Pass rate
73.2%
Below average — 0.1 pts ahead of the 73.1% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 178,480 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £44–£127
2008 Ford Focus MOT pass rate
- 2008
- 2 trims combined
- typical 106,173 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Suspension
31.8% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Part only £35–£75 for Suspension pin or bush excessively worn. What fitting it takes →
2.2 pts down across model years — 3.4% in 2000, 1.2% in 2017.
Which year to buy
- Best 2023 94.0% pass
- Avoid 2000 69.3% pass
Across the 24 years on record, a spread of 24.7 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 65.1%
- Typical mileage
- 106k mi
The 2008 Ford Focus MOT pass rate is 73.2% of its MOT tests — about what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 31.8% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Suspension: 1.5× the national share
Suspension accounts for 31.8% of everything recorded on the 2008 Ford Focus, against 21.0% nationally — 10.8 points above. Ask for the front and rear suspension to be checked on a ramp before you buy — worn bushes and broken springs are cheap to look at and expensive to discover at test time.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 28% 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 Focus? Get an email when these numbers change .
Every Ford Focus first registered in 2008 is combined here — 2 trim and body variants in total — so the sample is as large as the DVSA data allows.
How does the 2008 Ford Focus compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 73.1%, so this figure is 0.1 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 65.1%. The median 2008 Ford Focus in this dataset had covered 106,173 mi.
78% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Petrol, which passed 73.9% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 73.4% of the time, April–September 73.0%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 6.54% of tests.
- 178,480 recorded tests behind this page.
- 73.2% overall pass rate, 65.1% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Ford Focus, the average is 79.7% — best year 2023 (94.0%), worst 2000 (69.3%).
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
- 178,480
- Typical mileage (median)
- 106,173 mi
- Make and model
- Ford Focus
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Number Plate Lamp
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Focus MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 61% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (78% of tests).
Where the Ford Focus is most common
Across all Focus model years on record (2000–2023): 1,385,958 Ford Focus cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 3,369,974 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 49,616 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) | 49,616 | 82.8% |
| 2 | Sheffield (S) | 33,246 | 81.5% |
| 3 | Nottingham (NG) | 27,825 | 78.0% |
| 4 | Leicester (LE) | 27,108 | 81.2% |
| 5 | Peterborough (PE) | 26,005 | 80.3% |
| 6 | Liverpool (L) | 26,004 | 81.8% |
| 7 | Bristol (BS) | 23,509 | 74.9% |
| 8 | Coventry (CV) | 23,251 | 81.6% |
| 9 | Chelmsford (CM) | 21,900 | 82.5% |
| 10 | Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) | 21,605 | 80.5% |
| 11 | Manchester (M) | 21,555 | 80.1% |
| 12 | Cardiff (CF) | 21,408 | 77.0% |
| 13 | Romford (RM) | 21,221 | 86.5% |
| 14 | Derby (DE) | 20,832 | 81.2% |
| 15 | Reading (RG) | 20,708 | 81.5% |
| 16 | Basildon (SS) | 20,189 | 83.1% |
| 17 | Northampton (NN) | 19,517 | 78.1% |
| 18 | Norwich (NR) | 19,012 | 78.4% |
| 19 | Doncaster (DN) | 18,993 | 79.8% |
| 20 | Glasgow (G) | 18,868 | 79.6% |
The twenty areas with the most Ford Focus 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 Focus
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 38,380 | 76.0% |
| East of England | 23,156 | 74.8% |
| South West | 22,696 | 69.2% |
| North West | 19,550 | 72.1% |
| West Midlands | 17,253 | 74.8% |
| Yorkshire | 14,364 | 71.4% |
| East Midlands | 13,425 | 71.9% |
| London | 9,997 | 82.2% |
| Wales | 7,758 | 70.1% |
| Scotland | 6,213 | 64.3% |
| North East | 5,678 | 69.6% |
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 2008 Focus
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 2008 Focus
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 lights 6.5% of tests
“registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”
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.
-
Check the coil springs 4.0% of tests
“coil spring fractured or broken”
Look up inside each wheel arch with a torch, all the way round the spring. A snapped spring usually breaks at the very bottom coil, where a quick glance will not reach.
-
Check the suspension joints 3.6% of tests
“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.
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 2008 Focus through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £44–£127 — and 28% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £44–£127
- Cheapest common item: registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the…
- £5–£20
- Dearest common item: component mounting prescribed areas…
- £180–£450
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 40%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 28%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 178,480 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 Focus, side by side
24 model years on record, from 2000 to 2023. Across them the pass rate runs from 69.3% to 94.0% — a spread of 24.7 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 69.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2001 70.7% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2002 70.4% component mounting prescribed…
- 2003 70.6% component mounting prescribed…
- 2004 70.6% track rod end ball joint has…
- 2005 72.0% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2006 74.0% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2007 74.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2008 73.2%registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2009 74.1% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2010 74.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2011 75.2% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2012 77.0% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2013 77.4% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2014 79.2% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2015 84.2% tyre pressure monitoring system…
- 2016 86.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2017 88.1% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2018 88.4% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2019 88.0% brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick
- 2020 90.5% has a cut in excess of the…
- 2021 91.6% tread depth below requirements of…
- 2022 92.8% has a cut in excess of the…
- 2023 94.0% has a cut in excess of 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 2008 Ford Focus 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 2008 cars with a similar record
- MINI Mini 73.2%
- MINI COOPER 73.2%
- Nissan Note 73.1%
- Hyundai Getz 73.4%
- Honda Fr-V 72.9%
- Volkswagen Golf 73.6%
Closest pass rates among 2008 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 2008 Ford Focus 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 491,212 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 159,145 | 31.80% | 20.98% | +10.82 |
| Tyres | 74,904 | 15.00% | 19.76% | −4.76 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 69,751 | 14.00% | 12.21% | +1.79 |
| Brakes | 60,984 | 12.20% | 20.89% | −8.69 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 46,893 | 9.40% | 5.57% | +3.83 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 27,459 | 5.50% | 5.52% | −0.02 |
| Visibility | 19,322 | 3.90% | 4.97% | −1.07 |
| Non-component advisories | 12,702 | 2.50% | 4.18% | −1.68 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 12,450 | 2.50% | 1.76% | +0.74 |
| Steering | 7,602 | 1.50% | 2.57% | −1.07 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 6.5% | £5–20 |
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 4.0% | £25–65 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 4.0% | £80–250 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 3.6% | £40–150 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.4% | £30–80 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.2% | £5–25 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 2.9% | £80–200 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 2.5% | £18–45 |
| Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | Major | 2.5% | £80–250 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | Major | 1.7% | £180–450 |
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 | 22.1% | £45–95 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 15.5% | £40–150 |
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 13.3% | £25–65 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 11.8% | £45–110 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 9.7% | £45–95 |
| Sub-frame corroded and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 9.6% | £180–450 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 1,179 | 88.5% | 22,889 mi |
| 30-60k | 12,610 | 82.3% | 49,210 mi |
| 60-90k | 41,353 | 76.4% | 77,165 mi |
| 90-120k | 61,148 | 72.6% | 104,872 mi |
| 120k+ | 60,747 | 69.6% | 145,195 mi |
Source: 178,480 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.
2008 Focus MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2008 Ford Focus?
73.2% of the 178,480 2008 Ford Focus tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 73.1% for cars first used in 2008. First-attempt pass rate: 65.1%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2008 Ford Focus?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (6.54%), coil spring fractured or broken (4.02%), joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated (4.01%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2008 Ford Focus MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 88.5% of the time, falling to 69.6% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2008 Ford Focus in this dataset had covered 106,173 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2008 Ford Focus?
Petrol: 73.9% pass rate across 138,952 tests. Diesel: 70.8% pass rate across 39,510 tests. LPG: 68.8% pass rate across 16 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2008 Ford Focus MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 73.4% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 73.0%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.