164,401 tests in 2025
Ford Transit Custom reliability and MOT pass rate
83.9% passed first time. The 16.1% fail rate is 6.5 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 5 years old with 65,077 miles.
Pass rate
83.9%
22.6% of all cars failed; 16.1% of these did.
Fixed on the day
6.7%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
65,077 mi
5 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 98,354 | 15.5% |
| 6-9 years | 64,847 | 16.9% |
| 10-13 years | 376 | 35.1% |
| 14+ years | 8 | — |
What the Transit Custom 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.
- Brakes5,411 dangerous31.3%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment82 dangerous30.9%
- Tyres6,631 dangerous29.3%
- Visibility39 dangerous25.7%
- Body, chassis, structure85 dangerous11.6%
- Noise, emissions and leaks24 dangerous7.4%
- Suspension102 dangerous7%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems2 dangerous2%
Is the Transit Custom getting worse?
The fail rate rose 2.9 points to 16.2% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 69,146 | — | 13.3% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 101,722 | — | 15.3% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 122,803 | — | 16.2% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 157,200 | — | 16.2% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Transit Custom 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 Custom in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick4,122 tests
- 2Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively3,823 tests
- 3Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords2,616 tests
- 4Headlamp: not working on dipped beam2,491 tests
- 5Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt2,223 tests
- 6Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm1,959 tests
- 7Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction1,504 tests
- 8Condition: has ply or cords exposed1,473 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Transit Custom collects 2.11 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 1.6mm19,157 tests
- 2Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick17,209 tests
- 3Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened10,630 tests
- 4Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure8,153 tests
- 5Brake discs: significantly and obviously worn6,042 tests
- 6Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded5,514 tests
- 7Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine4,163 tests
- 8Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre3,943 tests
Questions
What is the Ford Transit Custom MOT pass rate?
83.9% of the 164,401 Ford Transit Custom first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 16.1% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 6.7% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Ford Transit Custom usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick", recorded on 4,122 failed tests, followed by "Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively" and "Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords". By section, brakes appears in 31.3% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 30.9% of failures, tyres appears in 29.3% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 15.5%; at 10-13 years it was 35.1%. The median Ford Transit Custom tested in 2025 was 5 years old with 65,077 miles.
Is the Ford Transit Custom getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 2.9 points to 16.2% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
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 Custom 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 32 safety recalls naming the Ford Transit Custom: Ford Transit Custom recalls.
Other Ford models
Checking a particular Transit Custom?
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.