Ford
21,004 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where Transit 350 Trend Ecoblues pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 3.4 points below the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — buyers should expect more first-time fails than the typical UK car.
Pass
74.1%
Pass-after-fix
4.3%
Fail
20.7%
Avg miles
54,030
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 · 21,004 tests
Pass rate drops 7.7 points across the cohorts — recent Transit 350 Trend Ecoblue examples are doing worse than the early cars at the same tested age.
Pass
79.8%
Fail
14.9%
PRS
4.5%
Avg mileage at test
76,262 mi
Pass
72.1%
Fail
22.7%
PRS
4.2%
Avg mileage at test
46,443 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 3,952 MOT tests, the Transit 350 Trend Ecoblue returns 79.9% first-time pass — roughly in line with the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is windscreen damage. Brake pads worn below 1.5 mm and a cosmetically defective lens round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 60,237, 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
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 →
18–32
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a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
797 occurrences · 3.8% of tests
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
758 occurrences · 3.6% of tests
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
739 occurrences · 3.5% of tests
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
611 occurrences · 2.9% of tests
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated
604 occurrences · 2.9% of tests
Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen
390 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
A lens defective which has no effect on emitted light
377 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
349 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction
325 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps
310 occurrences · 1.5% 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
£88–£195
If every one of this Transit 350 Trend Ecoblue'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 7.7-point gap between bands means the year you buy Ford Transit 350 Trend Ecoblue has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.
Best band to buy
79.8%
2018–2020 registration
the 2018–2020 band climbs to 79.8% — a 7.7-point improvement. Failures here are mostly wear items: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, lens defective which has no effect on… — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band.
Band to be cautious about
72.1%
2021+ registration
On the 2021-on band, the data shows a 72.1% pass rate against a fleet average of 79.8% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no…, less than 1.5 mm thick, and constant velocity boot severely deteriorated. Average mileage on test for this band is 46,443 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (79.8% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2021+ (72.1% pass). That's a 7.7-point spread across 15,661 older tests and 5,343 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
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
Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.
Summit
Summit ADRG-18 Ford Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass LHS
£8.79
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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
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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
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
More refined and better to drive than most rivals. Punchy and efficient diesel engines. New interior technology from 2024.
Where it falls short
Other vans offer more overall load volume. Some rivals are fresher. Range-topping trim/engine combo expensive.
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 Transit 350 Trend Ecoblue 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.
