102,460 tests in 2025
Ford Ecosport reliability and MOT pass rate
83.6% passed first time. The 16.4% fail rate is 6.2 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 7 years old with 39,117 miles.
Pass rate
83.6%
22.6% of all cars failed; 16.4% of these did.
Fixed on the day
6.6%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
39,117 mi
7 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 21,652 | 11.4% |
| 6-9 years | 68,378 | 16% |
| 10-13 years | 11,784 | 27.9% |
| 14+ years | 0 | — |
What the Ecosport fails on
Share of failed tests with at least one fail item in each DVSA inspection section. A test can fail in several sections at once.
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment75 dangerous34.1%
- Tyres4,092 dangerous32.5%
- Brakes1,815 dangerous29.5%
- Visibility4 dangerous14.5%
- Noise, emissions and leaks8 dangerous13.2%
- Suspension74 dangerous12.6%
- Body, chassis, structure46 dangerous10.1%
- Steering39 dangerous7.5%
Is the Ecosport getting worse?
The fail rate rose 5.8 points to 16.5% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (5.5 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 90,422 | 4 | 10.7% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 97,998 | 5 | 12.7% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 85,199 | 6 | 15.1% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 100,313 | 7 | 16.5% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Ecosport at its test that year, and it is the number to watch: across the whole fleet each extra year of age adds roughly 1.9 points to the fail rate, so a model whose age and fail rate rise together is simply getting older.
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a Ecosport in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Stop lamp: not working2,699 tests
- 2Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements1,793 tests
- 3Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords1,436 tests
- 4Headlamp: not working on dipped beam1,361 tests
- 5Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm1,352 tests
- 6Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick1,147 tests
- 7Tyre pressure monitoring system: malfunctioning or obviously inoperative1,077 tests
- 8Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits1,067 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Ecosport collects 2.41 of them per test, and these are the ones that come up most. Treat it as the running-repairs list for the next year or two.
- 1Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure14,910 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm12,445 tests
- 3Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened8,646 tests
- 4Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick6,693 tests
- 5Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened4,286 tests
- 6Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt2,453 tests
- 7Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases2,406 tests
- 8Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre2,298 tests
Questions
What is the Ford Ecosport MOT pass rate?
83.6% of the 102,460 Ford Ecosport first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 16.4% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 6.6% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Ford Ecosport usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Stop lamp: not working", recorded on 2,699 failed tests, followed by "Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements" and "Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords". By section, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 34.1% of failures, tyres appears in 32.5% of failures, brakes appears in 29.5% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 11.4%; at 10-13 years it was 27.9%. The median Ford Ecosport tested in 2025 was 7 years old with 39,117 miles.
Is the Ford Ecosport getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 5.8 points to 16.5% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (5.5 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
First-attempt class 4 tests, 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data (OGL v3, retrieved 2026-09-12). DVSA records newer cars trim by trim; this page adds every Ecosport trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
DVSA has published 8 safety recalls naming the Ford Ecosport: Ford Ecosport recalls.
Other Ford models
Checking a particular Ecosport?
The odds above are the model. The car in front of you has its own record: every test, every advisory, the mileage at each one.
Due a test? Find an approved MOT station near you.