Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 258,019 tests

Pass rate climbs 11.6 points across the cohorts — newer Ranger examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 137,033

Pass

75.0%

Fail

19.1%

PRS

5.0%

Avg mileage at test

98,524 mi

2018–2020 cohort 84,993

Pass

83.5%

Fail

12.4%

PRS

3.3%

Avg mileage at test

60,001 mi

2021+ cohort 35,993

Pass

86.6%

Fail

9.3%

PRS

3.4%

Avg mileage at test

42,091 mi

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

Generations on file · 5

Ford Ranger · UK market

Photos: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA / CC BY / public domain.

The picture

Ford Ranger: mixed MOT record across 127,854 tests

The Ford Ranger is a compact or mid-size pickup truck marketed globally by Ford over a series of generations, varying between both in-house or outside development and manufacturing — and with a hiatus in North America from 2011–2018.

MOT data from 127,854 tests puts this van on a 75.3% first-time pass rate, roughly in line with the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 80,554 miles. The most common fail item is fractured or weakened suspension spring, followed by failed number plate light.

Buyers weighing up a used Ranger should treat the failure breakdown as a pre-purchase checklist. The pass rate is reasonable, but the gap between first attempt and a clean sheet narrows with age and mileage.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 26–36

Above average — worth comparing quotes before buying. 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 →

26–36

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

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

01

A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened

8,020 occurrences · 3.1% of tests
02

A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources

7,564 occurrences · 2.9% of tests
03

A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

6,820 occurrences · 2.6% of tests
04

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

6,446 occurrences · 2.5% of tests
05

A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated

3,562 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
06

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

3,235 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
07

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

2,818 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
08

A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

2,742 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
09

Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded

2,701 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
10

Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective

2,398 occurrences · 0.9% 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

£168–£515

If every one of this Ranger'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 11.6-point gap between bands means the year you buy Ford Ranger has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

86.6%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 86.6% — a 11.6-point improvement. Tests in this band average 42,091 miles — roughly 56K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, fractured or broken — 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

75.0%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 75.0% pass rate against a fleet average of 86.6% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated, inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, and damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view. Average mileage on test for this band is 98,524 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (86.6% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (75.0% pass). That's a 11.6-point spread across 137,033 older tests and 35,993 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

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

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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Recall history

53 UK recalls on record.

The Ranger has 53 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a Ranger?

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 Ranger 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.