Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 2,422 tests

Pass rate drops 1.1 points across the cohorts — recent Freedom examples are doing worse than the early cars at the same tested age.

Pre-2018 cohort 1,634

Pass

82.6%

Fail

12.3%

PRS

4.3%

Avg mileage at test

59,840 mi

2018–2020 cohort 642

Pass

82.1%

Fail

14.2%

PRS

3.4%

Avg mileage at test

37,598 mi

2021+ cohort 146

Pass

81.5%

Fail

15.8%

PRS

2.7%

Avg mileage at test

22,308 mi

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

The picture

Freedom: above-average pass rates, with caveats

Across 1,609 MOT tests, the Freedom returns 82.2% first-time pass — above the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is wipers that don't clear the screen. A defective wiper blade and a tyre with the cords showing round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 43,965, 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

Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

58 occurrences · 2.4% of tests
02

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

52 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
03

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

39 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
04

A tyre cords visible or damaged

35 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
05

Wiper blade defective

31 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
06

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

28 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
07

Smoke opacity levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limit

19 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
08

A tyre seriously damaged

16 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
09

A seat belt webbing or flexible stalk significantly stretched or weakened

15 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
10

Exhaust system leaking or insecure

14 occurrences · 0.6% 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 4 failures

£180–£345

If every one of this Freedom'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 1.1-point gap between bands is modest — the year you buy Ford Freedom makes a small but real difference to MOT outcomes.

Best band to buy

82.6%

Pre-2018 registration

the older band (pre-2018) climbs to 82.6% — a 1.1-point improvement. Failures here are mostly wear items: does not clear the windscreen effectively, less than 1.5 mm thick — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band.

Band to be cautious about

81.5%

2021+ registration

On the 2021-on band, the data shows a 81.5% pass rate against a fleet average of 82.6% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: less than 1.5 mm thick, blade defective, and has ply or cords exposed. Average mileage on test for this band is 22,308 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: pre-2018 (82.6% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2021+ (81.5% pass). That's a 1.1-point spread across 146 older tests and 1,634 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

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

Item 02 · Amazon UK

Brake pad measurement gauge

Testers fail pads under 1.5mm. A wear gauge tells you if you've got two months left or two weeks.

Search Amazon UK

Item 03 · Amazon UK

Digital tyre-tread depth gauge

Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.

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 Freedom?

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 Freedom 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.