Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 182,337 tests

Pass rate climbs 8.7 points across the cohorts — newer Ducato examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 162,105

Pass

74.1%

Fail

20.4%

PRS

4.4%

Avg mileage at test

71,302 mi

2018–2020 cohort 16,242

Pass

79.5%

Fail

14.6%

PRS

4.9%

Avg mileage at test

70,296 mi

2021+ cohort 3,990

Pass

82.8%

Fail

10.8%

PRS

5.3%

Avg mileage at test

44,453 mi

Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.

Generations on file · 3

Fiat Ducato · UK market

Photos: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA / CC BY / public domain.

The picture

Fiat Ducato: mixed MOT record across 111,566 tests

The Fiat Ducato is a light commercial vehicle jointly developed by FCA Italy and PSA Group, and mainly manufactured by Sevel, a joint venture between the two companies since 1981. It has also been sold as the Citroën C25, Peugeot J5, Alfa Romeo AR6, Talbot Express, and later as the Fiat Ducato, Citroën Jumper, and Peugeot Boxer, from 1994 onwards.

MOT data from 111,566 tests puts this van on a 74.8% first-time pass rate, below the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 69,582 miles. The most common fail item is cracked or discoloured windscreen, followed by the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mountingis significantly reduced or inadequately repaired.

Tight turning circle, comfortable cabin with room for three, strong 2.3-litre diesel engine.

Buyers weighing up a used Ducato should treat the failure breakdown as a pre-purchase checklist. The pass rate is reasonable, but the gap between first attempt and a clean sheet narrows with age and mileage.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 26–36

Above average — worth comparing quotes before buying. Lower groups cost less to insure; UK fleet average is around Group 22.

Source: ABI Group Rating Panel · administered by Thatcham Research · groups cover standard variants; performance trims may sit higher. Browse all insurance groups →

26–36

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

Hide wear items to see the model's real defects.

01

A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources

5,473 occurrences · 3.0% of tests
02

Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view

5,406 occurrences · 3.0% of tests
03

The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired

4,806 occurrences · 2.6% of tests
04

Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement

4,214 occurrences · 2.3% of tests
05

A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated

3,826 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
06

Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

3,079 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
07

Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective

2,998 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
08

Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced

2,745 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
09

A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

2,712 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
10

Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake

2,694 occurrences · 1.5% of tests

Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.

Try the calculator

Build your own retest budget.

Year-band analysis

Best year to buy. Worst to avoid.

First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 8.7-point gap between bands means the year you buy Fiat Ducato has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

82.8%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 82.8% — a 8.7-point improvement. Tests in this band average 44,453 miles — roughly 27K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, inoperative in the case of multiple lamps… — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.

Band to be cautious about

74.1%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 74.1% pass rate against a fleet average of 82.8% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength, and damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view. Average mileage on test for this band is 71,302 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (82.8% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (74.1% pass). That's a 8.7-point spread across 162,105 older tests and 3,990 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.

Year-spread leaderboard →

Tools that pre-empt a retest.

Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.

Item 01 · Amazon UK

H7 / W21W bulb pack

A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.

Search Amazon UK

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Hycote

Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Fiat Broom Yellow 12.5ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Hycote

Hycote Fiat Capri Blue Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Hycote

Hycote Fiat Black Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Hycote

Hycote Fiat Red Orange Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Mobile mechanic · UK-wide

Book a mechanic at your door.

Fixed-price quotes upfront. No garage needed. Click Mechanic sends a vetted local mechanic to you — home, work, or roadside.

Get a quote →

Owner reports · Honest John

What owners actually report.

Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.

What's good

Tight turning circle, comfortable cabin with room for three, strong 2.3-litre diesel engine.

Where it falls short

Noisy engines, disappointingly no ESP as standard until April 2013, gearbox failure quite common.

Buying or keeping a Ducato?

Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.

If you own a Ducato and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.