Ford S-MAX MOT pass rate and common failures
In 2025, 64.5% of Ford S-MAX MOT tests were a first-time pass, across 67,262 tests in Great Britain. For all cars it was 71.5%.
Compared with cars of the same age
Older cars fail more often, so a model that’s mostly a few years old will look better than one that’s mostly 12. These figures compare like with like.
At 3–5 years
77.8%
All cars: 86.1% (8.3 points worse). 3,537 tests.
At 6–10 years
74.3%
All cars: 76.1% (1.8 points worse). 21,718 tests.
At 11 years and over
58.3%
All cars: 61.3% (3 points worse). 42,007 tests.
Pass rate by age
Figures by age, with typical mileage
| Age (years) | Tests | First-time pass | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 535 | 82.8% | 87.8% | 33,750 miles |
| 4 | 1,149 | 78.9% | 86.4% | 41,250 miles |
| 5 | 1,853 | 75.7% | 84.5% | 48,750 miles |
| 6 | 2,230 | 78.1% | 81.9% | 56,250 miles |
| 7 | 3,670 | 79.5% | 79.3% | 66,250 miles |
| 8 | 6,256 | 77.3% | 76.3% | 73,750 miles |
| 9 | 5,111 | 73.4% | 73.1% | 81,250 miles |
| 10 | 4,451 | 64.9% | 70.0% | 93,750 miles |
| 11 | 6,593 | 61.9% | 66.9% | 101,250 miles |
| 12 | 5,811 | 61.1% | 64.4% | 111,250 miles |
| 13 | 6,185 | 60.1% | 62.1% | 118,750 miles |
| 14 | 7,631 | 59.8% | 60.2% | 126,250 miles |
| 15 | 6,172 | 56.0% | 58.6% | 133,750 miles |
| 16 | 3,669 | 55.4% | 57.5% | 141,250 miles |
| 17 | 3,535 | 52.9% | 57.2% | 143,750 miles |
| 18 | 2,173 | 50.3% | 57.0% | 141,250 miles |
| 19 | 238 | 52.9% | 57.2% | 148,750 miles |
Typical mileage is the median reading at the test, to the nearest 2,500 miles.
What fails most often
The share of Ford S-MAX MOT tests that failed on at least one item in each area, against all cars. A test can fail on several areas at once.
| Area | S-MAX | All cars |
|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 21.0% | 16.6% |
| Suspension | 15.8% | 13.7% |
| Tyres | 13.9% | 8.4% |
| Brakes | 10.8% | 10.2% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 6.9% | 4.2% |
| Visibility | 5.3% | 5.2% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 4.1% | 4.0% |
| Steering | 3.6% | 2.5% |
Most common reasons for failing
- Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm failed 5.0% of tests
- Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick failed 4.2% of tests · what this means
- Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn failed 4.2% of tests · what this means
- Position lamp: not working failed 3.8% of tests · what this means
- Condition: has ply or cords exposed failed 3.7% of tests
- Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt failed 3.0% of tests
- Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps failed 2.9% of tests · what this means
- Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt failed 2.3% of tests · what this means
- Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords failed 2.2% of tests
- Stop lamp: not working failed 2.1% of tests · what this means
Checking a particular S-MAX?
See its own MOT history, mileage record and advisories in plain English. Free, no sign-up.
About these figures
- They cover every S-MAX version DVSA records under this name (engines, trims and generations together), on its first MOT test of each visit. A “pass with rectification” (fixed within an hour) counts as a fail, as in DVSA’s own statistics.
- Cars under three years old are left out, because the few tested that young are mostly taxis.
- Fuel mix of the cars tested: diesel 90.7%, petrol 9.1%, hybrid electric (clean) 0.2%.
- A pass rate describes the model, not any one car. How a car has been looked after matters more.
Download these figures (CSV) · Other Ford models · All makes
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data for 2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Our own analysis; not produced or endorsed by DVSA.