Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 1,274 tests

Pass rate drops 1.6 points across the cohorts — recent Benimar examples are doing worse than the early cars at the same tested age.

Pre-2018 cohort 291

Pass

92.1%

Fail

4.5%

PRS

2.4%

Avg mileage at test

20,221 mi

2018–2020 cohort 793

Pass

91.7%

Fail

3.4%

PRS

3.0%

Avg mileage at test

13,703 mi

2021+ cohort 190

Pass

90.5%

Fail

3.7%

PRS

5.8%

Avg mileage at test

9,814 mi

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

The picture

Benimar: a strong MOT record by UK norms

Across 642 MOT tests, the Benimar returns 92.7% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is windscreen damage. Stop lamp with a multiple light source up and direction indicator lamp missing round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 12,773, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 10–28

Below the fleet average — generally reasonable to insure. 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 →

10–28

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

24 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
02

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

13 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
03

Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

9 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
04

Stop lamp with a multiple light source up to 1/2 not functioning

5 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
05

A lens defective which has no effect on emitted light

4 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
06

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

4 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
07

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

3 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
08

A tyre seriously damaged

3 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
09

Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement

3 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
10

A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened

3 occurrences · 0.2% 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.

Worst-case fix budget · top 3 failures

£36–£115

If every one of this Benimar's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →

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 1.6-point gap between bands is modest — the year you buy Ford Benimar makes a small but real difference to MOT outcomes.

Best band to buy

92.1%

Pre-2018 registration

the older band (pre-2018) climbs to 92.1% — a 1.6-point improvement. Failures here are mostly wear items: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, with a multiple light source up to… — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band.

Band to be cautious about

90.5%

2021+ registration

On the 2021-on band, the data shows a 90.5% pass rate against a fleet average of 92.1% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, and inoperative or indicates a malfunction. Average mileage on test for this band is 9,814 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: pre-2018 (92.1% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2021+ (90.5% pass). That's a 1.6-point spread across 190 older tests and 291 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

Item 02 · Amazon UK

Bosch Aerotwin wiper blades

Cheap wipers fail the test on smear streaks. Bosch Aerotwins last a winter and clear a screen properly.

Search Amazon UK

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

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

Summit

Summit ADRG-18 Ford Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass LHS

£8.79

View at My Motor World →

Summit

Summit ADRG-10 Ford Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass RHS

£9.89

View at My Motor World →

Summit

Summit ADRG-47 Ford Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass LHS

£9.89

View at My Motor World →

Summit

Summit ADRG-85 Ford Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass RHS

£9.89

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.

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Buying or keeping a Benimar?

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 Benimar 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.