Ford
61,553 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where Grand C Maxs pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 3.7 points below the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — buyers should expect more first-time fails than the typical UK car.
Pass
73.8%
Pass-after-fix
5.5%
Fail
20.2%
Avg miles
82,083
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Some examples of this model are borderline — a small number of diesels were certified Euro 6 before September 2015. Check your registration on the government's ULEZ checker to be certain. Daily charges if driven in the zone: London £12.50 · Birmingham £8.00 · Bristol £9.00 .
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 61,553 tests
Pass rate climbs 6.3 points across the cohorts — newer Grand C Max examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
73.4%
Fail
20.6%
PRS
5.6%
Avg mileage at test
85,088 mi
Pass
79.7%
Fail
15.2%
PRS
4.7%
Avg mileage at test
42,003 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
The Ford Grand C-MAX posts 74.4% first-time pass from 45,595 tests at an average presenting mileage of 88,698. Top failures are CV joint boot deterioration, suspension pin and bush wear, and tyre tread. The Grand C-MAX carries 7 passengers and their luggage regularly, which loads its front axle hard and accelerates bush wear. CV boot failures on the front driveshafts appear at 70,000+ miles on the 2.0 TDCi diesel variants. The C344 platform's rear suspension beam also shows wear at this mileage. At 74.4% and below average, the Grand C-MAX needs undercar attention. Pre-test: CV boots and front suspension bushes are the priorities.
ABI Insurance Group
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 →
15–23
out of 50
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A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
2,217 occurrences · 3.6% of tests
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
2,051 occurrences · 3.3% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
1,710 occurrences · 2.8% of tests
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated
1,663 occurrences · 2.7% of tests
A tyre cords visible or damaged
1,600 occurrences · 2.6% of tests
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
1,485 occurrences · 2.4% of tests
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
1,377 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
1,112 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
998 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
876 occurrences · 1.4% 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
£208–£385
If every one of this Grand C Max'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 →
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Build your own retest budget.
Year-band analysis
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 6.3-point gap between bands means the year you buy Ford Grand C Max has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.
Best band to buy
79.7%
2018–2020 registration
the 2018–2020 band climbs to 79.7% — a 6.3-point improvement. Tests in this band average 42,003 miles — roughly 43K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: less than 1.5 mm thick, does not clear the windscreen effectively — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. The stricter post-2018 MOT test rules meant manufacturers had to tighten up emissions and electrical checks, but this band still shows far fewer major failures on suspension and bodywork than the older fleet.
Band to be cautious about
73.4%
Pre-2018 registration
On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 73.4% pass rate against a fleet average of 79.7% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, less than 1.5 mm thick, and constant velocity boot severely deteriorated. Average mileage on test for this band is 85,088 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (79.7% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (73.4% pass). That's a 6.3-point spread across 57,265 older tests and 4,288 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.
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
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
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
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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.
Owner reports · Honest John
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
The Ford Grand C-MAX is a seven-seat MPV offering genuine practicality on the C344 platform. The 1.6-litre TDCi and 2.0-litre TDCi diesels are efficient and reliable. Good family packaging.
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 Grand C Max 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.
