Ford C-Max Reliability: MOT Pass Rate by Year & Engine

Verdict

The Ford C-Max passes its MOT first time on 67.4% of tests, about the same as a typical car of the same age and mileage (67.0%). That puts it ahead of 53% of cars on UK roads once age and mileage are taken into account.

By year of first registration, the 2013 C-Max does best (beats 70% of cars) and the 2018 worst (beats 17%).

Of its engines, the 1.5 Diesel does best (beats 63%) and the 1.8 Diesel worst (beats 35%).

Better than average on seat belts & airbags.

Watch these weak spots

Tyres1.3×as often as a typical car

Headlight bulbs & units1.4×as often as a typical car

Brake pads1.5×as often as a typical car

Suspension arm bushes1.7×as often as a typical car

MOT pass rate by age

First-time pass rate at each MOT by the car’s age in years.

Ford C-MaxTypical car, same age & mileage

Best and worst years

By year of first registration, ranked against all cars on UK roads after adjusting for age and mileage. Green = better than half of cars.

Beats 41%

Beats 37%

Beats 38%

Beats 42%

Beats 41%

Beats 44%

Beats 46%

Beats 42%

Beats 69%

Beats 68%

Beats 70%

Beats 58%

Beats 61%

Beats 63%

Beats 65%

Beats 17%

Beats 9%

Engines

All years, most common first. Grades compare each car with cars of the same age and mileage (A = best 20% of cars on UK roads, E = worst 20%), so an older or higher-mileage car can grade above one with a higher pass rate.

Engine	Years	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.6 Petrol	2004–2018	342,819	65.4%	Beats 55%	C
1.6 Diesel	2004–2015	283,562	68.0%	Beats 56%	C
2.0 Diesel	2003–2017	153,916	67.0%	Beats 56%	C
1.0 Petrol	2012–2019	121,006	81.8%	Beats 60%	C
1.8 Petrol	2003–2011	111,238	54.6%	Beats 42%	C
1.5 Diesel	2015–2019	101,390	82.6%	Beats 63%	B
2.0 Petrol	2005–2010	62,885	56.7%	Beats 41%	C
1.8 Diesel	2006–2010	52,598	53.1%	Beats 35%	D
1.5 Petrol	2019–2019	3,071	86.8%	Beats 21%	D

Where it fails

Each area compared with a typical car of the same age and mileage, in points of pass rate. Tap or hover an area to see what to check.

Better than typicalTypicalWorse than typical

Tyres: 8.7% of tests fail on tyres, against 6.9% for a typical car of the same age and mileage. Check the tread on every tyre, including the inner edge, and look for cuts or bulges.

Every MOT area

Share of tests failing on each area, against a typical car of the same age and mileage (black line).

Lights & electrics

14.2% vs 14.1%

Suspension

9.7% vs 11.2%

Tyres

8.7% vs 6.9%

Brakes

6.7% vs 8.1%

Visibility

5.0% vs 5.4%

Body & structure

3.8% vs 4.1%

Emissions & leaks

3.6% vs 3.7%

Steering

1.9% vs 2.2%

Seat belts & airbags

0.5% vs 1.2%

Wheels

0.4% vs 0.4%

Buying one or MOT due? Check these

Headlight bulbs & units 1.4× typical
Check dipped and main beam on both sides.
Brake pads 1.5× typical
Ask when the pads were last replaced and look for a brake-wear warning on the dash.
Suspension arm bushes 1.7× typical
Listen for knocks over speed bumps and feel for wandering or vague steering.
Tyre damage & cracking
Look for cuts, bulges and cracking on both sidewalls of every tyre.
Headlight aim
Park facing a wall at night: both dipped beams should sit level and dip to the left.
Tyre tread depth
Check every tyre, including the inner edge, has at least 3 mm of tread. Uneven wear can point to alignment or suspension problems.

Pass rate by mileage

First-time pass rate by mileage at the test.

Ford C-MaxTypical car

Most common MOT failures

Item	This car	Typical	vs typical
Tyre damage & cracking	4.8%	3.7%	1.3×
Headlight aim	4.3%	3.7%	1.2×
Headlight bulbs & units	3.6%	2.6%	1.4×
Tyre tread depth	3.4%	2.9%	1.2×
Brake pads	3.1%	2.1%	1.5×
Sidelights	2.9%	3.5%	0.8×
Brake lights	2.5%	2.8%	0.9×
Suspension arm bushes	2.4%	1.4%	1.7×
Windscreen wipers	2.3%	2.4%	0.9×
Windscreen washers	2.2%	2.4%	0.9×

Specific defects found

Tester wording for the most frequent failure items, per 1,000 tests.

Defect	per 1,000
The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements	43.3
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn	40.8
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements	34.0
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm	30.4
A tyre cords visible or damaged	26.1
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning	24.0
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning	23.6
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen	22.5

Check another car

Pick a make and model to see its MOT pass rate, best and worst years and weak spots.

Every year and engine

Tap a year to see its engines. Grades compare each car with cars of the same age and mileage (A = best 20% of cars on UK roads, E = worst 20%), so an older or higher-mileage car can grade above one with a higher pass rate.

2019 Ford C-Max3 engines83.3% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.0 Petrol	8,474	82.1%	Beats 5%	E
1.5 Petrol	3,071	86.8%	Beats 21%	D
1.5 Diesel	1,849	83.1%	Beats 21%	D

2018 Ford C-Max3 engines82.5% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.0 Petrol	20,003	82.2%	Beats 12%	E
1.5 Diesel	7,094	83.2%	Beats 35%	D
1.6 Petrol	1,570	83.8%	Beats 24%	D

2017 Ford C-Max4 engines85.0% passB

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.5 Diesel	25,382	84.4%	Beats 67%	B
1.0 Petrol	21,850	85.1%	Beats 61%	B
1.6 Petrol	6,078	86.5%	Beats 65%	B
2.0 Diesel	2,437	87.1%	Beats 81%	A

2016 Ford C-Max4 engines82.9% passB

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.5 Diesel	48,306	82.0%	Beats 61%	B
1.0 Petrol	17,955	83.8%	Beats 65%	B
1.6 Petrol	9,570	84.4%	Beats 66%	B
2.0 Diesel	7,554	84.4%	Beats 75%	B

2015 Ford C-Max5 engines80.1% passB

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.6 Diesel	33,446	75.8%	Beats 40%	D
1.6 Petrol	18,990	82.2%	Beats 65%	B
1.5 Diesel	18,759	81.3%	Beats 71%	B
1.0 Petrol	17,435	83.3%	Beats 75%	B
2.0 Diesel	12,172	82.1%	Beats 69%	B

2014 Ford C-Max4 engines76.1% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.6 Diesel	56,874	73.4%	Beats 47%	C
1.6 Petrol	20,597	79.1%	Beats 67%	B
2.0 Diesel	19,402	77.8%	Beats 62%	B
1.0 Petrol	14,773	79.7%	Beats 72%	B

2013 Ford C-Max4 engines75.0% passB

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.6 Diesel	60,159	73.1%	Beats 67%	B
1.6 Petrol	25,673	77.2%	Beats 75%	B
1.0 Petrol	19,115	76.7%	Beats 74%	B
2.0 Diesel	17,627	76.4%	Beats 72%	B

2012 Ford C-Max4 engines71.9% passB

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.6 Petrol	41,786	73.1%	Beats 69%	B
1.6 Diesel	35,588	70.3%	Beats 67%	B
2.0 Diesel	18,940	72.5%	Beats 68%	B
1.0 Petrol	1,401	71.6%	Beats 56%	C

2011 Ford C-Max4 engines69.5% passB

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.6 Petrol	38,540	70.9%	Beats 71%	B
1.6 Diesel	35,653	67.9%	Beats 68%	B
2.0 Diesel	19,639	70.3%	Beats 70%	B
1.8 Petrol	1,698	63.4%	Beats 36%	D

2010 Ford C-Max6 engines60.5% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.6 Petrol	26,577	62.0%	Beats 46%	C
1.8 Diesel	10,287	54.1%	Beats 22%	D
1.6 Diesel	8,536	61.4%	Beats 52%	C
1.8 Petrol	5,546	61.9%	Beats 45%	C
2.0 Petrol	4,258	65.7%	Beats 54%	C
2.0 Diesel	3,156	57.3%	Beats 34%	D

2009 Ford C-Max6 engines58.6% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.6 Petrol	23,279	59.5%	Beats 50%	C
1.8 Petrol	10,866	60.9%	Beats 54%	C
2.0 Petrol	6,617	61.0%	Beats 44%	C
1.8 Diesel	6,110	53.7%	Beats 32%	D
2.0 Diesel	5,593	54.7%	Beats 34%	D
1.6 Diesel	5,052	57.3%	Beats 47%	C

2008 Ford C-Max6 engines56.1% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.6 Petrol	37,756	57.2%	Beats 48%	C
1.8 Petrol	32,937	56.6%	Beats 46%	C
1.8 Diesel	18,576	53.8%	Beats 41%	C
2.0 Petrol	18,379	57.6%	Beats 44%	C
1.6 Diesel	9,105	53.5%	Beats 41%	C
2.0 Diesel	7,262	52.8%	Beats 36%	D

2007 Ford C-Max6 engines54.1% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.6 Petrol	33,024	54.8%	Beats 44%	C
1.8 Petrol	21,065	54.4%	Beats 41%	C
2.0 Petrol	16,538	54.8%	Beats 37%	D
1.8 Diesel	9,756	51.6%	Beats 37%	D
1.6 Diesel	8,924	52.8%	Beats 41%	C
2.0 Diesel	6,994	53.0%	Beats 44%	C

2006 Ford C-Max6 engines52.7% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.6 Petrol	25,141	52.7%	Beats 42%	C
2.0 Petrol	15,769	53.7%	Beats 38%	D
2.0 Diesel	8,398	52.5%	Beats 47%	C
1.8 Diesel	7,869	51.3%	Beats 42%	C
1.8 Petrol	7,048	52.9%	Beats 39%	D
1.6 Diesel	5,539	51.7%	Beats 41%	C

2005 Ford C-Max5 engines49.7% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.6 Petrol	25,990	49.6%	Beats 36%	D
1.8 Petrol	11,191	50.8%	Beats 39%	D
2.0 Diesel	9,841	48.0%	Beats 37%	D
1.6 Diesel	9,553	50.2%	Beats 42%	C
2.0 Petrol	1,324	51.9%	Beats 45%	C

2004 Ford C-Max4 engines47.7% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Petrol	18,618	48.2%	Beats 36%	D
1.6 Diesel	15,133	47.4%	Beats 38%	D
2.0 Diesel	13,611	47.3%	Beats 40%	D
1.6 Petrol	8,248	48.2%	Beats 36%	D

2003 Ford C-Max2 engines48.8% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Petrol	2,269	48.9%	Beats 38%	D
2.0 Diesel	1,290	48.6%	Beats 46%	C

FAQ

What is the Ford C-Max MOT pass rate?

67.4% of MOT tests on the Ford C-Max were passed first time, based on 1,232,485 tests between 2018 and 2026 of cars first registered 2003–2019. A typical car of the same age and mileage passes 67.0% of the time.

Is the Ford C-Max reliable?

On MOT results it rates C (average): it passes first time more often than a typical car of the same age and mileage and does better than 53% of cars on UK roads. MOT results cover safety and emissions items, not every kind of breakdown.

Which Ford C-Max year is best?

Among years with enough data, the 2013 C-Max does best for its age and mileage: it beats 70% of cars on UK roads. The 2018 does worst: it beats 17%.

Which Ford C-Max engine is best?

Across all years, the 1.5 Diesel does best: it beats 63% of cars on UK roads. The 1.8 Diesel does worst: it beats 35%.

What are the most common MOT failures on the Ford C-Max?

The most common failure items are tyre damage & cracking, headlight aim, headlight bulbs & units. Compared with similar cars, headlight bulbs & units comes up 1.4× as often.

How we calculate this. We use official MOT results for cars tested in Great Britain from 2018 to 2026. Each car is compared with typical cars of the same age and mileage, so old and new cars are judged fairly; “pts” are percentage points above or below them. Differences also reflect how cars are used and maintained, not only how they are built.

Ford C-Max reliability

Verdict

Watch these weak spots

MOT pass rate by age

Best and worst years

Engines

Where it fails

Every MOT area

Buying one or MOT due? Check these

Pass rate by mileage

Most common MOT failures

Specific defects found

Every year and engine

FAQ