Ford
2,932 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Kuga ST Line X ED Eblue 4x4 As pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 15.8 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
93.3%
Pass-after-fix
1.7%
Fail
4.7%
Avg miles
26,040
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Diesel cars registered from September 2015 generally meet Euro 6 — compliant in London ULEZ, Birmingham CAZ, Bristol CAZ, and Glasgow LEZ.
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 2,932 tests
Pass rate drops 5.0 points across the cohorts — recent Kuga ST Line X ED Eblue 4x4 A examples are doing worse than the early cars at the same tested age.
Pass
97.8%
Fail
1.4%
PRS
0.7%
Avg mileage at test
30,298 mi
Pass
92.8%
Fail
5.0%
PRS
1.9%
Avg mileage at test
25,592 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 2,932 MOT tests, the Kuga St-Line X Ed Eblue 4x4 A returns 93.3% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a seriously damaged tyre. Windscreen damage and brake pads worn below 1.5 mm round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 26,040, 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.
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A tyre seriously damaged
50 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
40 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
32 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
13 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction
9 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
6 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
Wiper blade defective
6 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen
6 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution.
6 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
Seat belt buckle missing, damaged or not functioning as intended
5 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 X ED Eblue 4x4 A'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 5.0-point gap between bands means the year you buy Ford Kuga ST Line X ED Eblue 4x4 A has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.
Best band to buy
97.8%
2018–2020 registration
the 2018–2020 band climbs to 97.8% — a 5.0-point improvement. Failures here are mostly wear items: inoperative or indicates a malfunction, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band.
Band to be cautious about
92.8%
2021+ registration
On the 2021-on band, the data shows a 92.8% pass rate against a fleet average of 97.8% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: has a cut in excess of the…, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, and less than 1.5 mm thick. Average mileage on test for this band is 25,592 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (97.8% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2021+ (92.8% pass). That's a 5.0-point spread across 2,654 older tests and 278 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
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 02 · 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.
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£8.79
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£9.89
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Summit ADRG-85 Ford Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass RHS
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Click Mechanic · affiliate
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Mobile mechanic · UK-wide
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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
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.
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
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 X ED Eblue 4x4 A 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.
