28,801 tests in 2025
Ford Transit Courier reliability and MOT pass rate
78.8% passed first time. The 21.2% fail rate is 1.4 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 6 years old with 74,644 miles.
Pass rate
78.8%
22.6% of all cars failed; 21.2% of these did.
Fixed on the day
8.5%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
74,644 mi
6 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 10,446 | 15.3% |
| 6-9 years | 14,154 | 22.9% |
| 10-13 years | 4,111 | 30.7% |
| 14+ years | 0 | — |
What the Transit Courier 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 equipment46 dangerous39%
- Tyres2,033 dangerous32.5%
- Suspension66 dangerous26.7%
- Visibility5 dangerous20.7%
- Brakes693 dangerous18.1%
- Noise, emissions and leaks12 dangerous16.4%
- Steering26 dangerous6.8%
- Body, chassis, structure23 dangerous5.6%
Is the Transit Courier getting worse?
The fail rate rose 2.2 points to 21.2% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 1 year, which is about what ageing alone predicts (1.9 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 21,153 | 5 | 19% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 24,047 | 5 | 19.4% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 23,801 | 6 | 20.9% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 28,793 | 6 | 21.2% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Transit Courier 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 Courier in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Stop lamp: not working1,032 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm867 tests
- 3Coil spring: fractured or broken703 tests
- 4Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn650 tests
- 5Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively547 tests
- 6Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction528 tests
- 7Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick524 tests
- 8Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords504 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Transit Courier collects 2.09 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 1.6mm5,763 tests
- 2Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick2,013 tests
- 3Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened1,289 tests
- 4Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure1,238 tests
- 5Registration plates: inscription illegible836 tests
- 6Tread depth: tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm803 tests
- 7Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine786 tests
- 8Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre755 tests
Questions
What is the Ford Transit Courier MOT pass rate?
78.8% of the 28,801 Ford Transit Courier first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 21.2% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 8.5% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Ford Transit Courier usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Stop lamp: not working", recorded on 1,032 failed tests, followed by "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" and "Coil spring: fractured or broken". By section, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 39% of failures, tyres appears in 32.5% of failures, suspension appears in 26.7% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 15.3%; at 10-13 years it was 30.7%. The median Ford Transit Courier tested in 2025 was 6 years old with 74,644 miles.
Is the Ford Transit Courier getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 2.2 points to 21.2% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 1 year, which is about what ageing alone predicts (1.9 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 Transit Courier 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 20 safety recalls naming the Ford Transit Courier: Ford Transit Courier recalls.
Other Ford models
- Fiesta 27.3%
- Focus 25.4%
- Galaxy 28.6%
- B-Max 24.4%
- Fusion 32.3%
- Grand C-Max 27.6%
- Tourneo Connect 18.4%
- Tourneo 23.4%
- Tourneo Custom 15.5%
- Mustang 14.1%
Checking a particular Transit Courier?
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.