Ford
Kuga ST Line First Edition
1,576 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Kuga ST Line First Editions pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 12.9 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
90.4%
Pass-after-fix
2.4%
Fail
7.0%
Avg miles
29,500
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Petrol cars first registered from January 2006 meet Euro 4 — compliant in London ULEZ, Birmingham CAZ, Bristol CAZ, and Glasgow LEZ.
The picture
Kuga St-Line First Edition: a strong MOT record by UK norms
Across 952 MOT tests, the Kuga St-Line First Edition returns 91.8% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is tyre tread under the limit. Brake pads worn below 1.5 mm and a seriously damaged tyre round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 21,773, 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 19–29
Around the UK fleet average for insurance cost. 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 →
19–29
out of 50
Top ten reasons for rejection.
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- 01
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
34 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
- 02
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
27 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
- 03
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
15 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
- 04
Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen
14 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
- 05
A tyre seriously damaged
11 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
- 06
Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen
11 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
- 07
Wiper blade defective
8 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
- 08
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
6 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
- 09
Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn
3 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
- 10
Brake performance unable to be tested
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 2 failures
£140–£255
If every one of this Kuga ST Line First Edition'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.
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
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
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
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.
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
Good looking family SUV comes with a decent amount of standard kit and is keenly priced. The plug-in hybrid powertrain available. More enjoyable to drive than most rivals.
Where it falls short
The interior finish could be a bit nicer. Boot isn't as big as in some rivals. The early infotainment interface looked dated, while its 2024 replacement was trickier to use.
Recent owner-reported faults
- 7 Mar 2022
Report of 12V battery drain on Kuga PHEV. Dealer has blamed owner's low mileage, with the car not using the petrol engine enough to recharge the battery. Turn Off Ads Now Faster Web Browsing with No Annoying Ads Total Adblock
Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 1 reports indexed
Buying or keeping a Kuga ST Line First Edition?
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 Kuga ST Line First Edition 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.