Does the Ford Cortina fail the MOT on noise, emissions and leaks more than it should?
The Ford Cortina records 2.42 noise, emissions and leaks failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 7.24 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−4.82, 95% interval −5.51 to −4.13). It ranks 658 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 Cortina by registration
What exactly fails on noise, emissions and leaks?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Ford Cortina is “Emissions levels exceed default limits”, recorded 108 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Emissions levels exceed default limits | 108 | 1.86 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 5,818 (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
Other pages for this model
Ford Cortina by postcode area · Ford Cortina body, chassis and structure failures · Ford Cortina brakes failures · Ford Cortina lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Ford Cortina seat belts and airbags failures · Ford Cortina steering failures · Ford Cortina suspension failures · Ford Cortina tyres failures · Ford Cortina visibility failures