MOT Risk Index.co.uk

Ford Focus — MOT statistics 2024

All Ford Focus variants tested in Great Britain in 2024 — 1,348,944 MOT tests, every generation and engine together.

MOT risk index
106.9
100 = normal for its age

This car fails its MOT about 7% more often than expected for its age.

Rank 14 of 25 families published so far · margin of error ±1 points

What this means for buyers

Checklist when viewing a used Focus:
  1. Listen for knocks over bumps — worn suspension joints are common
  2. Check tyre tread depth across the full width
  3. Try every light and switch — lamps are a top failure
  4. Ask the seller about: A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened

Top specific failures

Exact defect wording from test records, per 100 tests.

What failedper 100
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn7.38
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements5.17
The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements4.93
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened3.88
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning3.66
A tyre seriously damaged3.47
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources3.07
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view3.02
A tyre cords visible or damaged2.99
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated2.97

Failures by component area

Lamps & electrical 27 Suspension 22.2 Tyres 13.2 Brakes 11.4 Visibility 10.2 Body & structure 8.7

Early warnings (advisories)

Advisories are wear the tester noted but didn't fail — what will need money soon.

Tyres 70.1 Suspension 65.1 Brakes 44.5 Non-component advisories 11 Body & structure 10.5 Emissions & leaks 7.8

How it ages

3579111315171953%car age, years

Takeaway: a 10-year-old Focus has roughly a 31% chance of failing its MOT; from about age 3 it does worse than the average car.

Data table
AgeFord FocusAll cars
312.7%10.9%
412.0%11.6%
515.3%13.5%
615.7%15.6%
716.3%18.2%
819.2%21.3%
923.1%24.4%
1031.5%27.7%
1134.6%30.6%
1235.4%33.4%
1340.2%36.0%
1441.9%38.6%
1542.2%39.9%
1644.3%41.5%
1742.4%41.5%
1842.7%42.4%
1946.9%42.2%
2048.8%37.5%

Where they fail most

Every dot is a postcode area — size = how many were tested there, colour = share failing. Raw rates: coastal and rural areas run older fleets and salted roads.

Salisbury (SP): 42.4% failing, 6,292 testsExeter (EX): 41% failing, 12,391 testsDorchester (DT): 40.5% failing, 5,469 testsBrighton (BN): 40.3% failing, 15,345 testsPlymouth (PL): 40.2% failing, 13,806 testsBath (BA): 39.3% failing, 10,926 testsBristol (BS): 39.3% failing, 23,363 testsBournemouth (BH): 39.1% failing, 13,348 testsLlandrindod Wells (LD): 38.9% failing, 1,066 testsDundee (DD): 38.7% failing, 5,105 testsTruro (TR): 38.5% failing, 5,532 testsTorquay (TQ): 38.5% failing, 5,456 testsPortsmouth (PO): 37.8% failing, 17,780 testsTaunton (TA): 37.2% failing, 8,984 testsGloucester (GL): 35.8% failing, 16,482 testsLincoln (LN): 35.6% failing, 6,943 testsSwindon (SN): 35.5% failing, 9,861 testsCanterbury (CT): 35.4% failing, 10,343 testsGuildford (GU): 35.1% failing, 13,358 testsCardiff (CF): 34.6% failing, 27,009 testsWatford (WD): 34.4% failing, 3,797 testsNorthampton (NN): 34.2% failing, 17,033 testsHuddersfield (HD): 34.1% failing, 4,295 testsNewport (NP): 33.9% failing, 12,030 testsSouthampton (SO): 33.9% failing, 15,525 testsBlackpool (FY): 33.8% failing, 4,849 testsKirkcaldy (KY): 33.6% failing, 9,575 testsNorwich (NR): 33.3% failing, 20,790 testsTonbridge (TN): 33.1% failing, 17,118 testsChester (CH): 33% failing, 13,898 testsColchester (CO): 33% failing, 12,311 testsSwansea (SA): 33% failing, 16,065 testsHull (HU): 32.9% failing, 9,707 testsAberdeen (AB): 32.7% failing, 11,531 testsManchester (M): 32.3% failing, 20,311 testsLondon SE (SE): 32.2% failing, 10,640 testsSunderland (SR): 32.2% failing, 3,504 testsHereford (HR): 32.2% failing, 4,030 testsIpswich (IP): 32% failing, 17,562 testsBradford (BD): 31.8% failing, 10,617 testsWigan (WN): 31.6% failing, 7,165 testsCambridge (CB): 31.5% failing, 9,114 testsMedway (ME): 31.5% failing, 20,742 testsRedhill (RH): 31.2% failing, 13,954 testsWolverhampton (WV): 31.1% failing, 9,329 testsNottingham (NG): 31% failing, 26,214 testsStevenage (SG): 30.9% failing, 10,447 testsHemel Hempstead (HP): 30.9% failing, 12,379 testsYork (YO): 30.7% failing, 11,262 testsPerth (PH): 30.7% failing, 3,253 testsLondon W (W): 30.6% failing, 1,897 testsLancaster (LA): 30.3% failing, 6,286 testsStockport (SK): 30.3% failing, 12,831 testsMilton Keynes (MK): 30.3% failing, 13,157 testsWorcester (WR): 30.2% failing, 7,108 testsLlandudno (LL): 30.2% failing, 13,494 testsEdinburgh (EH): 30.1% failing, 14,555 testsDartford (DA): 30.1% failing, 11,815 testsCleveland (TS): 30.1% failing, 12,154 testsLondon E (E): 30% failing, 11,558 testsReading (RG): 30% failing, 18,984 testsPreston (PR): 29.9% failing, 10,700 testsWarrington (WA): 29.9% failing, 16,945 testsSlough (SL): 29.8% failing, 7,262 testsSt Albans (AL): 29.8% failing, 5,333 testsDarlington (DL): 29.6% failing, 6,322 testsOxford (OX): 29.6% failing, 15,124 testsLiverpool (L): 29.5% failing, 22,155 testsBolton (BL): 29.5% failing, 9,137 testsOldham (OL): 29.4% failing, 8,332 testsSutton (SM): 29.3% failing, 2,759 testsStoke-on-Trent (ST): 29.3% failing, 15,284 testsShrewsbury (SY): 29.3% failing, 7,252 testsLuton (LU): 29.3% failing, 6,913 testsHarrogate (HG): 29.3% failing, 1,953 testsTelford (TF): 29.3% failing, 5,222 testsDoncaster (DN): 29.3% failing, 17,659 testsChelmsford (CM): 29.2% failing, 20,935 testsLeicester (LE): 29.1% failing, 25,589 testsLondon N (N): 29.1% failing, 6,749 testsPeterborough (PE): 29% failing, 25,181 testsCoventry (CV): 28.8% failing, 20,012 testsBlackburn (BB): 28.6% failing, 10,843 testsHarrow (HA): 28.6% failing, 5,436 testsLeeds (LS): 28.5% failing, 15,087 testsNewcastle (NE): 28.5% failing, 22,287 testsInverness (IV): 28.4% failing, 5,444 testsDudley (DY): 28.4% failing, 8,171 testsGalashiels (TD): 28.3% failing, 2,405 testsWalsall (WS): 28.3% failing, 10,319 testsBirmingham (B): 28.2% failing, 46,026 testsWakefield (WF): 28.2% failing, 12,286 testsCrewe (CW): 28.1% failing, 8,094 testsCarlisle (CA): 28% failing, 9,889 testsHalifax (HX): 27.7% failing, 2,598 testsLondon NW (NW): 27.6% failing, 6,535 testsCroydon (CR): 27.6% failing, 7,008 testsIlford (IG): 27.3% failing, 7,413 testsDerby (DE): 27.2% failing, 19,841 testsKirkwall (KW): 26.9% failing, 1,140 testsFalkirk (FK): 26.9% failing, 5,353 testsSheffield (S): 26.9% failing, 35,402 testsPaisley (PA): 26.7% failing, 5,566 testsUxbridge (UB): 26.6% failing, 7,965 testsSouthend-on-Sea (SS): 26.5% failing, 21,745 testsLondon SW (SW): 26.3% failing, 4,305 testsEnfield (EN): 25.9% failing, 8,195 testsTwickenham (TW): 25.8% failing, 9,943 testsDurham (DH): 25.7% failing, 6,678 testsMotherwell (ML): 25.6% failing, 7,052 testsGlasgow (G): 25.4% failing, 20,245 testsKilmarnock (KA): 25.4% failing, 10,061 testsKingston upon Thames (KT): 24.9% failing, 9,239 testsBromley (BR): 24.8% failing, 6,122 testsRomford (RM): 24.3% failing, 17,204 testsDumfries (DG): 22% failing, 3,583 tests % failing 25% 39%
Toughest areas% failing
Salisbury (SP)42.39%
Exeter (EX)41%
Dorchester (DT)40.48%
Brighton (BN)40.3%
Plymouth (PL)40.23%
Easiest areas% failing
Dumfries (DG)22.02%
Romford (RM)24.27%
Bromley (BR)24.8%
Kingston upon Thames (KT)24.91%
Kilmarnock (KA)25.38%

Does the test month matter?

Takeaway: the spread between best and worst month is 3.3 percentage points — noticeable seasonality.

32.5% in month 1 J31.11% in month 2 F29.25% in month 3 M31.53% in month 4 A29.68% in month 5 M29.5% in month 6 J30.97% in month 7 J31.42% in month 8 A29.99% in month 9 S32.23% in month 10 O32.13% in month 11 N31.61% in month 12 D 34% 23%

bars: Ford Focus · dashed: all class-4 cars

Month-by-month table
MonthFord FocusAll cars
Jan32.5%27.37%
Feb31.11%26.14%
Mar29.25%24.75%
Apr31.53%26.01%
May29.68%25.01%
Jun29.5%25.01%
Jul30.97%26.04%
Aug31.42%25.79%
Sep29.99%25.19%
Oct32.23%27.13%
Nov32.13%27.2%
Dec31.61%26.29%

Is the mileage normal?

A typical 8-year-old Focus has ~62,366 miles on the clock. Much more — ask why; much less — check for gaps in the MOT history.

369121518car age, years 137k mi 0

line: median · band: middle half of the fleet (p25–p75)

Mileage by age (p25 / median / p75)
Agep25Medianp75Tests
316,64626,35139,23418,388
421,88731,66544,37352,831
527,84438,45951,65182,820
632,23143,91757,90872,691
739,22453,42370,03196,382
846,00762,36680,88795,237
953,66171,29690,752109,588
1059,63778,43099,791104,921
1166,30786,149109,462103,844
1271,63692,639116,73696,135
1377,30199,454123,78888,194
1477,703101,173125,69576,881
1580,424103,496126,98679,968
1684,855107,221130,57168,507
1783,847105,682128,99159,333
1885,242107,443130,15643,301
1982,515105,396130,10431,477
20+74,664100,200127,54367,668

Quick answers

What most commonly fails on a Ford Focus MOT?
The most frequent specific failures in 2024 were: a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn; tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements; the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements.
Is the Ford Focus reliable for its age?
Across 1,348,944 initial tests in 2024, it fails its MOT about 7% more often than expected for its age (MOT Risk Index 106.9, where 100 = normal for its age).
What mileage is normal for a 8-year-old Focus?
The median is about 62,366 miles; the middle half of the fleet sits between 46,007 and 80,887.
How often are dangerous defects found on the Ford Focus?
About 16 dangerous defects were recorded per 100 initial tests in 2024 — with a dangerous defect the car legally cannot be driven away.

Compare with

Volkswagen Golf · 85.1Vauxhall Corsa · 123.5MINI Hatch · 85.5Vauxhall Astra · 109.1

Data details & how to cite

Scope: class-4 vehicles (cars), initial tests only, outcomes pass / fail / fixed-on-the-spot at the station (PRS counts towards the failure rate — the defect was present at arrival). Index = observed initial failures ÷ failures expected for this fleet's exact age profile, ×100; margin of error is a 95% confidence interval. Covers ALL generations together — a 3-year-old and a 15-year-old are very different cars; a generation split is on the roadmap. Dataset release dvsa-2024-v1, frozen baseline. Full method: methodology.

Cite: MOT Risk Index (2026). Ford Focus MOT statistics 2024 (dvsa-2024-v1). https://motriskindex.co.uk/cars/ford-focus/ · Published 2026-07-30.