At a glance
How 6,783 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 52 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 48 in every 1003,232 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 23 yearsabout 97,391 miles
- First tests counted
- 6,783
What failed most often
- Suspension mounting area (rear)15 in every 100 failed tests
- Individual sidelight or tail light (front)10 in every 100 failed tests
- Brake light9 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 2002 Ford Focus 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
Five faults. The strongest is the anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (rear): 18 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 3,135 of 3,232 failed first attempts (97.0%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like. 3.0% 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 pins and bushes (rear)
What it means
Excessive wear in an anti-roll bar linkage pin or bush is Major. If the pin or bush is likely to become detached, it is graded Dangerous. The wording is DVSA's general one for a suspension pin, bush or joint.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 129 first tests, 16 times as often as on similar cars.
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 (rear)
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.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 145 first tests, 2.9 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.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 262 first tests, 2.3 times as often as on similar cars.
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front)
What it means
A suspension joint dust cover that is severely deteriorated is Minor. It becomes Major once it is missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt, so what matters is whether it still keeps dirt out. DVSA words this for any suspension joint dust cover, and files it here under anti-roll bars.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.
Seat belts and restraints
One fault: seat belt mounting area (rear), 3.5 times as often as on similar cars.
Seat belt mounting area (rear)
What it means
A seat belt anchorage likely to become detached in the event of a collision is graded Dangerous. The load bearing structure near an anchorage, called a prescribed area, is Major when its strength or continuity is significantly reduced or it is inadequately repaired. Anchorage points are inspected for all seat belts fitted, except a belt with no corresponding seat.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 37 first tests, 3.9 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: rear fog light, 2.9 times as often as on similar cars.
Rear fog light
What it means
A missing obligatory rear fog lamp, one that is not working, or one that does not emit a steady red light is graded Major. A rear fog lamp adversely affected by the operation of any other lamp is Major too. The manual allows it to go out when main beam is switched on or when dipped beam headlamps are switched off.
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.
Suspension arm (rear)
Brake fluid
Structural sub-frame condition (rear)
Anti-roll bar (rear)
Suspension sub-frame (rear)
Exhaust system (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
- 52in 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
- 38in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 52.4% of 6,783 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 61.7%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 10 fixed and the 38 not fixed make the 48 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.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 52 in every 100 | 910 |
| 2000 | 53 in every 100 | 1,696 |
| 2001 | 54 in every 100 | 3,892 |
| 2002 This car | 52 in every 100 | 6,783 |
| 2003 | 55 in every 100 | 8,641 |
| 2004 | 52 in every 100 | 11,427 |
| 2005 | 54 in every 100 | 15,756 |
| 2006 | 57 in every 100 | 22,078 |
| 2007 | 57 in every 100 | 31,159 |
| 2008 | 55 in every 100 | 37,319 |
| 2009 | 55 in every 100 | 46,757 |
| 2010 | 56 in every 100 | 47,851 |
| 2011 | 58 in every 100 | 57,244 |
| 2012 | 61 in every 100 | 61,916 |
| 2013 | 62 in every 100 | 67,752 |
| 2014 | 64 in every 100 | 69,468 |
| 2015 | 72 in every 100 | 71,323 |
| 2016 | 77 in every 100 | 60,894 |
| 2017 | 81 in every 100 | 60,958 |
| 2018 | 82 in every 100 | 45,414 |
| 2019 | 81 in every 100 | 52,713 |
| 2020 | 86 in every 100 | 36,414 |
| 2021 | 89 in every 100 | 20,069 |
| 2022 | 90 in every 100 | 14,931 |
If you are buying one
What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.
Mileage matters most on a 2002 Focus.
Of 2002 Focus vehicles with under 66,000 miles, 63 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 133,000 miles or more, 45 in every 100 did.
Petrol or diesel?
| Typical mileage | Passed first time, as tested | Passed first time, same mileage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 96,350 miles | 53 | 52 |
| Diesel | 118,422 miles | 49 | 51 |
Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 118,422 against 96,350). 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 66,000 | 87,000–107,000 | 133,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension mounting area (rear) | 3.9 | 8.1 | 10.2 |
| Individual sidelight or tail light (front) | 1.8 | 5.1 | 6.0 |
| Brake light | 3.7 | 3.6 | 5.0 |
| Suspension arm ball joint (front) | 1.8 | 4.2 | 4.4 |
| Headlight aim | 2.6 | 3.2 | 4.4 |
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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