Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Ford Fiesta 2015: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 65 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2015 Ford Fiesta were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Tyre pressure monitoring system.

Summary

The 2015 Ford Fiesta follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 119,208 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
65 in every 100
Did not pass first time
35 in every 10042,156 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
10 yearsabout 63,626 miles
First tests counted
119,208

What failed most often

  1. Tyre pressure monitoring system16 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Suspension arm ball joint (front)15 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Brake light13 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.

Note:

These are patterns across 2015 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

Two faults. The strongest is the swivel pins and bushes (rear): 59 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 41,952 of 42,156 failed first attempts (99.5%) 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)

Failed on 2,121 first tests59 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

A stub axle swivel pin or bush that is excessively worn is Major. One that is insecure, or so worn or insecure that directional stability is impaired, is graded Dangerous.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 3,244 first tests, 29 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm ball joint (front)

Failed on 6,177 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

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 1,753 first tests, 2.8 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.

Lamps and electrical

One fault and one wear pattern. The strongest is the brake light (rear): 5.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake light (rear)

Failed on 5,518 first tests5.5 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

All stop lamps missing or not working is graded Dangerous, and so is a stop lamp that stays on when the brakes are released. A stop lamp that is missing or not working is Major. On some vehicles with LED rear lamps, part of the stop lamp can go out when the rear fog lamp is lit, which is not regarded as a defect.

Headlight aim not tested (front)

Failed on 278 first tests2.0 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

Headlamp aim recorded as not tested, or unable to be tested, is a Major failure. These results must only be used where it becomes apparent during the test that the item cannot be tested, and this could not have been identified before starting. The reason must be included in the additional information box.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Tyres

One wear pattern: tyre pressure monitoring system (front), 3.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Tyre pressure monitoring system (front)

Failed on 6,762 first tests3.3 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

A tyre pressure monitoring system that is obviously inoperative is graded Major, and so is one listed as malfunctioning or obviously inoperative. The Minor row uses the word malfunctioning too, but its detail is a warning lamp indicating a fault, and it also covers a tyre that is obviously under-inflated.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: diesel emissions test (compression-ignition rules for vehicles from 01/01/2014), 2.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Diesel emissions test (compression-ignition rules for vehicles from 01/01/2014)

Failed on 973 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 33 first tests, 3.1 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.

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.

Suspension sub-frame pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 876 first tests46 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

Other suspension component pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 356 first tests15 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

Engine mounting condition (rear)

Noted on 36 first tests7.4 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Engine mounting condition (front)

Noted on 49 first tests3.8 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake fluid reservoir

Noted on 94 first tests3.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Coil spring (rear)

Noted on 3,854 first tests3.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

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
65in 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
27in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 64.6% of 119,208 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 72.8%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 8 fixed and the 27 not fixed make the 35 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Petrol105,58260,965 miles6565
Diesel13,62692,237 miles5965

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.

40608010020002005201020152020Older carsNewer cars
4060801002000201020152020Older cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 67 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
199753 in every 100407
199852 in every 100879
199956 in every 1001,115
200054 in every 1001,109
200155 in every 1001,907
200256 in every 1005,496
200355 in every 10011,632
200453 in every 10015,586
200553 in every 10019,163
200652 in every 10032,932
200753 in every 10042,015
200852 in every 10046,538
200953 in every 10080,926
201055 in every 10078,060
201157 in every 10077,995
201258 in every 10092,486
201360 in every 100105,711
201462 in every 100115,867
2015 This car65 in every 100119,208
201667 in every 100108,889
201774 in every 10086,424
201883 in every 10089,668
201985 in every 10075,408
202086 in every 10048,062
202189 in every 10026,736
202291 in every 10024,525

If you are buying one

What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.

Mileage matters most on a 2015 Fiesta.

Of 2015 Fiesta vehicles with under 42,000 miles, 79 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 88,000 miles or more, 54 in every 100 did.

Under 42,00024,013 tests
79
42,000–57,00023,998 tests
69
57,000–71,000 Typical car23,541 tests
63
71,000–88,00023,051 tests
57
88,000 and over24,100 tests
54

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Petrol60,965 miles6565
Diesel92,237 miles5965

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 92,237 against 60,965). 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 42,00057,000–71,00088,000 and over
Tyre pressure monitoring system1.46.49.2
Suspension arm ball joint (front)1.05.58.6
Brake light3.05.05.2
Coil spring (rear)3.22.52.2
Tyre condition (front)1.52.63.5

Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.

When a car fails

38in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

34in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

7in every 100

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.

The 2015 Ford Fiesta follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Tyre pressure monitoring system, about 16 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 64.6% of 119,208 first MOTs on the 2015 Ford Fiesta passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 72.8%. Among 42,156 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Swivel pins and bushes (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (5.1% of those tests; 2,121 observed failures; about 59× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2015 Ford Fiesta at the first attempt were Tyre pressure monitoring system (16.1%), Suspension arm ball joint (front) (14.7%) and Brake light (13.2%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Swivel pins and bushes (rear) (5.1% of those tests; 2,121 observed failures; about 59× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Swivel pins and bushes (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (5.1% of those tests; 2,121 observed failures; about 59× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2015 Ford Fiesta include Swivel pins and bushes (rear), Brake light (rear), Suspension arm ball joint (front). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2015 Ford Fiesta (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

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.

2024 2025

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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