In 2025, 63,066 Ford Transit Custom cars had a regular MOT in Great Britain. 76% passed first time, compared with 82% for all cars of the same ages, which makes the Transit Custom 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, 72% of Transit Customs passed first time (all cars that age: 88%). By 10 years, that figure is 64% (all cars: 72%). It trails the average car at most ages, most noticeably at 3 years (17 points behind).
Ford Transit Custom All cars of that age
| Age | Tests | Transit Custom passed first time | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 years | 488 | 72% | 88% | 40,642 |
| 4 years | 392 | 82% | 87% | 55,208 |
| 5 years | 1,193 | 80% | 86% | 66,914 |
| 6 years | 32,337 | 77% | 84% | 81,818 |
| 7 years | 27,633 | 75% | 81% | 91,925 |
| 8 years | 271 | 67% | 78% | 92,729 |
| 9 years | 303 | 71% | 75% | 106,070 |
| 10 years | 204 | 64% | 72% | 115,589 |
What fails most on a Ford Transit Custom
The area that lets the Transit Custom down most, relative to other cars, is visibility: 6.4% of tests failed on it, 1.2 times the rate for the average car. It does comparatively well on suspension and emissions and leaks.
Share of Transit Custom tests failing on this area Average car
The six most common failure items
| Failure item | Area | Share of tests |
|---|---|---|
| A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED | Lights and electrics | 3.8% |
| A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm | Brakes | 3.2% |
| The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements | Lights and electrics | 3.0% |
| Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen | Visibility | 3.0% |
| A tyre seriously damaged | Tyres | 2.7% |
| Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded | Brakes | 2.5% |
What to check when buying a used Transit Custom
Based on where the Transit Custom 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
- Brakes: Look through the wheels for lipped or scored discs, check the handbrake holds on a slope, and feel for pulling or vibration under firm braking. 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
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 Custom
Enter the registration to see its full MOT history, mileage record and reliability score, compared with these figures.
Check a Transit CustomFrequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a Ford Transit Custom?
In 2025, 76% of Ford Transit Custom cars passed their MOT first time, across 63,066 tests. Cars of the same ages averaged 82%.
What do Ford Transit Custom cars most often fail their MOT on?
The most common failure items were: a headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of led (3.8% of tests); a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm (3.2% of tests); the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements (3.0% 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.