Ford Fiesta MOT Reliability & Buying Guide

65.6%

MOT pass rate

Supermini

Segment

Petrol

Fuel types available

Source: DS Auto Labs analysis of DVSA's anonymised 2025 MOT test results (Open Government Licence v3.0): 1,360,707 first-time tests of Ford Fiesta cars of all ages (test class 4, cars and light vans). A pass means a clean first-time pass; a car that failed and was repaired at the test station before passing counts as not passed, and aborted tests are excluded. Age is the car's age at the 2025 test.

What to know

In 2025, Ford Fiesta cars passed their MOT first time 65.6% of the time, across 1,360,707 tests. That is 3.1 points below Ford's overall brand average of 68.7% and 6.8 points below the national average of 72.4%.

Age explains much of the difference between models. Pass rates fall steeply as cars get older, for every make, so a model with many old cars on the road looks worse than it is, and a recent model looks better. This compares the Ford Fiesta with the typical UK car of the same age.

MOT pass rate by vehicle age, 2025 first-time tests
Car age	Ford Fiesta	All UK cars	Tests
3-5 years	88.0%	87.2%	102,891
6-9 years	76.6%	79.3%	373,016
10-13 years	61.8%	67.9%	448,520
14+ years	54.8%	59.3%	434,903

Allowing for the age mix of the cars tested, a typical UK car would be expected to pass about 69.8% of the time. The Ford Fiesta passed at 65.6%, which is 4.2 points below that expected rate.

A model average says little about one particular car, so check its own MOT history for repeated advisories, past failures and mileage.

Technology: the 2017 to 2023 Fiesta

This section covers the Fiesta sold new from 2017 until Ford ended production in 2023. DVSA's MOT figures above include older Fiestas too, so a car you look at may have different equipment.

Engines and gearboxes

Explained in plain English: engines, hybrids, gearboxes, diesel exhaust systems.

Petrol: the 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder EcoBoost was the most popular engine and came in several power outputs. A 1.1-litre non-turbo petrol sat below it and was described by What Car? as underpowered (Parkers, What Car?).
Mild hybrid: from 2020 the 1.0 EcoBoost was offered with a small battery and motor-generator at 125hp and 155hp. It lets the engine switch off earlier when coasting, but Parkers says it will not dramatically cut running costs.
Diesel: a 1.5 TDCi at 85hp, plus a 120hp version at launch. Diesel left the range in 2020, so any diesel Fiesta is a used buy (Parkers).
Fiesta ST: a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol with 200hp, on sale from 2018 (Parkers, Auto Express).
Gearboxes: Auto Express recommends the manual. About one in ten used Fiestas is an automatic, and it says the Powershift automatic can fail.

Safety and driver aids

Explained in plain English: driver aids, Euro NCAP ratings.

Euro NCAP, 2017: five stars. Adult occupant 87%, child occupant 84%, vulnerable road users 64%, safety assist 60%. The test car was a 1.1 petrol five-door, and the rating also covers the 1.0 petrol and 1.5 diesel versions.
Automatic emergency braking was optional. Euro NCAP gave the test car no credit for it, which is why the safety-assist score is the lowest of the four. Whether a particular Fiesta has it depends on the options the first owner chose. Parkers describes the driver aids as available "if you pay for them".
Standard on the car Euro NCAP tested: lane-keeping assist (from 65 km/h) and a driver-set speed limiter.
Euro NCAP lists this rating as expired from 1 January 2024. Its tests become stricter over time, so a 2017 score is not directly comparable with a recent one.

Infotainment and connectivity

Explained in plain English: infotainment.

Zetec and above have a 6.5-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. An 8-inch screen is an upgrade on Zetec and is fitted to Titanium. The Zetec B&O Play adds a 10-speaker, 675-watt sound system (What Car?, Auto Express).
Titanium adds cruise control, automatic wipers and keyless go as standard (Auto Express). Auto Express notes that a July 2020 update added further, unspecified, safety technology.

Technology to check on a used one

Oil leaks and cambelt: Auto Express says early cars had oil leaks, that regular oil changes are vital, and that a cambelt failure can cost at least £1,000 to fix. Ask for evidence of servicing and belt changes.
Powershift automatic: failures are reported (Auto Express). Test any automatic carefully.
Infotainment faults: usually cured by a software update, according to Auto Express.
Recalls: Auto Express counts 11, including the brake servo (March 2018), steering columns (January 2020), loose battery connections on hybrids (January 2021), chafing fuel lines (March 2025) and rear camera failure (September 2025).

Look up any car's open recalls and MOT history by registration with the GOV.UK vehicle recall check, or use our MOT history check.

What DVSA's 2025 tests covered

Ford Fiesta first-time tests by fuel type, DVSA 2025
Fuel type	Tests	Share
Petrol	1,194,990	87.8%
Diesel	165,145	12.1%
All other fuel types	572	under 0.1%

These counts cover every Fiesta generation in DVSA's 2025 tests, not only the 2017 to 2023 car described above.

Sources

Technology details checked against the sources above in October 2026. Specifications vary by trim, engine and year, so confirm the equipment on any individual car before you rely on it.

Check a specific Fiesta's MOT history, tax status, and advisories by registration number.

Check MOT history

See how the Ford range compares overall, with model-by-model pass rates.

View Ford brand page