Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 35,966 tests

Pass rate is broadly flat across the cohorts — new and old F Type examples track each other at the test bay.

Pre-2018 cohort 26,111

Pass

92.8%

Fail

5.5%

PRS

1.4%

Avg mileage at test

38,320 mi

2018–2020 cohort 8,609

Pass

92.7%

Fail

4.9%

PRS

1.7%

Avg mileage at test

24,259 mi

2021+ cohort 1,246

Pass

93.0%

Fail

4.9%

PRS

1.3%

Avg mileage at test

16,587 mi

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

The picture

Jaguar F Type: solid MOT record across 14,417 tests

The Jaguar F Type is a petrol-powered car sold in the UK market across multiple generations, covering a broad date range in the test population.

MOT data from 14,417 tests puts this car on an 90.8% first-time pass rate, well above the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 30,092 miles. The most common fail item is tyre tread below the legal limit, followed by defective wiper blade.

Honest John owner records point to brake component wear as the recurring problems to check before buying used.

For used buyers, the F Type'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 38–50

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 →

38–50

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

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

01

Wiper blade defective

401 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
02

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

350 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
03

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

284 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
04

Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

244 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
05

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

216 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
06

A tyre seriously damaged

215 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
07

A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

201 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
08

A tyre seriously damaged

152 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
09

A tyre cords visible or damaged

135 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
10

Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements

107 occurrences · 0.3% 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

£108–£220

If every one of this F Type'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. Pass rates barely move across bands here, so the year you buy Jaguar F Type makes little measurable difference to MOT outcomes.

Best band to buy

93.0%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 93.0% — a 0.3-point improvement. Tests in this band average 16,587 miles — roughly 8K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, blade defective — 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

92.7%

2018–2020 registration

On the 2018–2020 band, the data shows a 92.7% pass rate against a fleet average of 93.0% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: blade defective, does not clear the windscreen effectively, and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm. Average mileage on test for this band is 24,259 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (93.0% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2018-2020 (92.7% pass). That's a 0.3-point spread across 8,609 older tests and 1,246 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

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

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

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.

Motor World

Motor World Jaguar XJ8 RHD SWB 2003- Car Floor Mat Set

£32.99

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Motor World

Motor World Jaguar XJ8 LWB 95-2006 Car Floor Mat Set

£32.99

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Motor World

Motor World Jaguar XF 2008-2014 Car Floor Mat Set

£32.99

View at My Motor World →

Motor World

Motor World Jaguar X-Type (Diesel) 2001- Car Floor Mat Set

£32.99

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.

What's good

Breathtaking good looks and outstanding handling. R model is brutally quick. Cabin is classy and comfortable. Boot is also usable.

Where it falls short

Expensive to run. Ride can be rather hard. Infotainment system feels dated.

Recent owner-reported faults

25 May 2019
Report of 2017 Jaguar F-Type 2.0 V6 400 Coupe driven just 7700 miles in 2 years, st
22 Jan 2019
Report of suspension problems with 2017 Jaguar F Type Coupe 3.0 380 V6 Quickshift Auto R-Dynamic with adaptive dynamics as standard spec. Recently, owner noticed ride quality had deteriorated. Even allowing for 20 inch wheels as standard, the ride became harsher and more susceptible to any slight bump in the road (with a tendency to rock when going over any bump, particularly at lower speeds). Also, there was no discernible difference between the “dynamic” and “normal” settings. Jaguar road tested the car and agreed “it wasn’t right” and took it in under warranty. They ran a “software update” which seemed to temporarily resolve it. However after just 2 days the problem is back again.
23 Aug 2018
Report of engine failure in July 2018 of 2015 Jaguar F-Type bought used as an ex-demonstrator in March 2017 at 6,000 miles. Engine replaced by the supplying dealer after some delay, workmanship left a lot to be desired and new engine was not running smoothly.
18 Jun 2018
Litany of problems reporterd with used Jaguar F-Type purchased from Jaguar dealer on 29-1-2018 with 14,406 miles more £46,121: Vibrations from driver's door; play in nearside front wheel bearing; loose nearside front wing liner; no Jaguar sticker on n/s calliper; moisture in rear light clusters; ill fitting bonnet. These issues were all addressed on 21-5-2018, but owner told steering rack needed investrigation; very little tread on front tyres so these were replaced; Kwik-Fir then found that both n/s wheels were badly buckled (compensated for by excessiver numbers of weights); vibrations on light braking; steering rack then confirmed as needing replacement and also the differential needed further investigation due to a whining noise; passenger side of car found to have had paint.
12 Apr 2018
Report of pedestrian protecting ("PPS") bonnet deploying on 2015/65 reg Jaguar F-Type when going over a speed hump. JLR refuses any liability and dealer is quoting £5,000 for the repair.
22 May 2017
Complaint about fit of doors of new £73,000 Jaguar F-Type 400 Sport Coupe. Apparently also reported on F-Type owners forum.
6 Nov 2015
Reader report of dashboard message on 4k mile Jaguar F Type Coupe "Gear Box Fault" when he switched on the ignition. Possibly a problem with the brake pedal switch that tells the ECU to release the selector from Park.

Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 7 reports indexed

Recall history

16 UK recalls on record.

The F Type has 16 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a F Type?

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 F Type 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.