Ford Fiesta reliability, MOT pass rate and rarity

Time Period & Model

Time period snapshot: Last 5 years

Manufacturer: Ford

Model: Fiesta

Model reliability rank

MOT-based rank from 9,134,664 selected-period tests.

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Overall MOT pass rate

73.9%

Share of this model's 9,134,664 selected-period MOT tests that pass.

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Efficiency, emissions & tax

Average MPG

52.5 mpg

CO2 emission

122 g/km

Euro emissions

Euro 6

Tax cost

£155/yr

Vehicle list price over £40,000?NoYes

Average vehicle miles

80,033

Moderate average mileage in the current pool.

Life expectancy miles

87,835

Lower mature-fleet mileage expectation.

Average vehicle age

12.8

Comfortable mid-life age pattern.

Vehicles represented

1,199,077

1,199,016 valid MOT, 61 under 3 years.

Tests analysed

9,134,664

9,134,664 MOT tests in the selected period.

Rarity ranking

Based on Make & Model

Very Common

1,199,077On the road

Insight summary

Ford Fiesta is a very common model in this snapshot, with 1,199,077 represented vehicles and 2.88% of the active UK pool tracked by AutoRank. For the last 5 years, it has a pass rate of 73.9% from 9,134,664 MOT tests, with a reliability score of 44. The current pool shows an average of 80,033 miles and an average age of 12.8 years, while mature-fleet mileage is estimated at 87,835 miles. Petrol leads the fuel split, followed by diesel, and the most frequent defect themes are lighting, suspension joints and windscreen damage. The practical read is that the Ford Fiesta deserves a careful inspection before buying, because condition and maintenance appear to matter more than the badge.

Fuel type breakdown (by model)

Fuel	Vehicles
PETROL	1,047,889
DIESEL	151,103
HYBRID ELECTRIC (CLEAN)	33
OTHER	32
LPG	12
ELECTRIC	3
GAS	2
CNG	1
GAS BI-FUEL	1
LNG	1

Euro NCAP Safety

NCAP rating

5 / 5

Adult

87%

Children

84%

Pedestrian

64%

Safety systems

60%

Top 25 most common defects (by model)

Defect	Count
Offside Stop lamp(s) not working (4.3.1 (a) (ii))	119,881
Nearside Stop lamp(s) not working (4.3.1 (a) (ii))	119,571
Offside Front Suspension arm ball joint excessively worn (5.3.4 (a) (i))	99,692
Offside Rear Stop lamp(s) not working (4.3.1 (a) (ii))	98,637
Nearside Rear Stop lamp(s) not working (4.3.1 (a) (ii))	98,547
Nearside Front Suspension arm ball joint excessively worn (5.3.4 (a) (i))	91,227
Nearside Front Position lamp not working (4.2.1 (a) (ii))	91,136
Offside Front Position lamp not working (4.2.1 (a) (ii))	89,902
Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (3.2 (a) (i))	89,805
Nearside Front Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.2.3 (e))	78,751
Exhaust Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (8.2.1.2 (c))	73,977
Offside Front Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.2.3 (e))	71,535
Offside Front Track rod end ball joint has excessive play (2.1.3 (b) (i))	70,019
Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (3.5 (a))	67,573
Offside Front Coil spring fractured or broken (5.3.1 (b) (i))	64,318
Offside Front Lower Suspension arm ball joint excessively worn (5.3.4 (a) (i))	61,347
Nearside Front Track rod end ball joint has excessive play (2.1.3 (b) (i))	60,530
Engine MIL inoperative or indicates a malfunction (8.2.1.2 (h))	60,337
Nearside Front Lower Suspension arm ball joint excessively worn (5.3.4 (a) (i))	57,178
Nearside Front Coil spring fractured or broken (5.3.1 (b) (i))	53,577
Front Brake pad(s) less than 1.5 mm thick (1.1.13 (a) (ii))	49,877
Nearside Front Suspension arm ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated (5.3.4 (b) (i))	49,363
Nearside Rear Coil spring fractured or broken (5.3.1 (b) (i))	48,530
Offside Rear Axle swivel pins and bushes swivel pin and/or bush excessively worn (5.1.2 (b) (i))	47,859
Offside Rear Coil spring fractured or broken (5.3.1 (b) (i))	47,636

All 25 defects ranked by recorded countShowing 1,860,805 defects across this top 25 set

Offside Stop lamp(s) not working (4.3.1 (a) (ii))

119,881

Nearside Stop lamp(s) not working (4.3.1 (a) (ii))

119,571

Offside Front Suspension arm ball joint excessively worn (5.3.4 (a) (i))

99,692

Offside Rear Stop lamp(s) not working (4.3.1 (a) (ii))

98,637

Nearside Rear Stop lamp(s) not working (4.3.1 (a) (ii))

98,547

Nearside Front Suspension arm ball joint excessively worn (5.3.4 (a) (i))

91,227

Nearside Front Position lamp not working (4.2.1 (a) (ii))

91,136

Offside Front Position lamp not working (4.2.1 (a) (ii))

89,902

Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (3.2 (a) (i))

89,805

Nearside Front Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.2.3 (e))

78,751

Exhaust Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (8.2.1.2 (c))

73,977

Offside Front Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.2.3 (e))

71,535

Offside Front Track rod end ball joint has excessive play (2.1.3 (b) (i))

70,019

Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (3.5 (a))

67,573

Offside Front Coil spring fractured or broken (5.3.1 (b) (i))

64,318

Offside Front Lower Suspension arm ball joint excessively worn (5.3.4 (a) (i))

61,347

Nearside Front Track rod end ball joint has excessive play (2.1.3 (b) (i))

60,530

Engine MIL inoperative or indicates a malfunction (8.2.1.2 (h))

60,337

Nearside Front Lower Suspension arm ball joint excessively worn (5.3.4 (a) (i))

57,178

Nearside Front Coil spring fractured or broken (5.3.1 (b) (i))

53,577

Front Brake pad(s) less than 1.5 mm thick (1.1.13 (a) (ii))

49,877

Nearside Front Suspension arm ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated (5.3.4 (b) (i))

49,363

Nearside Rear Coil spring fractured or broken (5.3.1 (b) (i))

48,530

Offside Rear Axle swivel pins and bushes swivel pin and/or bush excessively worn (5.1.2 (b) (i))

47,859

Offside Rear Coil spring fractured or broken (5.3.1 (b) (i))

47,636

Ford Fiesta reliability and MOT data