At a glance
How 77,995 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 57 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 43 in every 10033,304 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 14 yearsabout 89,298 miles
- First tests counted
- 77,995
What failed most often
- Suspension arm ball joint (front)20 in every 100 failed tests
- Tyre condition (front)11 in every 100 failed tests
- Individual sidelight or tail light (front)11 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 2011 Ford Fiesta vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. A wear pattern follows age and use more than the way the car was built. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.
Suspension
Three faults. The strongest is the swivel pins and bushes (rear): 32 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 33,276 of 33,304 failed first attempts (99.9%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like.
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.
Swivel pins and bushes (rear)
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 2,046 first tests, 12 times as often as on similar cars.
Suspension mounting area (rear)
What it means
The load bearing structure within a set distance of a sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting is a prescribed area. Major applies when its strength or continuity is significantly reduced or it is inadequately repaired. Dangerous applies when it is so weakened that control of the vehicle is likely to be adversely affected.
Suspension arm ball joint (front)
What it means
A suspension arm ball joint is failed under the general suspension pin, bush or joint wording. Excessively worn is Major, and likely to become detached is graded Dangerous.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 1,818 first tests, 2.6 times as often as on similar cars.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.
Body and structure
One fault: exhaust system (rear), 3.7 times as often as on similar cars.
Exhaust system (rear)
What it means
Exhaust fumes causing a danger to health of persons on board are graded Dangerous, and so is a silencer likely to become detached. Fumes entering the cabin are Major. One or more missing or defective mountings does not necessarily make the exhaust insecure, since testers assess the overall security of the system.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 1,336 first tests, 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.
Tyres
One wear pattern: tyre size or type (front), 2.5 times as often as on similar cars.
Tyre size or type (front)
What it means
Tyres of different sizes or different aspect ratios on the same axle, or on twin wheels, are graded Major, as are tyres of different structure on the same axle, such as radial-ply and cross-ply. Steel and fabric radial-ply count as the same structure. The manual treats a standard car tyre and one of a single stated lower aspect ratio as almost identical in size, so that pair is allowed in any mix.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Noise, emissions and leaks
Two faults. The strongest is the petrol emissions not tested: 2.4 times as often as on similar cars.
Petrol emissions not tested
What it means
On a petrol car, an emissions test recorded as not tested or unable to be completed is failed as Major. DVSA's wording gives no reason why.
Petrol emissions (with catalyst)
What it means
Emissions levels over the manufacturer's specified limits are Major, as are levels over default limits, which apply when no exact match is found for the vehicle. Dense blue or clearly visible black smoke at idle, held for a set period, is Major, except for certain older vehicles and two stroke engines where smoke is unavoidable. An induction or exhaust leak that could affect emissions levels is Major too.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Lamps and electrical
One fault: individual direction indicators (rear), 2.0 times as often as on similar cars.
Individual direction indicators (rear)
What it means
Direction indicators must be amber, though vehicles first used before a set date may have white at the front and red at the rear when the indicators are combined with stop or position lamps, and sequential or dynamic ones are not a reason to fail. A lamp that is missing, inoperative or has more than half of a multiple light source not functioning is graded Major. A flashing rate outside the permitted range is graded Minor.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 1,390 first tests, 2.5 times as often as on similar cars.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.
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. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.
Steering universal joint (front)
Suspension sub-frame pins and bushes (rear)
Steering gear operation
Wheel condition (rear)
Steering column
Other suspension component pins and bushes (rear)
Wheel condition (front)
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
- 57in every 100
- Passed on the first test.
- Fixed at the station
- 8in every 100
- Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
- Failed
- 35in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 57.3% of 77,995 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 64.9%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 8 fixed and the 35 not fixed make the 43 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, 58 in every 100 passed first time.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 53 in every 100 | 407 |
| 1998 | 52 in every 100 | 879 |
| 1999 | 56 in every 100 | 1,115 |
| 2000 | 54 in every 100 | 1,109 |
| 2001 | 55 in every 100 | 1,907 |
| 2002 | 56 in every 100 | 5,496 |
| 2003 | 55 in every 100 | 11,632 |
| 2004 | 53 in every 100 | 15,586 |
| 2005 | 53 in every 100 | 19,163 |
| 2006 | 52 in every 100 | 32,932 |
| 2007 | 53 in every 100 | 42,015 |
| 2008 | 52 in every 100 | 46,538 |
| 2009 | 53 in every 100 | 80,926 |
| 2010 | 55 in every 100 | 78,060 |
| 2011 This car | 57 in every 100 | 77,995 |
| 2012 | 58 in every 100 | 92,486 |
| 2013 | 60 in every 100 | 105,711 |
| 2014 | 62 in every 100 | 115,867 |
| 2015 | 65 in every 100 | 119,208 |
| 2016 | 67 in every 100 | 108,889 |
| 2017 | 74 in every 100 | 86,424 |
| 2018 | 83 in every 100 | 89,668 |
| 2019 | 85 in every 100 | 75,408 |
| 2020 | 86 in every 100 | 48,062 |
| 2021 | 89 in every 100 | 26,736 |
| 2022 | 91 in every 100 | 24,525 |
If you are buying one
What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.
Mileage matters most on a 2011 Fiesta.
Of 2011 Fiesta vehicles with under 61,000 miles, 73 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 119,000 miles or more, 49 in every 100 did.
Petrol or diesel?
| Typical mileage | Passed first time, as tested | Passed first time, same mileage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 82,238 miles | 58 | 56 |
| Diesel | 114,649 miles | 55 | 60 |
Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 114,649 against 82,238). 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 61,000 | 81,000–98,000 | 119,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension arm ball joint (front) | 3.9 | 9.8 | 11.2 |
| Tyre condition (front) | 3.6 | 5.1 | 5.5 |
| Individual sidelight or tail light (front) | 0.8 | 5.2 | 7.5 |
| Coil spring (front) | 2.4 | 3.9 | 4.8 |
| Brake light | 2.0 | 4.1 | 3.8 |
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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