Does the Ford Escort fail the MOT on vehicle identification more than it should?
The Ford Escort records 0.56 vehicle identification failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 0.80 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) (−0.24, 95% interval −0.30 to −0.18). It ranks 603 of 636 models on vehicle identification (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on vehicle identification · check a Ford Escort by registration
What exactly fails on vehicle identification?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Ford Escort is “Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements”, recorded 191 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements | 191 | 0.25 |
| Number plate inscription missing or illegible | 142 | 0.18 |
| Number plate missing or so insecure that it is likely to fall off | 69 | 0.09 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 77,294 (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 Escort gets a vehicle identification advisory, how often does it fail next time?
3.2% of Ford Escort MOTs with a vehicle identification advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 1,650 miles later (1,289 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,289 (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 Escort 1998 · Ford Escort 1999 · Ford Escort 2000 · Ford Escort 2001 · Ford Escort 2002 · Ford Escort in the Netherlands · Ford Escort by postcode area · Ford Escort body, chassis and structure failures · Ford Escort brakes failures · Ford Escort lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Ford Escort noise, emissions and leaks failures · Ford Escort road wheels failures · Ford Escort seat belts and airbags failures · Ford Escort steering failures · Ford Escort suspension failures · Ford Escort tyres failures · Ford Escort visibility failures