Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 1,121,832 tests

Pass rate climbs 12.4 points across the cohorts — newer Transit examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 1,040,769

Pass

68.8%

Fail

24.3%

PRS

5.7%

Avg mileage at test

122,777 mi

2018–2020 cohort 80,393

Pass

76.5%

Fail

16.9%

PRS

5.8%

Avg mileage at test

82,578 mi

2021+ cohort 670

Pass

81.2%

Fail

7.0%

PRS

8.1%

Avg mileage at test

38,583 mi

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

Generations on file · 5

Ford Transit · UK market

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

The picture

Ford Transit: challenging MOT record across 786,518 tests

The Ford Transit is a family of light commercial vehicles manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1965, primarily as a cargo van, but also available in other configurations including a large passenger van, cutaway van chassis, and a pickup truck.

MOT data from 786,518 tests puts this van on a 68.6% first-time pass rate, well below the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 114,762 miles. The most common fail item is cracked or discoloured windscreen, followed by failed number plate light.

More refined and better to drive than most rivals. Punchy and efficient diesel engines. New interior technology from 2024.

The Transit's pass rate warrants caution in the used market. Factor in likely first-test remedial work on the common failure items and get a pre-purchase inspection that covers the specific items this van trips on most.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 18–32

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

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

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

01

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

73,220 occurrences · 6.5% of tests
02

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

64,427 occurrences · 5.7% of tests
03

Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded

46,403 occurrences · 4.1% of tests
04

The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired

41,078 occurrences · 3.7% of tests
05

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

38,019 occurrences · 3.4% of tests
06

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

30,875 occurrences · 2.8% of tests
07

A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated

28,813 occurrences · 2.6% of tests
08

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

28,443 occurrences · 2.5% of tests
09

Obligatory mirror or device slightly damaged or loose

23,661 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
10

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

23,459 occurrences · 2.1% 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

£48–£125

If every one of this Transit'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 12.4-point gap between bands means the year you buy Ford Transit has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

81.2%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 81.2% — a 12.4-point improvement. Tests in this band average 38,583 miles — roughly 84K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, inoperative in the case of multiple lamps… — 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

68.8%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 68.8% pass rate against a fleet average of 81.2% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, and excessively corroded. Average mileage on test for this band is 122,777 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (81.2% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (68.8% pass). That's a 12.4-point spread across 1,040,769 older tests and 670 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.

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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

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Summit ADRG-10 Ford Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass RHS

£9.89

View at My Motor World →

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Summit ADRG-47 Ford Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass LHS

£9.89

View at My Motor World →

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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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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.

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.

Recall history

106 UK recalls on record.

The Transit has 106 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a Transit?

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 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.