MOT Risk Index.co.uk

Ford Kuga — MOT statistics 2024

All Ford Kuga variants tested in Great Britain in 2024 — 396,566 MOT tests, every generation and engine together.

MOT risk index
91.3
100 = normal for its age

This car fails its MOT about 9% less often than expected for its age.

Rank 9 of 25 families published so far · margin of error ±1 points

What this means for buyers

Checklist when viewing a used Kuga:
  1. Feel for brake judder and pulling on the test drive
  2. Check tyre tread depth across the full width
  3. Try every light and switch — lamps are a top failure
  4. Check wipers, washers and windscreen chips in the driver's view

Top specific failures

Exact defect wording from test records, per 100 tests.

What failedper 100
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm3.94
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements3.94
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources3.22
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view3.08
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning3.03
Wiper blade defective2.31
A tyre seriously damaged2.19
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen1.98
Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen1.84
A tyre cords visible or damaged1.8

Failures by component area

Lamps & electrical 13 Visibility 9.8 Tyres 9.2 Brakes 8.9 Suspension 5.9 Body & structure 3.7

Early warnings (advisories)

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

Tyres 74.1 Brakes 53.3 Suspension 33.4 Non-component advisories 16.5 Emissions & leaks 5.7 Body & structure 4

How it ages

3579111315171946%car age, years

Takeaway: a 10-year-old Kuga has roughly a 25% chance of failing its MOT; from about age 5 it does worse than the average car.

Data table
AgeFord KugaAll cars
49.9%11.6%
513.5%13.5%
614.2%15.6%
714.9%18.2%
818.3%21.3%
921.8%24.4%
1024.9%27.7%
1125.7%30.6%
1234.5%33.4%
1336.0%36.0%
1438.8%38.6%
1538.0%39.9%
1638.1%41.5%

Petrol, diesel, hybrid — which ages best?

FuelTests% failing
Diesel324,45121.4%
Petrol72,01915.9%

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): 27.8% failing, 1,660 testsDorchester (DT): 27.7% failing, 1,399 testsDundee (DD): 26.6% failing, 1,829 testsPlymouth (PL): 26.2% failing, 4,261 testsTruro (TR): 25.9% failing, 1,381 testsBournemouth (BH): 25.8% failing, 2,578 testsTorquay (TQ): 25.8% failing, 1,484 testsBrighton (BN): 25.7% failing, 3,327 testsKirkcaldy (KY): 25.4% failing, 3,192 testsBristol (BS): 25.4% failing, 4,960 testsTaunton (TA): 25.4% failing, 2,769 testsExeter (EX): 24.9% failing, 3,085 testsGloucester (GL): 24.8% failing, 4,855 testsAberdeen (AB): 23.8% failing, 5,628 testsPortsmouth (PO): 23.7% failing, 4,686 testsGuildford (GU): 23.6% failing, 2,922 testsSouthampton (SO): 23.6% failing, 3,714 testsCardiff (CF): 23.6% failing, 9,578 testsSlough (SL): 23.3% failing, 1,247 testsHuddersfield (HD): 23.3% failing, 1,262 testsBath (BA): 23.2% failing, 3,053 testsBlackpool (FY): 23.1% failing, 1,258 testsDarlington (DL): 22.6% failing, 2,215 testsSunderland (SR): 22.5% failing, 1,231 testsChester (CH): 22.5% failing, 3,808 testsSwindon (SN): 22.3% failing, 2,681 testsSwansea (SA): 22.2% failing, 7,079 testsHull (HU): 22.1% failing, 3,609 testsLincoln (LN): 21.9% failing, 2,384 testsCanterbury (CT): 21.8% failing, 3,373 testsWarrington (WA): 21.7% failing, 5,400 testsStevenage (SG): 21.6% failing, 2,723 testsCleveland (TS): 21.6% failing, 3,944 testsInverness (IV): 21.5% failing, 2,804 testsGalashiels (TD): 21.5% failing, 1,141 testsCarlisle (CA): 21.2% failing, 4,480 testsPerth (PH): 21.2% failing, 1,593 testsBradford (BD): 21.2% failing, 3,170 testsNorthampton (NN): 21.1% failing, 5,487 testsShrewsbury (SY): 20.9% failing, 2,695 testsMedway (ME): 20.9% failing, 6,676 testsYork (YO): 20.8% failing, 4,280 testsMilton Keynes (MK): 20.6% failing, 2,681 testsChelmsford (CM): 20.6% failing, 8,278 testsLiverpool (L): 20.5% failing, 6,012 testsLlandudno (LL): 20.4% failing, 4,969 testsBlackburn (BB): 20.4% failing, 3,201 testsWalsall (WS): 20.4% failing, 3,379 testsPaisley (PA): 20.3% failing, 1,918 testsTonbridge (TN): 20.3% failing, 4,989 testsHemel Hempstead (HP): 20.3% failing, 2,775 testsIpswich (IP): 20.3% failing, 5,594 testsWigan (WN): 20.2% failing, 2,141 testsNewport (NP): 20.2% failing, 4,593 testsNorwich (NR): 20.2% failing, 7,220 testsLancaster (LA): 20.1% failing, 2,184 testsBolton (BL): 20% failing, 2,444 testsLeeds (LS): 19.9% failing, 3,899 testsEdinburgh (EH): 19.9% failing, 4,431 testsRedhill (RH): 19.9% failing, 3,257 testsNottingham (NG): 19.8% failing, 9,048 testsDoncaster (DN): 19.8% failing, 6,247 testsMotherwell (ML): 19.8% failing, 2,355 testsCambridge (CB): 19.8% failing, 2,131 testsOxford (OX): 19.7% failing, 4,466 testsPreston (PR): 19.7% failing, 2,852 testsNewcastle (NE): 19.6% failing, 7,718 testsStockport (SK): 19.5% failing, 3,500 testsFalkirk (FK): 19.4% failing, 1,723 testsLuton (LU): 19.3% failing, 1,401 testsBirmingham (B): 19.3% failing, 10,360 testsManchester (M): 19% failing, 3,761 testsColchester (CO): 19% failing, 4,733 testsCrewe (CW): 19% failing, 2,723 testsGlasgow (G): 18.9% failing, 5,638 testsLeicester (LE): 18.9% failing, 7,475 testsDartford (DA): 18.8% failing, 3,171 testsPeterborough (PE): 18.7% failing, 8,358 testsDudley (DY): 18.7% failing, 2,701 testsTelford (TF): 18.5% failing, 1,437 testsSheffield (S): 18.4% failing, 12,118 testsWolverhampton (WV): 18.4% failing, 2,441 testsReading (RG): 18.3% failing, 4,404 testsKilmarnock (KA): 18.2% failing, 3,422 testsWorcester (WR): 18.1% failing, 2,173 testsDerby (DE): 18% failing, 7,147 testsSouthend-on-Sea (SS): 17.9% failing, 9,554 testsWakefield (WF): 17.9% failing, 4,557 testsCoventry (CV): 17.7% failing, 5,435 testsLondon SE (SE): 17.7% failing, 1,286 testsDurham (DH): 17.6% failing, 2,517 testsStoke-on-Trent (ST): 17.5% failing, 5,075 testsOldham (OL): 17.4% failing, 2,143 testsCroydon (CR): 17.3% failing, 1,154 testsHereford (HR): 16.6% failing, 1,713 testsUxbridge (UB): 16.2% failing, 1,072 testsBromley (BR): 15.8% failing, 1,690 testsDumfries (DG): 15.8% failing, 1,444 testsEnfield (EN): 15.5% failing, 1,696 testsSt Albans (AL): 15.2% failing, 1,040 testsLondon NW (NW): 15.1% failing, 853 testsTwickenham (TW): 15% failing, 1,551 testsKingston upon Thames (KT): 14.6% failing, 1,805 testsRomford (RM): 14% failing, 5,090 testsIlford (IG): 13.5% failing, 1,384 testsLondon E (E): 13.3% failing, 1,202 tests % failing 15% 26%
Toughest areas% failing
Plymouth (PL)26.19%
Bournemouth (BH)25.83%
Brighton (BN)25.67%
Kirkcaldy (KY)25.44%
Bristol (BS)25.4%
Easiest areas% failing
Romford (RM)14.03%
Oldham (OL)17.36%
Stoke-on-Trent (ST)17.46%
Durham (DH)17.56%
Coventry (CV)17.72%

Does the test month matter?

Takeaway: the spread between best and worst month is 2.8 percentage points — booking month barely matters for this family.

20.63% in month 1 J19.37% in month 2 F19.3% in month 3 M20.58% in month 4 A19.69% in month 5 M19.05% in month 6 J20.84% in month 7 J21% in month 8 A20.24% in month 9 S21.81% in month 10 O21.35% in month 11 N21% in month 12 D 29% 18%

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

Month-by-month table
MonthFord KugaAll cars
Jan20.63%27.37%
Feb19.37%26.14%
Mar19.3%24.75%
Apr20.58%26.01%
May19.69%25.01%
Jun19.05%25.01%
Jul20.84%26.04%
Aug21%25.79%
Sep20.24%25.19%
Oct21.81%27.13%
Nov21.35%27.2%
Dec21%26.29%

Is the mileage normal?

A typical 8-year-old Kuga has ~63,458 miles on the clock. Much more — ask why; much less — check for gaps in the MOT history.

691215car age, years 153k mi 0

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

Mileage by age (p25 / median / p75)
Agep25Medianp75Tests
420,68729,19239,9952,175
526,31935,82646,80065,644
633,82045,08057,60060,514
742,45554,85368,70657,930
849,50963,45879,31950,378
957,82872,70689,24446,344
1064,77780,93898,01035,291
1173,36290,546108,71519,778
1281,10699,791119,82513,999
1387,586107,131128,15113,816
1496,439116,059136,76814,323
15102,428122,143142,63611,855
16108,224126,169146,0004,064

Quick answers

What most commonly fails on a Ford Kuga MOT?
The most frequent specific failures in 2024 were: a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm; tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements; a rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources.
Is the Ford Kuga reliable for its age?
Across 396,566 initial tests in 2024, it fails its MOT about 9% less often than expected for its age (MOT Risk Index 91.3, where 100 = normal for its age).
Are diesel Kugas worse than petrol at the MOT?
21.4% of diesel tests found a failing defect vs 15.9% of petrol.
What mileage is normal for a 8-year-old Kuga?
The median is about 63,458 miles; the middle half of the fleet sits between 49,509 and 79,319.
How often are dangerous defects found on the Ford Kuga?
About 11 dangerous defects were recorded per 100 initial tests in 2024 — with a dangerous defect the car legally cannot be driven away.

Compare with

Kia Sportage · 107.8Audi A4 · 84.6Honda Civic · 100.7Honda Jazz · 85

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 Kuga MOT statistics 2024 (dvsa-2024-v1). https://motriskindex.co.uk/cars/ford-kuga/ · Published 2026-07-30.