Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Ford Ka 2016: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 72 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2016 Ford Ka were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Coil spring (rear).

Summary

A 2016 Ford Ka passed first time about 3 in every 100 less often than the average of the 2015 and 2017 model years.

At a glance

How 7,955 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
72 in every 100
Did not pass first time
28 in every 1002,240 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
9 yearsabout 42,935 miles
First tests counted
7,955

What failed most often

  1. Coil spring (rear)13 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Shock absorbers (front)10 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Tyre condition (front)8 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 2016 Ford Ka 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

Three faults. The strongest is the shock absorbers (front): 6.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 2,236 of 2,240 failed first attempts (99.8%) 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 (front)

Failed on 234 first tests6.6 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 368 first tests, 6.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Shock absorbers (rear)

Failed on 212 first tests6.2 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 118 first tests, 3.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Coil spring (rear)

Failed on 301 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A missing bump stop rubber is not a reason to fail a coil spring. When the vehicle is jacked and lowered, a spring that does not correctly locate as the suspension returns to its normal running position is rejected as insecurely attached. A missing spring is Major, and graded Dangerous where directional control is affected.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 136 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.

Noise, emissions and leaks

Two faults. The strongest is the petrol emissions not tested: 4.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Petrol emissions not tested

Failed on 53 first tests4.5 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

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)

Failed on 106 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible 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.

Body and structure

One fault: exhaust system (rear), 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Exhaust system (rear)

Failed on 66 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

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 84 first tests, 3.5 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.

Other suspension component (rear)

Noted on 23 first tests9.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Wheel condition (rear)

Noted on 50 first tests6.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension sub-frame (rear)

Noted on 73 first tests5.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Macpherson strut pins and bushes (front)

Noted on 57 first tests5.0 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Wheel condition (front)

Noted on 67 first tests3.8 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
72in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
5in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
23in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 71.8% of 7,955 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 76.7%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 5 fixed and the 23 not fixed make the 28 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

406080100200520102016Older carsNewer cars
40608010020102016Older 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, 74 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200152 in every 100306
200249 in every 100607
200349 in every 1001,035
200449 in every 1001,369
200552 in every 1001,643
200649 in every 1001,983
200749 in every 1002,698
200849 in every 1003,392
200955 in every 10014,844
201056 in every 10016,047
201161 in every 10014,315
201264 in every 10015,488
201366 in every 10017,337
201469 in every 10017,480
201568 in every 10012,575
2016 This car72 in every 1007,955
201781 in every 10012,895
201880 in every 10010,615
201986 in every 1009,684

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2016 Ford Ka.

Of 2016 Ford Ka vehicles with under 27,000 miles, 85 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 63,000 miles or more, 60 in every 100 did.

Under 27,0001,627 tests
85
27,000–37,0001,479 tests
77
37,000–49,000 Typical car1,737 tests
71
49,000–63,0001,528 tests
66
63,000 and over1,580 tests
60

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 27,00037,000–49,00063,000 and over
Coil spring (rear)2.64.24.7
Shock absorbers (front)0.53.24.7
Tyre condition (front)1.22.33.2
Brake pads (front)1.22.22.8
Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)0.61.63.1

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

When a car fails

42in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

32in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

6in 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.

A 2016 Ford Ka passed first time about 3 in every 100 less often than the average of the 2015 and 2017 model years. In 2025, 71.8% of 7,955 first MOTs on the 2016 Ford Ka passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 76.7%. Among 2,240 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Shock absorbers (front) appears more often than on similar cars (10.5% of those tests; 234 observed failures; about 6.6× 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 2016 Ford Ka at the first attempt were Coil spring (rear) (13.5%), Shock absorbers (front) (10.5%) and Tyre condition (front) (8.1%), 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 (front) (10.5% of those tests; 234 observed failures; about 6.6× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Shock absorbers (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (10.5% of those tests; 234 observed failures; about 6.6× 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 2016 Ford Ka include Shock absorbers (front), Petrol emissions not tested, Exhaust system (rear). 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 2016 Ford Ka (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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