Ford Mondeo
From 306,935 MOT tests. Average for its class.
Common MOT failure categories
Pass rate by registration year
Newer Mondeos fare better: 2021 models pass at 85% vs 68.9% for 1996.
Pass rate by fuel type
What goes wrong?
The most common MOT failure reasons are a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements and the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements. The top issue, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, caused 12,576 failures in 2024. Checking tread depth (1.6mm legal minimum, 3mm recommended) before your test can save an unnecessary fail. You can check prices at Black Circles if you need replacements. If you need repairs before retesting, sites like BookMyGarage let you compare local prices.
| a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn | 12,576 |
| tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements | 8,661 |
| the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements | 6,864 |
| a lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning | 6,361 |
| a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm | 6,128 |
| a tyre cords visible or damaged | 6,127 |
| a suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 6,011 |
| a tyre seriously damaged | 6,001 |
| a rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources | 5,298 |
| exhaust system leaking or insecure | 4,267 |
How serious are these failures?
Not all MOT failures are equal. 51.4% of failures are serious: 45.1% are safety issues (brakes, steering, tyre damage) and 6.2% could actually leave you stranded. That's close to the 44.4% average across all models. When it does fail, the average repair bill is around £93.
Fuel type matters
Electric versions pass at 88.7% while Petrol versions pass at 70.8%, a 18 percentage point gap.
Ford Mondeo on UK roads
The fleet is shrinking: 20,949 scrapped or exported in the past year with only 41 newly registered, a net loss of 20,908. At this rate, roughly 10 years until none remain. Now at 23.3% of its peak (893,916 in 2004 Q4).
Quarterly breakdown
| Quarter | On road | SORN | New | Gone | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Q3 | 160,075 | 48,265 | +10 | -4,455 | -4,445 |
| 2025 Q2 | 164,839 | 47,946 | +4 | -4,893 | -4,889 |
| 2025 Q1 | 169,885 | 47,789 | +5 | -5,768 | -5,763 |
| 2024 Q4 | 175,259 | 48,178 | +22 | -5,833 | -5,811 |
| 2024 Q3 | 180,487 | 48,761 | +3 | -5,477 | -5,474 |
| 2024 Q2 | 185,941 | 48,781 | +7 | -5,023 | -5,016 |
| 2024 Q1 | 191,206 | 48,532 | +9 | -5,288 | -5,279 |
| 2023 Q4 | 197,025 | 47,992 | +11 | -4,469 | -4,458 |
20 variants on the road
| Variant | Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mondeo Titanium Tdci | Diesel | 12,785 | 13% |
| Mondeo Zetec Econetic Tdci | Petrol | 9,215 | 9% |
| Mondeo Zetec Tdci 140 | Diesel | 9,144 | 9% |
| Mondeo Zetec Business Edn Tdci | Diesel | 9,032 | 9% |
| Mondeo Titanium Econetic Tdci | Diesel | 6,909 | 7% |
| Mondeo Titanium Tdci 140 | Diesel | 6,430 | 7% |
| Mondeo Titanium X B-S Edn Tdci | Diesel | 5,737 | 6% |
| Mondeo Titanium Tdci Auto | Diesel | 5,436 | 6% |
| Mondeo Titanium X Tdci140 | Diesel | 5,302 | 5% |
| Mondeo Zetec | Gas | 4,872 | 5% |
| Mondeo Zetec Tdci | Diesel | 3,698 | 4% |
| Mondeo Titanium X Tdci163 | Diesel | 3,358 | 3% |
| Mondeo Lx | Petrol | 2,885 | 3% |
| Mondeo Titanium Auto | Diesel | 2,481 | 3% |
| Mondeo Titanium | Gas | 2,280 | 2% |
| Mondeo Titanium X Tdci | Diesel | 2,100 | 2% |
| Mondeo St Tdci | Diesel | 1,894 | 2% |
| Mondeo Titanium Tdci 163 | Diesel | 1,758 | 2% |
| Mondeo Titanium X Sport Tdci | Diesel | 1,739 | 2% |
| Mondeo St-Line Tdci | Diesel | 1,731 | 2% |
Source: DfT vehicle licensing statistics, 2025 Q3. Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.
By registration year
| Year | Pass rate | Top failures |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 85% | a tyre cords visible or damaged, wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen |
| 2020 | 86.4% | wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, a tyre seriously damaged |
| 2019 | 88.2% | tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm |
| 2018 | 87% | tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm |
25 earlier years
| 2017 | 86.2% | tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm |
| 2016 | 84.2% | tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm |
| 2015 | 82.1% | tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, a lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning |
| 2014 | 75.9% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements |
| 2013 | 74.6% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2012 | 73.2% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2011 | 71.8% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2010 | 69.2% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2009 | 68.2% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements |
| 2008 | 66.4% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a suspension component excessively damaged or corroded |
| 2007 | 65.1% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2006 | 65.9% | brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn |
| 2005 | 65.1% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2004 | 64.7% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement |
| 2003 | 64.9% | brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement |
| 2002 | 64.2% | a suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired |
| 2001 | 64.9% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement |
| 2000 | 66.4% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired |
| 1999 | 67.6% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired |
| 1998 | 66.4% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded |
| 1997 | 67.8% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired |
| 1996 | 68.9% | the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn |
| 1995 | 67.9% | the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced |
| 1994 | 73.6% | the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, a suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 1993 | 82.2% | brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements |
Typical mileage
Half of all Mondeos tested had between 94,998 and 157,245 miles on the clock. A significant number are high-mileage vehicles.
At 117,855 median miles, the Mondeo has 0.022 failures per 10,000 miles driven.
Other Ford models
| Ford Fiesta | 72.9% |
| Ford Focus | 74.7% |
| Ford Transit | 70.4% |
| Ford Kuga | 82.2% |
| Ford Ka | 73% |
Common questions
What is the Ford Mondeo MOT pass rate?
The Ford Mondeo has a 73.8% MOT pass rate based on 306,935 real MOT tests. This is around the national average.
What are common MOT failures on a Ford Mondeo?
The most common MOT failure on the Ford Mondeo is a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, which caused 12,576 failures. Other common issues include tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements.
How many Ford Mondeos are on UK roads?
There are 160,075 Ford Mondeos currently licensed on UK roads, with 48,265 on SORN.
What is the typical mileage of a Ford Mondeo at MOT?
The median mileage at MOT for a Ford Mondeo is 117,855 miles. The middle 50% of vehicles tested have between 94,998 and 157,245 miles.
Buying a used Mondeo?
Start with the free tools. Look up the specific vehicle's MOT history on GOV.UK The mileage at each test will show if it's been wound back, and the advisory history tells you what's wearing. Cross-reference that against the typical failures above to see if anything looks unusual for this model.
The free data won't tell you about outstanding finance, theft markers, or write-off history. For that, you need a vehicle history check This is especially important on a private sale where you have fewer legal protections.
With a 73.8% pass rate and an average repair bill of £93 when things go wrong, budget accordingly.
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MOT data from DVSA anonymised test results, 2024 test year. Fleet data from DfT vehicle licensing statistics. Crown copyright, OGL v3.0. MOT pass rates are statistical summaries of test outcomes, not assessments of individual vehicle safety or condition. Always inspect a vehicle and check its full MOT history before purchasing. See terms of use.