Ford S-Max MOT failure rate and common faults
67,870 Ford S-Max cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 35.4% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 32.7% of the time, which makes the Ford S-Max 8% more likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
35.4%
failed first time
67,870 MOT tests in 2025
+8%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 32.7%
155 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
170.4
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 117.7
What fails on a Ford S-Max MOT
Failure items recorded per 1,000 tests, by part of the car, set against an average car with exactly the same spread of ages. A figure well above average is a weak spot worth checking before you buy.
The most common Ford S-Max MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 50.9 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 42.4 |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn | Suspension | 39.4 |
| Position lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 38.5 |
| Tyres: has ply or cords exposed | Tyres | 36.8 |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts | 30.2 |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps | Lights and electrics | 29.3 |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Suspension | 23.1 |
| Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 22.3 |
| Stop lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 20.7 |
Ford S-Max MOT failure rate by year
Every car fails more often as it ages, so each registration year is compared with the average for all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 500 tests are left out.
| First registered | Tests | Failed | Same age average | Average mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 745 | 18.4% | 11.4% | 25,100 |
| 2021 | 707 | 19.7% | 12.8% | 40,300 |
| 2020 | 1,140 | 19.6% | 14.1% | 44,500 |
| 2019 | 2,293 | 26.4% | 16.5% | 54,700 |
| 2018 | 2,396 | 19.3% | 19.1% | 62,900 |
| 2017 | 5,244 | 21.4% | 21.8% | 74,200 |
| 2016 | 6,842 | 24.2% | 25.1% | 80,100 |
| 2015 | 3,267 | 30.8% | 28.1% | 88,700 |
| 2014 | 6,289 | 36.0% | 31.4% | 100,400 |
| 2013 | 6,006 | 38.8% | 34.3% | 108,400 |
| 2012 | 6,611 | 40.0% | 36.6% | 117,400 |
| 2011 | 5,967 | 39.2% | 38.8% | 126,100 |
| 2010 | 7,796 | 42.0% | 40.7% | 130,600 |
| 2009 | 4,862 | 44.1% | 41.8% | 137,700 |
| 2008 | 3,511 | 46.6% | 42.9% | 145,300 |
| 2007 | 3,261 | 47.9% | 42.7% | 144,900 |
| 2006 | 932 | 49.8% | 43.0% | 141,000 |
Advisories to look for in a Ford S-Max's MOT history
An advisory is a tester's warning that something is wearing but has not failed yet. These are the ones written most often on the Ford S-Max, per 1,000 tests. If the car you are looking at has one of these, ask whether it has been fixed since.
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge461.8
- Brake pads: wearing thin178.8
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement170.2
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened157.0
- Coil spring: corroded132.9
- Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened114.1
Checking a used Ford S-Max before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Ford S-Max fails more often than average on tyres, body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts and steering. Start there.
Tyres
Check the tread across the full width of every tyre, inner edge included. Uneven wear points to worn suspension or out of line steering geometry.
Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts
Turn the steering to full lock and look behind each front wheel: the rubber boots on the drive shafts should be whole, with no grease sprayed around. Then get down with a torch and check the exhaust hangers, sills, floor and subframes for rust.
Steering
With the engine running, rock the wheel gently: there should be almost no free play. Listen for knocks on full lock and look for power steering fluid leaks.
Averages only take you so far. The specific car's MOT history shows whether it has already failed on any of these, how often advisories were ignored, and whether the mileage climbs steadily from test to test. Read our guide to reading a car's MOT history before you go to view it.
Fuel mix of the Ford S-Max cars tested: Diesel 90%, Petrol 9%. Average age at test 12.1 years, average recorded mileage 106,200.
Ford S-Max MOT questions
What is the Ford S-Max MOT failure rate?
35.4% of Ford S-Max cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 67,870 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 32.7% of the time, so the Ford S-Max was 8% more likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Ford S-Max MOT?
Lights and electrics caused the most failure items, at 215 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm", recorded 50.9 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Ford S-Max year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2016 registrations did best: 24.2% failed against an average of 25.1% for cars that age. Older cars always fail more often, so compare a year with its age group rather than with newer cars.
Does this tell me whether a particular Ford S-Max will pass?
No. These are averages across every Ford S-Max tested in 2025. The car in front of you has its own record: its full MOT history shows every pass, failure and advisory it has had, and it is free to view by registration.
Other Ford models
- Ford Fiesta34.1% failed
- Ford Focus31.4% failed
- Ford Kuga20.6% failed
- Ford Transit37.5% failed
- Ford Transit Custom22.8% failed
- Ford Ka33.3% failed
Ranked close to the Ford S-Max
- Nissan Leafrank 152
- Nissan Micrarank 153
- Vauxhall Merivarank 156
- Vauxhall Insigniarank 157
How these figures are calculated
Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 release. We count first tests of cars and small vans (class 4) aged 3 to 20, so a car that fails and is retested is counted once. A failure includes faults fixed and passed within the same visit. The same age average weights the national failure rate for each age by how many Ford S-Max cars of that age were tested, so a model is never penalised for having an older fleet. Make and model are as recorded at the test; trim levels are combined. Full method and rankings.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.