Does the Ford B-MAX fail the MOT on noise, emissions and leaks more than it should?
The Ford B-MAX records 1.79 noise, emissions and leaks failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 1.82 expected for a car of the same age mix: about as expected for its class and age (the difference is within its interval or under 0.5 items per 100 tests) (−0.03, 95% interval −0.08 to +0.02). It ranks 271 of 678 models on noise, emissions and leaks (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on noise, emissions and leaks · check a Ford B-MAX by registration
What exactly fails on noise, emissions and leaks?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Ford B-MAX is “Smoke opacity levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limit”, recorded 1,811 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Smoke opacity levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limit | 1,811 | 0.56 |
| Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer | 1,007 | 0.31 |
| Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction | 681 | 0.21 |
| Smoke opacity levels exceed default limit | 578 | 0.18 |
| Emissions test unable to be completed | 465 | 0.14 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 325,411 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
If a Ford B-MAX gets a noise, emissions and leaks advisory, how often does it fail next time?
4.9% of Ford B-MAX MOTs with a noise, emissions and leaks advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 6,464 miles later (2,835 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 2,835 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
Ford B-MAX 2012 · Ford B-MAX 2013 · Ford B-MAX 2014 · Ford B-MAX 2015 · Ford B-MAX 2016 · Ford B-MAX 2017 · Ford B-MAX 2018 · Ford B-MAX in Norway · Ford B-MAX in Finland · Ford B-MAX in the Netherlands · Ford B-MAX by postcode area · Ford B-MAX body, chassis and structure failures · Ford B-MAX brakes failures · Ford B-MAX vehicle identification failures · Ford B-MAX lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Ford B-MAX road wheels failures · Ford B-MAX seat belts and airbags failures · Ford B-MAX steering failures · Ford B-MAX suspension failures · Ford B-MAX tyres failures · Ford B-MAX visibility failures