153,720 tests in 2025
Ford Transit Connect reliability and MOT pass rate
73.5% passed first time. The 26.5% fail rate is 3.9 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 9 years old with 100,810 miles.
Pass rate
73.5%
22.6% of all cars failed; 26.5% of these did.
Fixed on the day
7.1%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
100,810 mi
9 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 27,920 | 17.6% |
| 6-9 years | 58,219 | 19.6% |
| 10-13 years | 30,302 | 29% |
| 14+ years | 36,915 | 42.2% |
What the Transit Connect 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 equipment344 dangerous36.5%
- Brakes8,251 dangerous36.4%
- Suspension920 dangerous29.9%
- Tyres12,529 dangerous28.4%
- Body, chassis, structure572 dangerous24.2%
- Visibility53 dangerous18.8%
- Noise, emissions and leaks126 dangerous17.6%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems18 dangerous7.3%
Is the Transit Connect getting worse?
The fail rate fell 2.3 points to 26.9% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 1 year. Ageing alone would predict about 2.8 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 170,498 | 8 | 29.2% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 170,253 | 8 | 28.3% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 149,674 | 8 | 27.6% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 148,200 | 9 | 26.9% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Transit Connect 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 Transit Connect in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick4,655 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm4,613 tests
- 3Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt4,324 tests
- 4Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively4,042 tests
- 5Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength3,610 tests
- 6Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements3,557 tests
- 7Condition: has ply or cords exposed3,492 tests
- 8Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction3,455 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Transit Connect collects 2.83 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.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm34,273 tests
- 2Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick17,113 tests
- 3Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine16,512 tests
- 4Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded14,162 tests
- 5Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened12,415 tests
- 6Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure8,561 tests
- 7Registration plates: inscription illegible6,474 tests
- 8Non-component advisories: Play in steering rack inner joint(s)4,988 tests
Questions
What is the Ford Transit Connect MOT pass rate?
73.5% of the 153,720 Ford Transit Connect first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 26.5% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 7.1% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Ford Transit Connect usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick", recorded on 4,655 failed tests, followed by "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" and "Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt". By section, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 36.5% of failures, brakes appears in 36.4% of failures, suspension appears in 29.9% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 17.6%; at 14+ years it was 42.2%. The median Ford Transit Connect tested in 2025 was 9 years old with 100,810 miles.
Is the Ford Transit Connect getting less reliable?
The fail rate fell 2.3 points to 26.9% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 1 year. Ageing alone would predict about 2.8 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
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 Transit Connect 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 12 safety recalls naming the Ford Transit Connect: Ford Transit Connect recalls.
Other Ford models
Checking a particular Transit Connect?
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.