In 2025, 30,988 Ford Transit Courier cars had a regular MOT in Great Britain. 70% passed first time, compared with 81% for all cars of the same ages, which makes the Transit Courier 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, 80% of Transit Couriers passed first time (all cars that age: 88%). By 11 years, that figure is 61% (all cars: 69%). It trails the average car at most ages, most noticeably at 8 years (13 points behind).
Ford Transit Courier All cars of that age
| Age | Tests | Transit Courier passed first time | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 years | 4,496 | 80% | 88% | 43,205 |
| 4 years | 3,539 | 78% | 87% | 53,223 |
| 5 years | 3,334 | 74% | 86% | 68,790 |
| 6 years | 4,477 | 71% | 84% | 76,703 |
| 7 years | 4,233 | 70% | 81% | 85,174 |
| 8 years | 3,792 | 66% | 78% | 98,146 |
| 9 years | 2,654 | 64% | 75% | 103,691 |
| 10 years | 3,344 | 60% | 72% | 115,681 |
| 11 years | 1,022 | 61% | 69% | 123,573 |
What fails most on a Ford Transit Courier
The area that lets the Transit Courier down most, relative to other cars, is visibility: 7.3% of tests failed on it, 1.4 times the rate for the average car. It does comparatively well on body and structure and suspension.
Share of Transit Courier tests failing on this area Average car
The six most common failure items
| Failure item | Area | Share of tests |
|---|---|---|
| Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning | Lights and electrics | 6.7% |
| The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements | Lights and electrics | 5.1% |
| Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements | Tyres | 4.4% |
| A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED | Lights and electrics | 3.5% |
| Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen | Visibility | 3.3% |
| A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn | Suspension | 3.2% |
What to check when buying a used Transit Courier
Based on where the Transit Courier fails more often than other cars, these are the checks worth making before you buy:
- Visibility: Check the windscreen for chips in the driver’s view, the wipers for smearing and the washers for working jets. 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
- Tyres: Check tread across the whole width (uneven wear hints at alignment or suspension faults), and look for cuts, bulges and mismatched brands. 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 Transit Courier
Enter the registration to see its full MOT history, mileage record and reliability score, compared with these figures.
Check a Transit CourierFrequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a Ford Transit Courier?
In 2025, 70% of Ford Transit Courier cars passed their MOT first time, across 30,988 tests. Cars of the same ages averaged 81%.
What do Ford Transit Courier cars most often fail their MOT on?
The most common failure items were: stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning (6.7% of tests); the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements (5.1% of tests); tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements (4.4% 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.