Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Ford Fiesta 2020: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 86 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2020 Ford Fiesta were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Tyre condition (front).

Summary

The 2020 Ford Fiesta follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 48,062 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
86 in every 100
Did not pass first time
14 in every 1006,710 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
5 yearsabout 31,170 miles
First tests counted
48,062

What failed most often

  1. Tyre condition (front)17 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Headlight aim11 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Tyre tread depth (front)10 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 2020 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

One fault: shock absorbers (rear), 6.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 6,709 of 6,710 failed first attempts 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.

Shock absorbers (rear)

Failed on 415 first tests6.7 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

Slight seepage that leaves a film of fluid on a shock absorber does not fail it. Severe leakage, or damage so that it does not function, is Major. A shock absorber missing or likely to become detached is graded Dangerous, though a missing one is only rejected if shock absorbers were fitted as standard.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 251 first tests, 4.6 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.

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: petrol emissions (with catalyst), 4.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Petrol emissions (with catalyst)

Failed on 201 first tests4.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

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.

Seat belts and restraints

One fault: airbag warning light, 3.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Airbag warning light

Failed on 174 first tests3.5 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

The airbag warning lamp (SRS MIL in DVSA's wording) is failed only if it indicates a system malfunction, which is Major. A lamp lit to show the passenger airbag is disabled is not to be regarded as a defect. Dashboard messages are not a defect in their own right, though they can help the tester confirm a malfunction.

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

Lamps and electrical

One wear pattern: headlight aim (front), 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Headlight aim (front)

Failed on 753 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

Beam aim too high, too low or off to either side is Major. Where a driver's beam aim control is fitted, the aim is tested without altering the setting, and rechecked at the highest setting only if it would fail for being too low. Masks or converter kits on right hand dip headlamps are acceptable.

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. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.

Wheel condition (front)

Noted on 247 first tests5.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake fluid reservoir

Noted on 26 first tests4.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Exhaust system (front)

Noted on 41 first tests3.7 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

Wheel condition (rear)

Noted on 56 first tests3.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake fluid

Noted on 29 first tests2.4 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
86in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
4in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
10in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 86.0% of 48,062 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 89.9%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 4 fixed and the 10 not fixed make the 14 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Petrol46,56030,770 miles8686
Diesel1,38158,005 miles8687

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 cars
406080100200020102020Older 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, 87 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
201565 in every 100119,208
201667 in every 100108,889
201774 in every 10086,424
201883 in every 10089,668
201985 in every 10075,408
2020 This car86 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 2020 Fiesta.

Of 2020 Fiesta vehicles with under 19,000 miles, 92 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 47,000 miles or more, 80 in every 100 did.

Under 19,0009,115 tests
92
19,000–27,0009,693 tests
88
27,000–35,000 Typical car9,618 tests
87
35,000–47,00010,274 tests
83
47,000 and over9,358 tests
80

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 19,00027,000–35,00047,000 and over
Tyre condition (front)1.52.23.0
Headlight aim1.11.61.8
Tyre tread depth (front)0.21.62.2
Brake pads (front)0.01.12.0
Windscreen washers0.60.91.4

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

When a car fails

63in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

13in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

5in 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 2020 Ford Fiesta follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Tyre condition (front), about 17 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 86.0% of 48,062 first MOTs on the 2020 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 89.9%. Among 6,710 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Shock absorbers (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (6.2% of those tests; 415 observed failures; about 6.7× 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 2020 Ford Fiesta at the first attempt were Tyre condition (front) (17.2%), Headlight aim (11.2%) and Tyre tread depth (front) (10.4%), 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: Shock absorbers (rear) (6.2% of those tests; 415 observed failures; about 6.7× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Shock absorbers (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (6.2% of those tests; 415 observed failures; about 6.7× 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 2020 Ford Fiesta include Shock absorbers (rear), Petrol emissions (with catalyst), Airbag warning light. 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 2020 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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