Ford Fiesta Reliability: MOT Pass Rate by Year & Engine

Verdict

The Ford Fiesta passes its MOT first time on 66.5% of tests, against 70.7% for a typical car of the same age and mileage. That beats only 27% of cars on UK roads. Among small hatchbacks, the Honda Jazz, Toyota Yaris and Škoda Fabia do clearly better; the Vauxhall Corsa and Renault Clio do worse.

Year matters more than anything else. Cars first registered from 2018 on, the last generation of the Fiesta, beat just under half of cars, about average. 2009–2016 cars beat only about one in five, and 2015 and 2016 cars fewer than one in ten.

The weak spots are brake lights (about 2.6 times as many fails as a typical car, and about 6 times on 2015–2016 cars), suspension ball joints (about 2.6 times) and track rod ends (about twice).

Engine matters less than year: the 1.0 petrol in cars from 2018 on beats just under half of cars, but in 2012–2016 cars only about one in ten.

Watch these weak spots

Lights & electrics1.3×as often as a typical car

Steering1.7×as often as a typical car

Brake lights2.6×as often as a typical car

Suspension ball joints2.6×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 FiestaTypical 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 67%

Beats 29%

Beats 94%

Beats 6%

Beats 12%

Beats 3%

Beats 3%

Beats 3%

Beats 7%

Beats 15%

Beats 19%

Beats 39%

Beats 46%

Beats 43%

Beats 42%

Beats 39%

Beats 43%

Beats 38%

Beats 32%

Beats 31%

Beats 33%

Beats 25%

Beats 23%

Beats 17%

Beats 8%

Beats 3%

Beats 18%

Beats 54%

Beats 45%

Beats 20%

Beats 35%

Beats 67%

Beats 43%

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
1.2 Petrol	1996–2017	4,047,587	63.7%	Beats 26%	D
1.0 Petrol	2012–2023	3,246,257	76.9%	Beats 16%	E
1.4 Petrol	1997–2013	1,803,801	60.1%	Beats 42%	C
1.6 Petrol	1988–2017	757,439	66.2%	Beats 31%	D
1.4 Diesel	2002–2013	711,976	55.4%	Beats 34%	D
1.6 Diesel	2005–2015	566,018	57.2%	Beats 24%	D
1.5 Diesel	2012–2020	449,511	65.5%	Beats 6%	E
1.1 Petrol	1988–2022	242,484	84.9%	Beats 44%	C
1.3 Petrol	1994–2009	122,649	52.3%	Beats 26%	D
2.0 Petrol	2005–2009	75,538	59.3%	Beats 61%	B
1.5 Petrol	2018–2023	62,503	85.3%	Beats 37%	D
1.8 Diesel	2001–2001	1,654	47.8%	Beats 32%	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

Lights: 15.8% of tests fail on lights & electrics, against 11.8% 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

15.8% vs 11.8%

Suspension

11.4% vs 9.2%

Tyres

7.7% vs 6.3%

Brakes

5.9% vs 6.8%

Visibility

4.9% vs 5.0%

Emissions & leaks

3.6% vs 3.0%

Body & structure

3.1% vs 3.4%

Steering

3.1% vs 1.8%

Seat belts & airbags

0.8% vs 1.0%

Wheels

0.4% vs 0.3%

Buying one or MOT due? Check these

Brake lights
The Fiesta's most common MOT fail, on about 6% of tests. Have someone press the brake and check every brake light, including the high-level one.
Suspension ball joints
Fail nearly 4 times as often as on a typical car on 2009–2017 Fiestas. Listen for knocks over speed bumps and feel for wandering or vague steering.
Track rod ends
Fail about 3 times as often as on a typical car on 2015–2016 cars. Feel for play or knocking in the steering and look for wear on the inner edges of the front tyres.
Coil springs
Fail about 3 times as often as on a typical car on 2015–2016 cars. Look behind each wheel for a snapped coil and listen for clunks over bumps.
Tyre pressure warning (TPMS)
Fails about twice as often as on a typical car on 2015–2016 cars. Make sure no tyre-pressure warning stays on after start-up.
Brake pipes
Fail about 2.5 times as often as on a typical car on 2002–2008 cars. Look underneath for heavily corroded brake pipes.
Airbag warning light
Rare, but about 4 times as common as on a typical car on cars from 2018 on. The airbag light should go out a few seconds after start-up.

Pass rate by mileage

First-time pass rate by mileage at the test.

Ford FiestaTypical car

Most common MOT failures

Item	This car	Typical	vs typical
Brake lights	6.0%	2.3%	2.6×
Tyre damage & cracking	4.2%	3.5%	1.2×
Headlight aim	3.6%	3.2%	1.1×
Suspension ball joints	3.6%	1.4%	2.6×
Sidelights	2.9%	2.8%	1.1×
Tyre tread depth	2.8%	2.5%	1.1×
Coil springs	2.8%	2.6%	1.1×
Headlight bulbs & units	2.6%	2.1%	1.2×
Track rod ends	2.5%	1.3%	1.9×
Windscreen washers	2.3%	2.2%	1.1×

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	56.5
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn	48.0
The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements	36.4
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements	28.4
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened	28.2
A tyre seriously damaged	24.6
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning	24.4
Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen	23.4

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 Fiesta2 engines89.7% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.0 Petrol	7,113	89.6%	Beats 41%	C
1.5 Petrol	1,383	90.1%	Beats 55%	C

2022 Ford Fiesta3 engines90.8% passB

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.0 Petrol	29,390	90.9%	Beats 67%	B
1.5 Petrol	4,861	89.9%	Beats 55%	C
1.1 Petrol	2,929	92.1%	Beats 78%	B

2021 Ford Fiesta3 engines87.6% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.0 Petrol	77,772	87.5%	Beats 34%	D
1.5 Petrol	2,039	89.5%	Beats 65%	B
1.1 Petrol	1,947	89.0%	Beats 50%	C

2020 Ford Fiesta4 engines85.3% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.0 Petrol	171,282	85.3%	Beats 18%	E
1.5 Petrol	9,986	84.9%	Beats 18%	E
1.5 Diesel	5,332	84.6%	Beats 65%	B
1.1 Petrol	4,617	85.9%	Beats 18%	E

2019 Ford Fiesta4 engines85.9% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.0 Petrol	275,905	86.2%	Beats 47%	C
1.1 Petrol	63,648	85.8%	Beats 38%	D
1.5 Petrol	27,779	84.6%	Beats 34%	D
1.5 Diesel	13,706	83.2%	Beats 64%	B

2018 Ford Fiesta4 engines85.2% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.0 Petrol	402,552	85.6%	Beats 56%	C
1.1 Petrol	111,239	85.0%	Beats 48%	C
1.5 Diesel	18,164	80.7%	Beats 50%	C
1.5 Petrol	16,455	84.3%	Beats 47%	C

2017 Ford Fiesta5 engines80.1% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.0 Petrol	367,285	80.7%	Beats 19%	E
1.2 Petrol	121,612	80.6%	Beats 19%	E
1.1 Petrol	54,457	84.1%	Beats 45%	C
1.5 Diesel	42,413	72.2%	Beats 7%	E
1.6 Petrol	33,816	75.2%	Beats 4%	E

2016 Ford Fiesta4 engines73.0% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.0 Petrol report →	495,888	72.9%	Beats 3%	E
1.2 Petrol	253,924	75.2%	Beats 6%	E
1.5 Diesel	93,087	66.2%	Beats 3%	E
1.6 Petrol	60,974	74.2%	Beats 5%	E

2015 Ford Fiesta5 engines72.7% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.0 Petrol	543,175	72.9%	Beats 7%	E
1.2 Petrol	370,662	74.0%	Beats 10%	E
1.5 Diesel	104,291	65.9%	Beats 5%	E
1.6 Petrol	79,802	75.7%	Beats 16%	E
1.6 Diesel	26,329	66.8%	Beats 8%	E

2014 Ford Fiesta5 engines70.8% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.0 Petrol	472,030	71.6%	Beats 17%	E
1.2 Petrol	390,523	72.5%	Beats 21%	D
1.6 Petrol	92,968	74.0%	Beats 30%	D
1.5 Diesel	77,085	59.3%	Beats 3%	E
1.6 Diesel	61,369	63.1%	Beats 9%	E

2013 Ford Fiesta7 engines67.9% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.0 Petrol	394,172	68.1%	Beats 21%	D
1.2 Petrol	366,297	69.7%	Beats 28%	D
1.5 Diesel	92,774	59.7%	Beats 11%	E
1.6 Petrol	82,759	73.7%	Beats 42%	C
1.6 Diesel	62,467	60.4%	Beats 14%	E
1.4 Diesel	4,697	63.3%	Beats 28%	D
1.4 Petrol	2,481	67.2%	Beats 26%	D

2012 Ford Fiesta7 engines64.8% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.2 Petrol	425,197	64.7%	Beats 20%	E
1.4 Petrol	193,573	69.5%	Beats 37%	D
1.4 Diesel	115,854	62.6%	Beats 32%	D
1.6 Diesel	79,244	57.2%	Beats 15%	E
1.6 Petrol	56,823	63.9%	Beats 24%	D
1.0 Petrol	9,693	69.4%	Beats 38%	D
1.5 Diesel	2,659	59.1%	Beats 14%	E

2011 Ford Fiesta5 engines63.1% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.2 Petrol	308,565	62.1%	Beats 24%	D
1.4 Petrol	203,562	67.4%	Beats 44%	C
1.4 Diesel	108,430	61.1%	Beats 40%	C
1.6 Diesel	90,035	60.0%	Beats 37%	D
1.6 Petrol	54,346	61.5%	Beats 28%	D

2010 Ford Fiesta5 engines59.0% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.2 Petrol	291,882	59.0%	Beats 27%	D
1.4 Petrol	232,828	63.6%	Beats 42%	C
1.4 Diesel	115,201	53.6%	Beats 23%	D
1.6 Diesel	91,943	54.7%	Beats 28%	D
1.6 Petrol	58,741	58.7%	Beats 32%	D

2009 Ford Fiesta7 engines57.0% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.2 Petrol	335,481	56.7%	Beats 28%	D
1.4 Petrol	268,561	61.6%	Beats 45%	C
1.4 Diesel	101,281	51.6%	Beats 24%	D
1.6 Diesel	85,063	50.4%	Beats 21%	D
1.6 Petrol	59,303	56.3%	Beats 33%	D
2.0 Petrol	1,268	63.2%	Beats 65%	B
1.3 Petrol	1,067	55.8%	Beats 23%	D

2008 Ford Fiesta6 engines57.0% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.2 Petrol	277,829	57.2%	Beats 36%	D
1.4 Petrol	148,971	58.2%	Beats 40%	D
1.4 Diesel	71,108	54.0%	Beats 38%	D
1.6 Petrol	37,124	57.7%	Beats 37%	D
1.6 Diesel	27,442	53.3%	Beats 37%	D
2.0 Petrol	16,850	60.6%	Beats 59%	C

2007 Ford Fiesta6 engines56.8% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.2 Petrol	271,930	56.5%	Beats 39%	D
1.4 Petrol	160,013	57.4%	Beats 42%	C
1.4 Diesel	50,846	53.7%	Beats 43%	C
1.6 Petrol	39,372	59.7%	Beats 49%	C
2.0 Petrol	23,462	59.7%	Beats 61%	B
1.6 Diesel	23,185	55.1%	Beats 49%	C

2006 Ford Fiesta6 engines54.4% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.2 Petrol	220,352	54.1%	Beats 36%	D
1.4 Petrol	155,756	55.0%	Beats 39%	D
1.4 Diesel	51,890	50.7%	Beats 37%	D
1.6 Petrol	37,585	56.9%	Beats 43%	C
2.0 Petrol	19,401	58.3%	Beats 61%	B
1.6 Diesel	13,086	53.5%	Beats 49%	C

2005 Ford Fiesta6 engines54.0% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.2 Petrol	133,423	54.0%	Beats 40%	D
1.4 Petrol	119,661	54.1%	Beats 42%	C
1.4 Diesel	29,980	50.5%	Beats 42%	C
1.6 Petrol	23,382	55.1%	Beats 43%	C
2.0 Petrol	14,557	58.0%	Beats 63%	B
1.6 Diesel	5,855	53.1%	Beats 51%	C

2004 Ford Fiesta4 engines53.0% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.4 Petrol	140,104	52.6%	Beats 41%	C
1.2 Petrol	111,752	54.1%	Beats 46%	C
1.4 Diesel	28,134	49.5%	Beats 44%	C
1.6 Petrol	12,682	55.9%	Beats 45%	C

2003 Ford Fiesta5 engines53.5% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.4 Petrol	118,926	53.2%	Beats 44%	C
1.2 Petrol	56,091	53.9%	Beats 46%	C
1.3 Petrol	27,943	55.8%	Beats 51%	C
1.4 Diesel	24,430	50.8%	Beats 48%	C
1.6 Petrol	10,529	54.6%	Beats 49%	C

2002 Ford Fiesta5 engines52.7% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.4 Petrol	51,036	52.9%	Beats 43%	C
1.3 Petrol	35,788	53.6%	Beats 39%	D
1.2 Petrol	24,333	50.5%	Beats 22%	D
1.4 Diesel	10,125	51.8%	Beats 50%	C
1.6 Petrol	8,202	55.1%	Beats 51%	C

2001 Ford Fiesta4 engines49.6% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.2 Petrol	25,826	48.2%	Beats 16%	E
1.3 Petrol	24,017	49.1%	Beats 16%	E
1.6 Petrol	4,218	61.2%	Beats 67%	B
1.8 Diesel	1,654	47.8%	Beats 32%	D

2000 Ford Fiesta4 engines49.2% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.2 Petrol	18,209	47.4%	Beats 11%	E
1.3 Petrol	10,170	50.7%	Beats 16%	E
1.6 Petrol	1,857	59.2%	Beats 62%	B
1.4 Petrol	1,247	48.1%	Beats 12%	E

1999 Ford Fiesta3 engines47.6% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.2 Petrol	19,274	47.1%	Beats 7%	E
1.3 Petrol	9,950	48.5%	Beats 8%	E
1.4 Petrol	2,491	47.3%	Beats 7%	E

1998 Ford Fiesta3 engines47.5% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.2 Petrol	14,942	46.8%	Beats 3%	E
1.3 Petrol	6,263	49.6%	Beats 4%	E
1.4 Petrol	3,161	46.8%	Beats 3%	E

1997 Ford Fiesta3 engines48.6% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.2 Petrol	6,593	47.7%	Beats 2%	E
1.3 Petrol	3,291	51.2%	Beats 4%	E
1.4 Petrol	1,430	46.9%	Beats 3%	E

1996 Ford Fiesta2 engines50.9% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.2 Petrol	2,890	50.1%	Beats 3%	E
1.3 Petrol	1,727	52.3%	Beats 4%	E

1995 Ford Fiesta2 engines59.8% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.3 Petrol	1,296	56.6%	Beats 6%	E
1.1 Petrol	1,259	63.2%	Beats 22%	D

1994 Ford Fiesta1 engine57.0% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.3 Petrol	1,137	57.0%	Beats 6%	E

1991 Ford Fiesta1 engine81.4% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.6 Petrol	1,589	81.4%	Beats 94%	A

1989 Ford Fiesta1 engine68.8% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.1 Petrol	1,057	68.8%	Beats 29%	D

1988 Ford Fiesta2 engines75.9% passB

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.6 Petrol	1,367	80.3%	Beats 88%	A
1.1 Petrol	1,331	71.3%	Beats 42%	C

FAQ

What is the Ford Fiesta MOT pass rate?

66.5% of Ford Fiesta MOT tests were passed first time, from 12.1 million tests. A typical car of the same age and mileage passes 70.7%, so the Fiesta does somewhat worse than typical.

Is the Ford Fiesta reliable?

On MOT results it is below average overall: it beats only 27% of cars on UK roads. Cars first registered from 2018 on do about as well as a typical car. MOT results cover safety and emissions items, not every kind of breakdown.

Which Ford Fiesta years are best?

Cars first registered from 2018 on: they beat just under half of cars on UK roads once age and mileage are taken into account, and 2018 cars just over half.

Which Ford Fiesta years should I avoid?

2015 and 2016 cars do worst of the recent years: they beat fewer than one in ten cars, failing far more often than typical on brake lights, coil springs, ball joints and track rod ends. Cars from 1996–2001 do about as badly, but few are left.

Which Ford Fiesta engine is best?

Of the common engines, the 1.1 petrol, almost all from 2017 on, does best, beating just under half of cars; the 1.5 diesel does worst. But the year of the car matters more than the engine: the 1.0 petrol beats about one in ten cars in 2012–2016 cars and just under half from 2018 on.

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

Brake lights (about 6% of tests), tyre damage, headlight aim and suspension ball joints.

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 Fiesta 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