At a glance
How 4,451 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 54 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 46 in every 1002,028 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 16 yearsabout 102,016 miles
- First tests counted
- 4,451
What failed most often
- Individual sidelight or tail light (front)14 in every 100 failed tests
- Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)10 in every 100 failed tests
- Tyre condition (front)9 in every 100 failed tests
How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.
These are patterns across 2009 Ford C-Max vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.
Suspension
Two faults. The strongest is the anti-roll bar linkage (rear): 14 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 1,979 of 2,028 failed first attempts (97.6%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like. 2.4% of failures are excluded because no mileage was recorded, so treat these shares as indicative for this model year.
We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.
Anti-roll bar linkage (rear)
What it means
An anti-roll bar linkage is graded Dangerous when a suspension component is missing, likely to become detached, fractured or likely to fail. Insecure attachment that impairs directional stability is graded Dangerous too. Excessive damage or corrosion that seriously weakens the part is Major, and so is plain insecure attachment to the chassis or axle.
Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)
What it means
Pins and bushes on suspension arms fail as Major when they are excessively worn. They are graded Dangerous when likely to become detached. DVSA uses the same wording for a suspension joint.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Steering
One fault: steering rack (front), 11 times as often as on similar cars.
Steering rack (front)
What it means
Steering gear casing retaining devices dangerously loose, or visible relative movement to the chassis or bodywork, is graded Dangerous. A casing not properly attached, or fractured, is Major, but a fracture that affects the stability or attachment of the casing is Dangerous. A gaiter damaged but still keeping dirt out is Minor, and Major once missing or no longer doing so.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Advisories
Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.
An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail.
Other power steering components
Anti-roll bar (rear)
Individual direction indicators (front)
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (rear)
Suspension arm (rear)
Coil spring (front)
Transmission oil leaks
Brake discs (rear)
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
MOT pass rates
How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.
- Passed first time
- 54in every 100
- Passed on the first test.
- Fixed at the station
- 10in every 100
- Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
- Failed
- 36in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 54.4% of 4,451 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 63.6%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 10 fixed and the 36 not fixed make the 46 in every 100 that did not pass first time.
Petrol and diesel
Figures are in every 100 first tests. Cars with more miles usually fail more often, so the same-mileage figure gives every fuel the mileage mix of all the cars in this year.
Same model, other years
Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.
Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 55 in every 100 passed first time.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 51 in every 100 | 3,659 |
| 2008 | 52 in every 100 | 8,076 |
| 2009 This car | 54 in every 100 | 4,451 |
| 2010 | 56 in every 100 | 5,170 |
| 2011 | 63 in every 100 | 9,555 |
| 2012 | 63 in every 100 | 10,220 |
| 2013 | 68 in every 100 | 12,957 |
| 2014 | 69 in every 100 | 11,973 |
| 2015 | 72 in every 100 | 10,919 |
| 2016 | 78 in every 100 | 10,179 |
| 2017 | 82 in every 100 | 7,766 |
| 2018 | 80 in every 100 | 4,665 |
| 2019 | 83 in every 100 | 2,514 |
If you are buying one
What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.
Mileage matters most on a 2009 C-Max.
Of 2009 C-Max vehicles with under 77,000 miles, 66 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 129,000 miles or more, 48 in every 100 did.
Petrol or diesel?
| Typical mileage | Passed first time, as tested | Passed first time, same mileage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 98,616 miles | 55 | 55 |
| Diesel | 113,276 miles | 52 | 54 |
Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 113,276 against 98,616). At the same mileage there is no clear difference between the two.
What to check at your mileage
How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.
| Under 77,000 | 94,000–110,000 | 129,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual sidelight or tail light (front) | 0.8 | 8.8 | 9.9 |
| Suspension arm pins and bushes (front) | 3.1 | 4.8 | 3.8 |
| Tyre condition (front) | 3.1 | 4.6 | 4.9 |
| Drive shaft joints and boots (front) | 3.8 | 2.9 | 5.3 |
| Suspension arm ball joint (front) | 1.4 | 3.3 | 5.2 |
Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.
When a car fails
of failed cars had one item to fix.
of failed cars had three or more items to fix.
of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).
Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.
FAQs
Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.
About this data
How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.
These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.
What we include
UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.
Same-day repairs
PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.
How we compare
We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.
What this does not cover
- MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
- Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
- Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
- If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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