2025 MOT results
Ford Focus common problems
The most common reason a Ford Focus fails its MOT is a sidelight out, on 12.2% of its 288,796 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, one fault stands out: headlamp aim out of line at 9.3% of failures against 5.2% expected.
- Tests in 2025 896,838 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 32.2% 288,796 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 9.0% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 56.6% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Ford Focus MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Ford Focus 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 |
|---|---|
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 12.2% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 9.6% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 9.3% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 8.6% |
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 7.0% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 5.9% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 5.6% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 5.4% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.3% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | 5.2% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 5.0% |
| Headlamp aim: too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.9% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Sidelight out
12.2% of failures 9.4% expected somewhat more often
A sidelight, also called a position lamp, not working. It marks the width of the car at night.
Walk round the car with the lights on and the hazards going; these are the cheapest failures to avoid.
-
Broken coil spring
9.6% of failures 9.4% expected about as expected
A broken suspension spring, which usually snaps in the bottom coil and often fails on both sides within a year.
Look at each corner for a sagging ride height, and listen for a knock over speed bumps.
-
Headlamp aim out of line
9.3% of failures 5.2% expected 1.8 times as often
The beam pattern points too high, too low, or in the wrong place, so it either dazzles others or lights too little road.
Nothing to do at the roadside, but a garage resets the aim in minutes; a sagging suspension corner or a heavy boot load can throw it out.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
8.6% of failures 7.9% expected about as expected
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.
-
Brake light out
7.0% of failures 7.0% expected about as expected
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.
-
Tyre worn through to the cords
5.9% of failures 4.8% expected somewhat more often
The tyre is worn or damaged far enough to expose the cords underneath, which is a dangerous defect.
Run a hand round the inner and outer walls of each tyre, which is where kerbing shows.
Which parts of the car fail
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails a Ford Focus, on 48.2% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 39.4%.
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 | 48.2% |
| Suspension | 31.8% |
| Tyres | 24.9% |
| Brakes | 16.9% |
| Visibility | 13.2% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 11.9% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 10.3% |
| Steering | 4.4% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
56.6% of Ford Focus tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Ford Focuses, 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 |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 21.7% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 9.5% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 8.8% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 8.6% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 8.2% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 6.0% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 5.6% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 4.7% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 4.1% |
| Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 3.5% |
| Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | 2.3% |
| Individual direction indicators: slightly discoloured Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 2.3% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Ford Focus gets older
A 2022 Ford Focus failed 9.9% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2001 one failed 45.1%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Ford Focus 9.9% failed, from 15,596 tests
- Cut tyre 17.4%
- Headlamp aim set too low 11.4%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 10.5%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 9.0%
- Bulge in a tyre 7.0%
- Worn brake pads 6.2%
2001 Ford Focus 45.1% failed, from 4,024 tests
- Brake light out 15.7%
- Structural corrosion 15.2%
- Rear fog lamp out 10.5%
- Sidelight out 10.1%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 8.8%
- Weak handbrake 8.8%
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 Focus problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Ford Focus?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Position lamp: not working” is the most common: it appears on 12.2% of failed Ford Focus tests. Across categories, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails one, on 48.2% of failed tests.
How often does a Ford Focus fail its MOT?
32.2% of Ford Focus tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 896,838 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 47 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Ford Focus than on other cars?
Yes. “Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect” appears on 9.3% of its failures against 5.2% 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 Focus 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 | 896,838 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.