Ford Focus C-Max MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Ford Focus C-Max MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Ford Focus C-Max passed on its first attempt in 60.1%, and its overall record sits −10.7 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Ford Focus C-Max in the 2023–2025 data: 56,718 tests across 10 model years (2003–2013). 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 Focus C-Max MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Ford Focus C-Max, 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 Focus C-Max's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Ford Focus C-Max DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Ford Focus C-Max, each with how many of the model's 56,718 tests it was noted on.

• "Headlamp lens slightly defective" (Minor) — noted on about 3,979 Ford Focus C-Max tests, 7.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 3,840 Ford Focus C-Max tests, 6.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect" (Major) — noted on about 2,979 Ford Focus C-Max tests, 5.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 2,315 Ford Focus C-Max tests, 4.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Coil spring fractured or broken" (Major) — noted on about 2,058 Ford Focus C-Max tests, 3.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 1,883 Ford Focus C-Max tests, 3.3% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Ford Focus C-Max Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Ford Focus C-Max model year on record is 2011 (79.2% across 447 tests), and the weakest is 2004 (68.9%). The gap between them is 10.3 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Ford Focus C-Max reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.4 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

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

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Ford Focus C-Max Owners

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

• the lights — “headlamp lens slightly defective”

  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 coil springs — “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.

• the windscreen — “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.

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

Where the Ford Focus C-Max is most common

Across every Focus C-Max model year on record (2003–2013): 21,824 Ford Focus C-Max cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 56,717 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 695 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.

The twenty areas with the most Ford Focus 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 →

Frequently Asked Questions: Ford Focus C-Max MOT & Reliability