2025 MOT results
Ford Ka common problems
The most common reason a Ford Ka fails its MOT is a brake light out, on 9.8% of its 57,030 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 4 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: a leaking damper at 9.7% of failures against 3.5% expected; an exhaust leak at 6.1% of failures against 2.9% expected; worn suspension bushes at 8.9% of failures against 5.0% expected.
- Tests in 2025 169,345 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 33.7% 57,030 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 8.3% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 62.0% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Ford Ka MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Ford Ka 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 (11 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 | 9.8% |
| Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak Suspension | 9.7% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | 8.9% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 8.4% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 8.0% |
| Shock absorbers: excessively worn bush Suspension | 7.1% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 7.0% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 6.8% |
| Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes | 6.6% |
| Exhaust system: major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 6.1% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 5.7% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 5.5% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Brake light out
9.8% of failures 7.2% expected somewhat more 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.
-
Leaking damper
9.7% of failures 3.5% expected 2.8 times as often
A damper leaking its oil, so it no longer controls the spring.
A wet, dirty streak down the damper body, or a corner that keeps bouncing after you push it down.
-
Worn suspension bushes
8.9% of failures 5.0% expected 1.8 times as often
Worn rubber bushes in a suspension arm, letting the arm move under load.
Perished or cracked rubber at the inner ends of the lower arms, visible with the wheel turned.
-
Sidelight out
8.4% of failures 9.8% expected about as expected
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.
-
Worn steering or suspension joint
8.0% of failures 6.0% expected somewhat more often
Play in a steering or suspension joint, where a worn ball and socket lets the wheel move where it should not.
A knock at low speed over rough ground, or vague steering, is the usual warning.
-
Leaking damper
7.1% of failures
A damper leaking its oil, so it no longer controls the spring.
A wet, dirty streak down the damper body, or a corner that keeps bouncing after you push it down.
Which parts of the car fail
Suspension is the area that most often fails a Ford Ka, on 45.4% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 36.2%.
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 |
|---|---|
| Suspension | 45.4% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 36.5% |
| Brakes | 22.7% |
| Tyres | 18.2% |
| Visibility | 15.5% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 13.1% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 10.4% |
| Steering | 5.0% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
62.0% of Ford Ka tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Ford Kas, 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 | 18.4% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 11.8% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 10.9% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 10.6% |
| Exhaust system: minor leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 8.8% |
| Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension | 8.5% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 6.5% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 6.3% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 5.7% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 5.5% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint has slight play Suspension | 3.1% |
| Shock absorbers: slightly worn bush Suspension | 3.0% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Ford Ka gets older
A 2019 Ford Ka failed 13.8% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2006 one failed 49.6%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2019 Ford Ka 13.8% failed, from 9,992 tests
- Headlamp out 12.8%
- Worn brake pads 10.8%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 10.0%
- Cut tyre 7.2%
- Headlamp aim set too high 7.1%
- Split joint boot 5.4%
2006 Ford Ka 49.6% failed, from 2,071 tests
- Structural corrosion 26.4%
- Worn suspension bushes 14.5%
- Broken coil spring 12.7%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 10.2%
- Sidelight out 9.2%
- Brake light out 8.9%
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 Ka problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Ford Ka?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Stop lamp: not working” is the most common: it appears on 9.8% of failed Ford Ka tests. Across categories, suspension is the area that most often fails one, on 45.4% of failed tests.
How often does a Ford Ka fail its MOT?
33.7% of Ford Ka tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 169,345 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 44 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Ford Ka than on other cars?
Yes. “Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak” appears on 9.7% of its failures against 3.5% for cars of the same age, and “Exhaust system: major leak of exhaust gases” appears on 6.1% of its failures against 2.9% 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 Ka 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 | 169,345 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.