Pass rate
86.6%
Above average — 2.6 pts ahead of the 84.0% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 35,202 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £34–£80
2016 Ford C-Max MOT pass rate
- 2016
- 2 trims combined
- typical 54,233 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Tyres
36.1% of faults · 19.8% nationally
mostly tread below the limit, cuts and sidewall bulges.
Part only £55–£85 for Tread depth below 1.6 mm. What fitting it takes →
8.4 pts down across model years — 13.7% in 2006, 5.3% in 2019.
Which year to buy
- Best 2019 88.6% pass
- Avoid 2004 70.0% pass
Across the 16 years on record, a spread of 18.6 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 84.7%
- Typical mileage
- 54k mi
The 2016 Ford C-Max MOT pass rate is 86.6% of its MOT tests — 2.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Tyres is the biggest single reason it fails, at 36.1% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Tyres: 1.8× the national share
Tyres make up 36.1% of everything recorded on the 2016 Ford C-Max, against 19.8% nationally — 16.3 points above. Check all four tyres yourself, including the inner shoulders, and look at the date stamp — a tyre can pass on tread and still be six years old.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 34% of this model’s typical repairs come in under £30 in parts — the failures here tend to be the kind that need a garage rather than a bulb.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a Ford C-Max? Get an email when these numbers change .
Every Ford C-Max first registered in 2016 is combined here — 2 trim and body variants in total — so the sample is as large as the DVSA data allows.
How does the 2016 Ford C-Max compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 84.0%, so this figure is 2.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 84.7%. The median 2016 Ford C-Max in this dataset had covered 54,233 mi.
The most common fuel recorded here is Diesel — 67% of tests, with a 86.1% pass rate. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 86.7% of the time, April–September 86.5%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view", noted on 1.90% of tests.
- 35,202 recorded tests behind this page.
- 86.6% overall pass rate, 84.7% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Ford C-Max, the average is 79.9% — best year 2019 (88.6%), worst 2004 (70.0%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 35,202
- Typical mileage (median)
- 54,233 mi
- Make and model
- Ford C-Max
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Windscreen
Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.
Does mileage affect the C-Max MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 71% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (67% of tests).
Where the Ford C-Max is most common
Across all C-Max model years on record (2004–2019): 153,868 Ford C-Max cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 406,508 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 4,647 cars tested there. Cars are counted by the postcode area of the MOT station, so this is where they were tested, not necessarily where their owners live.
| # | Postcode area | Cars | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham (B) | 4,647 | 83.1% |
| 2 | Nottingham (NG) | 3,688 | 78.9% |
| 3 | Liverpool (L) | 3,640 | 81.2% |
| 4 | Sheffield (S) | 3,492 | 82.4% |
| 5 | Peterborough (PE) | 3,364 | 80.8% |
| 6 | Leicester (LE) | 3,191 | 82.0% |
| 7 | Bristol (BS) | 3,138 | 75.5% |
| 8 | Norwich (NR) | 2,760 | 80.9% |
| 9 | Chelmsford (CM) | 2,686 | 82.4% |
| 10 | Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) | 2,575 | 81.2% |
| 11 | Derby (DE) | 2,502 | 81.2% |
| 12 | Ipswich (IP) | 2,435 | 80.4% |
| 13 | Brighton (BN) | 2,401 | 75.7% |
| 14 | Basildon (SS) | 2,316 | 82.9% |
| 15 | Reading (RG) | 2,311 | 81.1% |
| 16 | Portsmouth (PO) | 2,307 | 77.1% |
| 17 | Cardiff (CF) | 2,225 | 77.3% |
| 18 | Manchester (M) | 2,209 | 81.0% |
| 19 | Coventry (CV) | 2,204 | 80.2% |
| 20 | Maidstone (ME) | 2,194 | 82.0% |
The twenty areas with the most Ford C-Max cars in the record, sorted by car count — sort the columns for a different question. Cars tested at a station whose postcode area could not be resolved are counted in the model's total but in no area, so the shares add up to slightly under 100% even across every area, and an area's cars are a subset of the model's. Pass rate is blank below 30 tests in an area, where a percentage is noise rather than a finding. How this model's pass rate varies by postcode →
Regional pass rates for the C-Max
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 6,214 | 87.2% |
| East of England | 4,524 | 88.8% |
| North West | 4,453 | 85.6% |
| West Midlands | 3,247 | 87.2% |
| Yorkshire | 3,245 | 87.0% |
| South West | 3,208 | 85.6% |
| Scotland | 2,968 | 82.5% |
| East Midlands | 2,853 | 87.2% |
| North East | 1,765 | 86.5% |
| Wales | 1,574 | 85.9% |
| London | 1,151 | 89.2% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2016 C-Max
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2016 C-Max
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the windscreen 1.9% of tests
“windscreen damaged”
Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.
-
Check the brakes 1.6% of tests
“brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick”
Look through the spokes of each wheel at the pad — less than 3mm of friction material, or a lip on the disc edge, is the usual failure. Check the handbrake holds on a slope with a few clicks, not at the top of its travel.
-
Check the wipers and washers 1.5% of tests
“wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively”
Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the screen.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2016 C-Max through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £34–£80 — and 34% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £34–£80
- Cheapest common item: stop lamp not working
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: windscreen damaged
- £80–£200
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 90%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 34%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 35,202 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the C-Max, side by side
16 model years on record, from 2004 to 2019. Across them the pass rate runs from 70.0% to 88.6% — a spread of 18.6 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2004 70.0% headlamp aim projected beam image…
- 2005 71.7% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2006 70.7% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2007 70.7% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2008 71.3% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2009 73.4% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2010 73.7% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2011 77.4% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2012 78.5% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2013 81.2% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2014 81.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2015 84.1% tyre pressure monitoring system…
- 2016 86.6%windscreen damaged but not…
- 2017 88.5% wipers does not clear the…
- 2018 87.5% wipers does not clear the…
- 2019 88.6% wipers does not clear the…
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2016 Ford C-Max with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2016 cars with a similar record
Closest pass rates among 2016 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2016 Ford C-Max 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 37,085 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 13,510 | 36.10% | 19.76% | +16.34 |
| Brakes | 8,581 | 22.90% | 20.89% | +2.01 |
| Suspension | 4,166 | 11.10% | 20.98% | −9.88 |
| Non-component advisories | 2,799 | 7.50% | 4.18% | +3.32 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 2,582 | 6.90% | 12.21% | −5.31 |
| Visibility | 2,349 | 6.30% | 4.97% | +1.33 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 1,167 | 3.10% | 5.52% | −2.42 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 897 | 2.40% | 1.76% | +0.64 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 697 | 1.90% | 5.57% | −3.67 |
| Road Wheels | 337 | 0.90% | 0.75% | +0.15 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 1.9% | £80–200 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Major | 1.6% | £18–45 |
| Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | Major | 1.5% | £8–22 |
| Tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative Tyres | Major | 1.3% | £45–95 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Major | 1.2% | £45–95 |
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Major | 1.2% | £45–95 |
| Wipers blade defective Visibility | Minor | 1.1% | £8–22 |
| Has ply or cords exposed Tyres | Major | 1.0% | £45–95 |
| Position lamp with a multiple light source up to 1/2 not functioning Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 0.93% | £5–25 |
| Stop lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 0.68% | £3–12 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 19.6% | £45–95 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 11.4% | £18–45 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 8.6% | £45–95 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 5.2% | £40–150 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 4.7% | £45–110 |
| Non-component advisories Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | Advisory | 3.8% | £20–80 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 4,012 | 92.5% | 22,549 mi |
| 30-60k | 16,899 | 88.5% | 45,672 mi |
| 60-90k | 10,735 | 83.5% | 72,282 mi |
| 90-120k | 2,809 | 80.5% | 100,901 mi |
| 120k+ | 711 | 79.2% | 146,761 mi |
Source: 35,202 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2016 C-Max MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2016 Ford C-Max?
86.6% of the 35,202 2016 Ford C-Max tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 84.0% for cars first used in 2016. First-attempt pass rate: 84.7%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2016 Ford C-Max?
The three most recorded items are windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (1.90%), brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick (1.56%), wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (1.48%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2016 Ford C-Max MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 92.5% of the time, falling to 79.2% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2016 Ford C-Max in this dataset had covered 54,233 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2016 Ford C-Max?
Diesel: 86.1% pass rate across 23,528 tests. Petrol: 87.7% pass rate across 11,671 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2016 Ford C-Max MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 86.7% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 86.5%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.