Ford Transit Connect MOT failure rate and common faults
158,867 Ford Transit Connect vans aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 33.0% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 25.9% of the time, which makes the Ford Transit Connect 27% more likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
33.0%
failed first time
158,867 MOT tests in 2025
+27%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 25.9%
10 of 24
age adjusted rank
among vans and pickups; 1 fails least
153.7
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 97.9
What fails on a Ford Transit Connect 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 Transit Connect 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 | 42.6 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 42.2 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 39.3 |
| Position lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 32.4 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength | Suspension | 32.4 |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts | 31.2 |
| Stop lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 30.8 |
| Tyres: has ply or cords exposed | Tyres | 27.9 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | Engine, emissions and leaks | 27.6 |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps | Lights and electrics | 24.8 |
Ford Transit Connect 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 | 7,921 | 20.9% | 11.4% | 47,300 |
| 2021 | 11,268 | 20.9% | 12.8% | 58,800 |
| 2020 | 11,005 | 26.1% | 14.1% | 67,400 |
| 2019 | 14,653 | 27.3% | 16.5% | 77,500 |
| 2018 | 16,186 | 25.4% | 19.1% | 90,200 |
| 2017 | 17,869 | 26.0% | 21.8% | 100,600 |
| 2016 | 13,542 | 29.5% | 25.1% | 111,700 |
| 2015 | 12,700 | 31.3% | 28.1% | 118,400 |
| 2014 | 10,150 | 34.3% | 31.4% | 127,800 |
| 2013 | 3,994 | 41.2% | 34.3% | 117,300 |
| 2012 | 5,155 | 45.6% | 36.6% | 120,900 |
| 2011 | 5,076 | 46.5% | 38.8% | 131,500 |
| 2010 | 4,332 | 49.9% | 40.7% | 134,700 |
| 2009 | 4,119 | 50.4% | 41.8% | 129,700 |
| 2008 | 5,869 | 50.5% | 42.9% | 140,900 |
| 2007 | 6,254 | 50.8% | 42.7% | 145,200 |
| 2006 | 5,223 | 52.1% | 43.0% | 141,900 |
| 2005 | 3,551 | 51.3% | 42.4% | 141,800 |
Advisories to look for in a Ford Transit Connect'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 Transit Connect, 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 edge381.7
- Brake pads: wearing thin145.1
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material136.2
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened110.9
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive101.0
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing72.2
Checking a used Ford Transit Connect before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Ford Transit Connect fails more often than average on lights and electrics, brakes and tyres. Start there.
Lights and electrics
Walk round the car with every light on: headlights on dip and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and the number plate lamp. A pattern of electrical faults costs more than a bulb.
Brakes
Look through the wheel spokes at the discs for a deep lip or scoring, check the handbrake holds the car on a slope, and feel for a pull to one side when braking hard.
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.
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.
Ford Transit Connect MOT questions
What is the Ford Transit Connect MOT failure rate?
33.0% of Ford Transit Connect vans failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 158,867 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 25.9% of the time, so the Ford Transit Connect was 27% more likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Ford Transit Connect MOT?
Lights and electrics caused the most failure items, at 228 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm", recorded 42.6 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Ford Transit Connect year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2014 registrations did best: 34.3% failed against an average of 31.4% 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 Transit Connect will pass?
No. These are averages across every Ford Transit Connect 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 Transit Connect
- Toyota Hiluxrank 7
- Fiat Doblorank 8
- Nissan Navararank 12
- Peugeot Expertrank 13
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 Transit Connect vans 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.