Ford EcoSport Reliability: MOT Pass Rate by Year & Engine

Verdict

The Ford EcoSport passes its MOT first time on 79.7% of tests, 4.6 points lower than a typical car of the same age and mileage (84.3%). That puts it ahead of 11% of cars on UK roads once age and mileage are taken into account.

By year of first registration, the 2018 EcoSport does best (beats 30% of cars) and the 2017 worst (beats 4%).

Of its engines, the 1.5 Diesel does best (beats 14%) and the 1.0 Petrol worst (beats 10%).

Better than average on suspension.

Watch these weak spots

Lights & electrics2.4×as often as a typical car

Brakes1.6×as often as a typical car

Brake lights8.1×as often as a typical car

Headlight bulbs & units3.4×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 EcoSportTypical 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 14%

Beats 9%

Beats 7%

Beats 4%

Beats 30%

Beats 17%

Beats 8%

Beats 5%

Beats 12%

Beats 6%

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
1.0 Petrol	2014–2023	477,594	80.9%	Beats 10%	E
1.5 Diesel	2014–2019	94,772	75.1%	Beats 14%	E
1.5 Petrol	2014–2017	70,116	77.3%	Beats 11%	E

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

Lights: 9.7% of tests fail on lights & electrics, against 4.0% for a typical car of the same age and mileage. Walk round the car with every light on, including brake, fog and number plate lights.

Every MOT area

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

Lights & electrics

9.7% vs 4.0%

Tyres

5.0% vs 4.9%

Brakes

4.4% vs 2.8%

Visibility

3.5% vs 3.2%

Emissions & leaks

1.7% vs 1.0%

Body & structure

1.3% vs 0.8%

Suspension

1.3% vs 2.5%

Steering

0.9% vs 0.5%

Seat belts & airbags

0.3% vs 0.3%

Wheels

0.1% vs 0.2%

Buying one or MOT due? Check these

Brake lights 8.1× typical
Walk around with the lights on: bulb failures are the easiest MOT fails to avoid.
Headlight bulbs & units 3.4× typical
Check dipped and main beam on both sides.
Handbrake performance 6.5× typical
Check the handbrake holds the car firmly on a slope.
Exhaust emissions (catalyst) 3.9× typical
Check past MOT emissions readings in the car's history: rising readings can mean catalyst or sensor problems.
Exhaust system 3.8× typical
Listen for a blowing exhaust at start-up and look for heavy corrosion underneath.
Windscreen washers 1.4× typical
Test the washers and wipers: a cheap fix, but a very common MOT fail.

Pass rate by mileage

First-time pass rate by mileage at the test.

Ford EcoSportTypical car

Most common MOT failures

Item	This car	Typical	vs typical
Brake lights	4.9%	0.6%	8.1×
Tyre damage & cracking	2.7%	3.0%	0.9×
Headlight bulbs & units	2.2%	0.6%	3.4×
Headlight aim	2.1%	1.6%	1.4×
Windscreen wipers	1.8%	2.0%	0.9×
Handbrake performance	1.7%	0.3%	6.5×
Windscreen washers	1.7%	1.2%	1.4×
Tyre tread depth	1.5%	1.5%	1.0×
Brake pads	1.1%	1.5%	0.8×
Tyre pressure warning (TPMS)	1.0%	0.6%	1.7×

Specific defects found

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

Defect	per 1,000
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning	47.2
The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements	21.5
A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED	20.2
A tyre seriously damaged	19.1
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen	17.4
Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen	16.6
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements	15.5
Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement	14.8

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.

2023 Ford EcoSport1 engine86.5% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.0 Petrol	3,805	86.5%	Beats 6%	E

2022 Ford EcoSport1 engine87.4% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.0 Petrol	17,564	87.4%	Beats 12%	E

2021 Ford EcoSport1 engine85.0% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.0 Petrol	15,007	85.0%	Beats 5%	E

2020 Ford EcoSport1 engine84.4% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.0 Petrol	34,888	84.4%	Beats 8%	E

2019 Ford EcoSport2 engines84.6% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.0 Petrol	116,434	84.6%	Beats 16%	E
1.5 Diesel	4,980	85.0%	Beats 44%	C

2018 Ford EcoSport2 engines84.2% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.0 Petrol	121,291	84.3%	Beats 29%	D
1.5 Diesel	10,290	82.8%	Beats 35%	D

2017 Ford EcoSport3 engines76.5% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.0 Petrol	55,206	75.5%	Beats 2%	E
1.5 Petrol	20,214	79.8%	Beats 9%	E
1.5 Diesel	16,188	76.1%	Beats 8%	E

2016 Ford EcoSport3 engines75.2% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.0 Petrol	57,083	74.5%	Beats 5%	E
1.5 Diesel	29,312	73.8%	Beats 9%	E
1.5 Petrol	25,862	78.1%	Beats 11%	E

2015 Ford EcoSport3 engines73.1% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.0 Petrol	48,765	72.6%	Beats 6%	E
1.5 Diesel	24,514	72.4%	Beats 13%	E
1.5 Petrol	18,743	75.3%	Beats 12%	E

2014 Ford EcoSport3 engines70.3% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.5 Diesel	9,488	70.3%	Beats 18%	E
1.0 Petrol	7,551	70.0%	Beats 10%	E
1.5 Petrol	5,297	70.8%	Beats 12%	E

FAQ

What is the Ford EcoSport MOT pass rate?

79.7% of MOT tests on the Ford EcoSport were passed first time, based on 642,482 tests between 2018 and 2026 of cars first registered 2014–2023. A typical car of the same age and mileage passes 84.3% of the time.

Is the Ford EcoSport reliable?

On MOT results it rates E (poor): it passes first time less often than a typical car of the same age and mileage and does better than 11% of cars on UK roads. MOT results cover safety and emissions items, not every kind of breakdown.

Which Ford EcoSport year is best?

Among years with enough data, the 2018 EcoSport does best for its age and mileage: it beats 30% of cars on UK roads. The 2017 does worst: it beats 4%.

Which Ford EcoSport engine is best?

Across all years, the 1.5 Diesel does best: it beats 14% of cars on UK roads. The 1.0 Petrol does worst: it beats 10%.

What are the most common MOT failures on the Ford EcoSport?

The most common failure items are brake lights, tyre damage & cracking, headlight bulbs & units. Compared with similar cars, brake lights comes up 8.1× 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 EcoSport 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