Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 30,289 tests

Pass rate climbs 2.6 points across the cohorts — newer Mustang examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 20,841

Pass

86.7%

Fail

11.1%

PRS

1.6%

Avg mileage at test

43,877 mi

2018–2020 cohort 8,468

Pass

88.4%

Fail

9.5%

PRS

1.8%

Avg mileage at test

24,381 mi

2021+ cohort 980

Pass

89.3%

Fail

6.5%

PRS

2.2%

Avg mileage at test

15,747 mi

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

The picture

Ford Mustang: solid MOT record across 13,181 tests

The Ford Mustang is an American automobile manufactured and marketed by Ford since 1964, as Ford's longest nameplate in continuous production. Currently in its seventh generation, it is the fifth-best selling Ford car nameplate.

MOT data from 13,181 tests puts this car on a 84.5% first-time pass rate, above the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 35,382 miles. The most common fail item is inoperative wiper blade, followed by parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement.

It might not be quite the bargain it once was, but the Ford Mustang Fastback is more appealing than ever as the last remaining mainstream naturally aspirated V8 and the only way to officially get an American icon on UK roads in right-hand drive.

For used buyers, the Mustang's pass rate suggests it clears the MOT with fewer surprises than most — but the top failure items above are still worth a pre-purchase inspection, particularly on higher-mileage examples.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 35–45

A high-group car — insurance costs will be significantly above average. 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 →

35–45

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

Hide wear items to see the model's real defects.

01

Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement

477 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
02

Parking brake inoperative on one side

403 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
03

A tyre cords visible or damaged

348 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
04

Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

345 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
05

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

286 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
06

Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value

262 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
07

Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated

209 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
08

Wiper blade defective

204 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
09

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

196 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
10

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

190 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 3 failures

£140–£235

If every one of this Mustang'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 2.6-point gap between bands is modest — the year you buy Ford Mustang makes a small but real difference to MOT outcomes.

Best band to buy

89.3%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 89.3% — a 2.6-point improvement. Tests in this band average 15,747 miles — roughly 28K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: has ply or cords exposed, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.

Band to be cautious about

86.7%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 86.7% pass rate against a fleet average of 89.3% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: efficiency below requirements, inoperative on one side, and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm. Average mileage on test for this band is 43,877 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (89.3% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (86.7% pass). That's a 2.6-point spread across 20,841 older tests and 980 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

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

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.

Get a quote →

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.

Where it falls short

Prices now start at around £56k. Interior not as plush as rivals. You'll be waiting a while to get hold of one.

Recall history

35 UK recalls on record.

The Mustang has 35 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a Mustang?

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 Mustang 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.