In 2025, 121,688 Ford Ranger cars had a regular MOT in Great Britain. 72% passed first time, compared with 78% for all cars of the same ages, which makes the Ranger worse than average. Most are commercial vans or pick-ups, which usually cover far higher mileages and harder work than private cars, so we leave them out of the car rankings.
That comparison matters: older cars fail more often, so a raw pass rate flatters models that are mostly young. We compare each model against every car on the road at the same age.
Pass rate by age
At 3 years old, 82% of Rangers passed first time (all cars that age: 88%). By 20 years, that figure is 57% (all cars: 58%). It trails the average car at most ages, most noticeably at 5 years (9 points behind).
Ford Ranger All cars of that age
| Age | Tests | Ranger passed first time | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 years | 15,070 | 82% | 88% | 44,489 |
| 4 years | 15,928 | 80% | 87% | 54,318 |
| 5 years | 11,262 | 77% | 86% | 61,571 |
| 6 years | 14,067 | 76% | 84% | 70,810 |
| 7 years | 13,661 | 74% | 81% | 79,084 |
| 8 years | 10,344 | 73% | 78% | 84,835 |
| 9 years | 10,125 | 72% | 75% | 91,055 |
| 10 years | 6,005 | 65% | 72% | 96,541 |
| 11 years | 3,871 | 63% | 69% | 103,872 |
| 12 years | 2,772 | 66% | 66% | 108,571 |
| 13 years | 1,782 | 61% | 63% | 115,532 |
| 14 years | 1,400 | 59% | 61% | 123,357 |
| 15 years | 1,281 | 56% | 59% | 125,018 |
| 16 years | 2,013 | 56% | 58% | 128,807 |
| 17 years | 1,783 | 57% | 57% | 131,027 |
| 18 years | 2,375 | 56% | 57% | 137,260 |
| 19 years | 1,972 | 54% | 57% | 131,214 |
| 20 years | 1,658 | 57% | 58% | 126,879 |
What fails most on a Ford Ranger
The area that lets the Ranger down most, relative to other cars, is body and structure: 5.6% of tests failed on it, 1.4 times the rate for the average car. It does comparatively well on tyres and visibility.
Share of Ranger tests failing on this area Average car
The six most common failure items
| Failure item | Area | Share of tests |
|---|---|---|
| A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened | Suspension | 7.5% |
| The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements | Lights and electrics | 4.5% |
| A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning | Lights and electrics | 2.5% |
| Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements | Tyres | 2.4% |
| Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction | Emissions and leaks | 2.1% |
| A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED | Lights and electrics | 2.1% |
What to check when buying a used Ranger
Based on where the Ranger fails more often than other cars, these are the checks worth making before you buy:
- Body and structure: Get underneath with a torch: sills, jacking points, subframe mounts and floor pans. Structural rust is the failure that can make a car uneconomic to fix. Repair guide
- Lights and electrics: Walk round with the lights on: headlights (dipped and main), indicators, brake lights, number-plate and fog lights. Bulbs are cheap, but a seller who hasn’t noticed one out may have missed more. Repair guide
- Suspension: Listen for knocks over speed bumps, look for leaking shock absorbers, and check the car sits level. Ask whether springs, bushes or drop links have been replaced. Repair guide
Then check the individual car: its own MOT history will show whether it follows the pattern. A car with repeated advisories in the same weak area is more likely to fail its next test.
Check a specific Ranger
Enter the registration to see its full MOT history, mileage record and reliability score, compared with these figures.
Check a RangerFrequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a Ford Ranger?
In 2025, 72% of Ford Ranger cars passed their MOT first time, across 121,688 tests. Cars of the same ages averaged 78%.
What do Ford Ranger cars most often fail their MOT on?
The most common failure items were: a spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened (7.5% of tests); the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements (4.5% of tests); a lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning (2.5% of tests).
Other Ford models
Ford Fiesta (65%), Ford Focus (67%), Ford Kuga (78%), Ford Transit (62%), Ford Mondeo (67%), Ford Ka (66%). All Ford models
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 (class 4 normal tests; first-time pass means passed with no faults fixed at the test). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.