MOT Risk Index.co.uk

Ford Fiesta 2008: MOT failure rate for its age

43.1% of 416,503 MOT tests of the Ford Fiesta first registered in 2008 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 99.6 (95% CI 99.1–100.0; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 2008 build year is no different from other years of the same model at the same age.

Ford Fiesta built in 2008 at a glance
MeasureValueUnitCompared withYearsTests
Failed first time43.1%all ages tested2019–2024416503
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 99.1–100.0)99.6index100 = normal for this model at that age2019–2024416503
Rank among this model's 23 build years11of 231 = fails least for its age2019–2024416503
Tested in 202455164testsmedian 91,014 miles202455164
line · Ford Fiesta built 2008 · first-time MOT failure share by age · built 2008 40.3% vs model normal 43.1% at age 11 · 2019–2024
Built 2008 against Ford Fiesta normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 11: 40.3% vs 43.1%; age 12: 41.5% vs 41.9%; age 13: 43% vs 43%; age 14: 44.2% vs 43.1%; age 15: 44.8% vs 44.4%; age 16: 46.1% vs 44.7%. Axis from 0% to 50%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · full dataset (v5).

How does the 2008 Ford Fiesta fail at each age?

Cars built in 2008 were tested at ages 11 to 16 between 2019 and 2024. Each row compares their first-time failure share with what this model normally shows at that age, after allowing for the overall failure level of each test year.

Ford Fiesta built 2008: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
AgeTestsFailed, %95% intervalNormal for this model at that age, %Index (100 = normal)
1183,05040.340–40.743.193.5
1275,57941.541.1–41.841.999
1371,9924342.6–43.443100
1468,13044.243.9–44.643.1102.8
1562,58844.844.4–45.244.4100.9
1655,16446.145.7–46.544.7103.2

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 416,503 (initial tests) · Method: normal rate = this model's first-time failure share at that age across its build years (cells of 400+ tests), adjusted for each test year's overall level; cells of 30+ tests, under 500 marked rough · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

What fails most on the 2008 Ford Fiesta?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2008 is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: 32.2 items per 100 first tests, against 19.2 across all build years of the Ford Fiesta. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2008 were tested at ages 11 to 16.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Ford Fiesta built 2008 against the Ford Fiesta in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure groupBuilt 2008, per 100All build years, per 100Items
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment32.219.2134,209
Suspension25.218.5105,095
Brakes18.49.876,438
Visibility11.97.449,766
Tyres11.31046,939

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 416,503 (initial tests of this build year) · Method: failure items grouped by DVSA's top-level defect groups, per 100 initial tests; groups with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How does 2008 compare with the years around it?

Among the 23 published build years of the Ford Fiesta, 2008 ranks 11 (1 = fails least for its age). 2007: index 97.1. 2009: index 102.9.

Ford Fiesta build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build yearIndex (100 = normal)95% intervalVerdictTests
1998105.0101.9–108.0worse8,554
1999107.2104.9–109.6worse14,639
2000103.2101.0–105.4worse16,815
2001102.4100.8–103.9worse32,796
200297.996.9–98.8better87,706
200397.797.0–98.4better165,285
200499.799.1–100.4no different205,530
200599.699.1–100.2no different232,289
2006100.5100.0–101.0no different357,131
200797.196.6–97.5better408,568
200899.699.1–100.0no different416,503
2009102.9102.5–103.3worse600,362
2010103.3102.8–103.7worse552,779
201198.898.4–99.2better531,954
2012101.1100.7–101.5worse610,856
201399.499.0–99.8better694,760
201498.798.3–99.2better756,069
2015107.0106.5–107.4worse775,145
2016116.3115.8–116.9worse704,570
201786.986.3–87.5better479,855
201874.373.7–75.0better376,599
201980.679.6–81.5better225,262
2020108.2105.5–110.9worse41,508

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 8,295,535 (initial tests) · Method: observed failures against those expected for the same model at the same ages, test-year level adjusted; verdict follows the printed one-decimal bound · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How to cite this page

MOT Risk Index (2026). Ford Fiesta 2008 MOT statistics (data release dvsa-2024-v2; full dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22975051), updated 30 September 2026. motriskindex.co.uk/cars/ford-fiesta/2008/

How every figure is calculated: methodology. Age, test year and build year are tied together (age = test year − build year), so the test-year level is taken as observed, not estimated.

Other pages for this model

Ford Fiesta 1998 · Ford Fiesta 1999 · Ford Fiesta 2000 · Ford Fiesta 2001 · Ford Fiesta 2002 · Ford Fiesta 2003 · Ford Fiesta 2004 · Ford Fiesta 2005 · Ford Fiesta 2006 · Ford Fiesta 2007 · Ford Fiesta 2009 · Ford Fiesta 2010 · Ford Fiesta 2011 · Ford Fiesta 2012 · Ford Fiesta 2013 · Ford Fiesta 2014 · Ford Fiesta 2015 · Ford Fiesta 2016 · Ford Fiesta 2017 · Ford Fiesta 2018 · Ford Fiesta 2019 · Ford Fiesta 2020 · Ford Fiesta in Finland · Ford Fiesta in the Netherlands · Ford Fiesta in Norway · Ford Fiesta by postcode area · Ford Fiesta body, chassis and structure failures · Ford Fiesta brakes failures · Ford Fiesta vehicle identification failures · Ford Fiesta lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Ford Fiesta noise, emissions and leaks failures · Ford Fiesta road wheels failures · Ford Fiesta seat belts and airbags failures · Ford Fiesta steering failures · Ford Fiesta suspension failures · Ford Fiesta tyres failures · Ford Fiesta visibility failures