Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 137,611 tests

Pass rate climbs 12.7 points across the cohorts — newer S Max examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 126,737

Pass

71.7%

Fail

22.9%

PRS

4.7%

Avg mileage at test

110,456 mi

2018–2020 cohort 9,001

Pass

81.6%

Fail

13.5%

PRS

4.5%

Avg mileage at test

44,298 mi

2021+ cohort 1,873

Pass

84.4%

Fail

12.7%

PRS

2.6%

Avg mileage at test

33,060 mi

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

Generations on file · 2

Ford S Max · UK market

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

The picture

S-MAX Passes 72% — Powershift and Oil Leaks Are Costly

Only 72% of Ford S-MAXes pass their MOT first time, the lowest rate among the Ford MPV range. At an average test mileage of 100,505, suspension bush wear and low tyre tread are the headline MOT causes. The more pressing ownership concern is the Powershift dual-clutch gearbox on diesel variants: one 2019 S-MAX diesel owner described a gearbox warning light appearing in year one, a dealer unable to diagnose it, and then an oil leak discovered after a main service — with the car returned to them in that condition.

With under 100,000 test records, the S-MAX dataset is smaller than mainstream models, but the failure pattern is consistent with other Powershift-equipped Fords. Manual gearbox examples are a significantly lower-risk proposition.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 22–32

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 →

22–32

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

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

01

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

8,094 occurrences · 5.9% of tests
02

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

4,458 occurrences · 3.2% of tests
03

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

4,017 occurrences · 2.9% of tests
04

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

3,682 occurrences · 2.7% of tests
05

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

3,467 occurrences · 2.5% of tests
06

A tyre cords visible or damaged

2,969 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
07

A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated

2,779 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
08

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

2,724 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
09

A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc

2,412 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
10

A lamp with a multiple light source up to 1/2 not functioning

2,319 occurrences · 1.7% 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

£228–£530

If every one of this S 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 →

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 12.7-point gap between bands means the year you buy Ford S Max has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

84.4%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 84.4% — a 12.7-point improvement. Tests in this band average 33,060 miles — roughly 77K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: less than 1.5 mm thick, 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

71.7%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 71.7% pass rate against a fleet average of 84.4% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, and damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view. Average mileage on test for this band is 110,456 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (84.4% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (71.7% pass). That's a 12.7-point spread across 126,737 older tests and 1,873 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

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

Item 03 · 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.

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

Owner reports (1 entries) flag recurring problems with gearbox/clutch, electrical faults, water/oil leaks.

Recent owner-reported faults

29 Sep 2021
Catalogue of complaints for 2019 S-MAX diesel Powershift. At year one of ownership, the gearbox warning light illuminated on the instrument cluster, the dealer was unable to diagnose and fix the issue. After a main service the main dealer returned the car with an oil leak from the gearbox hence another trip to the dealer. In the second year of ownership the same main dealer upgraded the map software and returned the car to me with significant battery drain and the car broke down the next day. A week later a new ECU and battery was fitted. More intermittent warning lights appeared into year three with the main dealer citing the reason for these warnings was that we were not doing enough mileage. Three days outside warranty and TPMS sensor failed on the front nearside wheel and the owner had to pay for the repair, with the dealer refusing to contribute or seek a 'goodwill' payment from Ford UK. * Terms and Conditions * Privacy * Cookies * Advertise on this site * Contact * Mobile) Website of the Year 2016, 2017 & 2018

Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 1 reports indexed

Recall history

33 UK recalls on record.

The S Max has 33 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a S Max?

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 S 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.