Ford Cougar MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Ford Cougar MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Ford Cougar passed on its first attempt in 63.6%, and its overall record sits −10.1 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Ford Cougar in the 2023–2025 data: 1,054 tests across 2 model years (2000–2001). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Ford Cougar MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Ford Cougar, the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the Ford Cougar's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Ford Cougar DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Ford Cougar, each with how many of the model's 1,054 tests it was noted on.

• "Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements" (Major) — noted on about 70 Ford Cougar tests, 6.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength" (Major) — noted on about 67 Ford Cougar tests, 6.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Position lamp not working" (Major) — noted on about 48 Ford Cougar tests, 4.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect" (Major) — noted on about 35 Ford Cougar tests, 3.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 31 Ford Cougar tests, 2.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp lens slightly defective" (Minor) — noted on about 31 Ford Cougar tests, 2.9% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Ford Cougar Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Ford Cougar model year on record is 2001 (71.3% across 422 tests), and the weakest is 2000 (70.6%). The gap between them is 0.7 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Ford Cougar Owners

These checks follow this Ford Cougar's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Ford Cougar.

• corrosion — “component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength”

  Look under the sills, around the jacking points and where the suspension mounts meet the body. Flaking, holed or crumbly metal fails; a brown stain on sound metal does not.

• the lights — “position lamp not working”

  Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.

• the suspension joints — “pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn”

  With the car parked on level ground, rock the top of each front wheel in and out while someone watches the suspension arm. Clunks, or rubber boots split and greasy, are what testers record here.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Ford Cougar. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Frequently Asked Questions: Ford Cougar MOT & Reliability