More on the Ford S-Max

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.

Looking at one Ford S-Max?

These are figures for the model, not for one car. The VetTheCar Buying Report looks at a single car: its MOT tests, defects, advisories and mileage readings.

See an example report Browse the 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 22 September 2026.

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