Does the Ford C-MAX fail the MOT on noise, emissions and leaks more than it should?
The Ford C-MAX records 3.05 noise, emissions and leaks failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 3.25 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) (−0.20, 95% interval −0.24 to −0.16). It ranks 303 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 C-MAX by registration
What exactly fails on noise, emissions and leaks?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Ford C-MAX is “Smoke opacity levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limit”, recorded 6,016 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Smoke opacity levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limit | 6,016 | 0.84 |
| Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction | 5,852 | 0.82 |
| Emissions levels exceed default limits | 1,642 | 0.23 |
| Emissions test unable to be completed | 1,615 | 0.23 |
| Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer | 1,425 | 0.20 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 712,923 (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 C-MAX gets a noise, emissions and leaks advisory, how often does it fail next time?
6.2% of Ford C-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 6,585 miles later (13,853 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 13,853 (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 C-MAX 2005 · Ford C-MAX 2006 · Ford C-MAX 2007 · Ford C-MAX 2008 · Ford C-MAX 2009 · Ford C-MAX 2010 · Ford C-MAX 2011 · Ford C-MAX 2012 · Ford C-MAX 2013 · Ford C-MAX 2014 · Ford C-MAX 2015 · Ford C-MAX 2016 · Ford C-MAX 2017 · Ford C-MAX 2018 · Ford C-MAX 2019 · Ford C-MAX in Norway · Ford C-MAX in Finland · Ford C-MAX in the Netherlands · Ford C-MAX by postcode area · Ford C-MAX body, chassis and structure failures · Ford C-MAX brakes failures · Ford C-MAX vehicle identification failures · Ford C-MAX lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Ford C-MAX road wheels failures · Ford C-MAX seat belts and airbags failures · Ford C-MAX steering failures · Ford C-MAX suspension failures · Ford C-MAX tyres failures · Ford C-MAX visibility failures