2025 MOT results
Ford Ecosport common problems
The most common reason a Ford Ecosport fails its MOT is a brake light out, on 21.8% of its 25,527 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 6 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: a brake light out at 21.8% of failures against 3.3% expected; a weak handbrake at 7.7% of failures against 1.7% expected; an exhaust leak at 4.3% of failures against 1.0% expected.
- Tests in 2025 111,522 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 22.9% 25,527 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 4.9% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 44.3% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Ford Ecosport MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Ford Ecosport tests with that defect. Where we can compare it with cars of the same registration years, the marker shows what an average car of those ages records (12 of the 12 items below).
Most common reasons for failure
A test can fail for more than one defect, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 21.8% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 11.3% |
| Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes | 7.7% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 6.3% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 6.0% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 6.0% |
| Tyre pressure monitoring system: malfunctioning or obviously inoperative Tyres | 5.6% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 5.6% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 5.1% |
| Catalyst emissions: lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | 4.6% |
| Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play Steering | 4.4% |
| Exhaust system: major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 4.3% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Brake light out
21.8% of failures 3.3% expected 6.6 times as often
A brake light not working, from a bulb, a poor earth, or the switch on the pedal.
Reverse up to a wall or window at dusk and press the pedal to see all three lamps light.
-
Headlamp out
11.3% of failures 3.9% expected 2.9 times as often
A headlamp out on dipped beam, which is the beam the test checks.
Both bulbs age at the same rate, so a pair usually goes within months of each other.
-
Weak handbrake
7.7% of failures 1.7% expected 4.5 times as often
The handbrake cannot hold the car to the efficiency the test requires, usually from a stretched cable or seized rear callipers.
On a hill, the handbrake should hold the car with a couple of clicks left in the lever.
-
Cut tyre
6.3% of failures 8.1% expected somewhat less often
A cut in the tyre deep or long enough to reach the structure underneath, usually from a kerb or debris.
Run a hand round the inner and outer walls of each tyre, which is where kerbing shows.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
6.0% of failures 10.0% expected 1.7 times less often
A tyre worn past the 1.6mm legal minimum across the middle three quarters of the tread.
A 20p coin in the main grooves: if the outer band of the coin is visible, the tyre is close to the limit.
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
6.0% of failures 8.3% expected somewhat less often
Wiper blades that leave the windscreen smeared or streaked across the area the driver looks through.
Look for split or hardened rubber, and lift each blade to see whether it still sits flat.
Which parts of the car fail
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails a Ford Ecosport, on 48.1% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 25.2%.
Failure categories
DVSA's own sections of the test. The marker is what cars of the same registration years record.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 48.1% |
| Tyres | 24.9% |
| Brakes | 21.7% |
| Visibility | 15.2% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 10.0% |
| Suspension | 9.1% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 7.5% |
| Steering | 5.6% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
44.3% of Ford Ecosport tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Ford Ecosports, these are the items to ask about on a car you are viewing, because they are what the last tester expected to go next.
Most common advisories
Share of all tests, passes included.
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 14.6% |
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 13.5% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 8.4% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 6.5% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 4.2% |
| Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | 2.4% |
| Exhaust system: minor leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 2.3% |
| Nail in tyre Non-component advisories | 2.2% |
| Axles: swivel pin or bush slightly worn Suspension | 2.1% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 1.8% |
| Individual direction indicators: slightly discoloured Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 1.7% |
| Tyres: cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 1.6% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Ford Ecosport gets older
A 2022 Ford Ecosport failed 13.3% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2014 one failed 38.9%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Ford Ecosport 13.3% failed, from 9,772 tests
- Cut tyre 14.3%
- Weak handbrake 10.4%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 8.2%
- Weak or uneven footbrake 7.6%
- Worn brake pads 7.2%
- Faulty seat belt 6.2%
2014 Ford Ecosport 38.9% failed, from 2,449 tests
- Brake light out 22.6%
- Worn steering or suspension joint 15.7%
- Weak handbrake 9.0%
- Axles swivel pin or bush worn 8.3%
- Split joint boot 8.0%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 7.2%
Shares are of each year's failed tests. Every MOT a particular car has had, with the defects and advisories written at each test, is on GOV.UK's MOT history service from the registration, free.
Ford Ecosport problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Ford Ecosport?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Stop lamp: not working” is the most common: it appears on 21.8% of failed Ford Ecosport tests. Across categories, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails one, on 48.1% of failed tests.
How often does a Ford Ecosport fail its MOT?
22.9% of Ford Ecosport tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 111,522 tests of cars aged three and over. Allowing for the age and mileage of the cars tested, that gives it a UK Motoring Reliability Score of 41 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Ford Ecosport than on other cars?
Yes. “Stop lamp: not working” appears on 21.8% of its failures against 3.3% for cars of the same age, and “Parking brake efficiency below requirements” appears on 7.7% of its failures against 1.7% for cars of the same age. Where an item is missing from the national figures for a year, we use the smallest share those figures show, so the comparison never overstates the difference.
Are these the same as breakdowns or known faults?
No. These are the items a tester recorded at the MOT, which covers condition and safety: lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension, corrosion and emissions. A gearbox that is unpleasant, an infotainment screen that has died, or a car that will not start on a cold morning are not part of the test, so they are not in these figures.
Where do the figures come from?
Every normal MOT test of a Ford Ecosport aged three and over in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT results. Retests are excluded, and the same fault on more than one wheel counts once.
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT defects and advisories | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 111,522 MOT tests | 19 September 2026 |
- Shares for defects are of failed tests; shares for advisories are of all tests. A test can carry several defects, so shares add to more than 100%.
- The expected share is what an average car of the same registration years records, weighted by where this model’s failures fall. Where an item is outside the national figures for a year, the smallest share those figures show is used in its place, which is an upper bound, so the comparison never overstates a model’s problems. No expectation is published where less than 80% of the model’s failures can be compared.
- Great Britain only: DVSA does not run MOT testing in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old are not tested.
- The descriptions of what each part does are general and the same on every model. Every figure comes from the MOT data.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.