Pass rate
65.2%
Below average — 7.9 pts behind the 73.1% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 224 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £74–£189
2008 Ford Freda MOT pass rate
- 2008
- typical 154,750 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Suspension
22.2% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Which year to buy
- Best 2001 75.6% pass
- Avoid 2012 63.0% pass
Across the 16 years on record, a spread of 12.6 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 53.6%
- Typical mileage
- 155k mi
The 2008 Ford Freda MOT pass rate is 65.2% of its MOT tests — 7.9 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 22.2% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Body & chassis: 2.3× the national share
Body & chassis accounts for 12.9% of everything recorded on the 2008 Ford Freda, against 5.6% nationally — 7.3 points above. Suspension is still the single largest share at 22.2%, but at 21.0% nationally that one is ordinary. Look underneath for corrosion near the jacking points and suspension mounts; surface rust is normal, flaking metal is not.
- Falls short of its own age and mileage. Like-for-like, cars this age and mileage expect about 73.1%; this one manages 65.2% — 7.9 points below. Age is a fair excuse; this is not age.
- Based on a small sample. 224 tests back this page. That is enough to publish and to index, not enough to treat the decimal places as precise — read the pattern, not the second digit.
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 Freda? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2008 Ford Freda compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 73.1%, so this figure is 7.9 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 53.6%. The median 2008 Ford Freda in this dataset had covered 154,750 mi.
83% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Diesel, which passed 66.1% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 65.5% of the time, April–September 65.0%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength", noted on 12.95% of tests.
- 224 recorded tests behind this page.
- 65.2% overall pass rate, 53.6% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Ford Freda, the average is 68.1% — best year 2001 (75.6%), worst 2012 (63.0%).
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
- 224
- Typical mileage (median)
- 154,750 mi
- Make and model
- Ford Freda
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Corrosion Welding Repair
Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.
Does mileage affect the Freda MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 54% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (83% of tests).
Where the Ford Freda is most common
Across all Freda model years on record (2000–2017): 992 Ford Freda cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 2,538 tests. Bristol (BS) has the most, with 53 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 | Bristol (BS) | 53 | 61.1% |
| 2 | Brighton (BN) | 27 | 63.1% |
| 3 | Exeter (EX) | 26 | 74.1% |
| 4 | Poole (BH) | 25 | 60.2% |
| 5 | Portsmouth (PO) | 25 | 66.7% |
| 6 | Plymouth (PL) | 25 | 60.3% |
| 7 | Reading (RG) | 24 | 87.0% |
| 8 | Southampton (SO) | 23 | 69.1% |
| 9 | Birmingham (B) | 22 | 74.5% |
| 10 | Sheffield (S) | 22 | 75.0% |
| 11 | Nottingham (NG) | 20 | 66.7% |
| 12 | Stoke On Trent (ST) | 20 | 64.7% |
| 13 | Norwich (NR) | 19 | 73.0% |
| 14 | Leicester (LE) | 19 | 78.3% |
| 15 | Chester (CH) | 19 | 70.3% |
| 16 | Cardiff (CF) | 17 | 65.3% |
| 17 | Crawley (RH) | 16 | 66.7% |
| 18 | Yeovil (BA) | 16 | 63.0% |
| 19 | Newton Abbot (TQ) | 15 | 58.8% |
| 20 | Gloucester (GL) | 15 | 68.1% |
The twenty areas with the most Ford Freda 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 Freda
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 67 | 68.7% |
| South West | 39 | 56.4% |
| North West | 31 | 71.0% |
| East of England | 21 | 66.7% |
| Wales | 18 | 55.6% |
| East Midlands | 15 | 60.0% |
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 Freda
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 Freda
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 corrosion 12.9% of tests
“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.
-
Check the lights 7.1% of tests
“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.
-
Check the suspension joints 4.9% of tests
“ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated”
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 Freda through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £74–£189 — and 36% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £74–£189
- Cheapest common item: rear fog lamp not working
- £3–£15
- Dearest common item: component mounting prescribed areas…
- £180–£450
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 50%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 36%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 224 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 Freda, side by side
16 model years on record, from 2000 to 2017. Across them the pass rate runs from 63.0% to 75.6% — a spread of 12.6 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 74.7% component mounting prescribed…
- 2001 75.6% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2004 65.8% component mounting prescribed…
- 2005 63.6% component mounting prescribed…
- 2006 69.2% component mounting prescribed…
- 2007 68.8% component mounting prescribed…
- 2008 65.2%component mounting prescribed…
- 2009 69.2% component mounting prescribed…
- 2010 66.3% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2011 68.9% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2012 63.0% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2013 65.0% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2014 71.7% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2015 73.1% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2016 68.4% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2017 69.6% headlamp lens slightly defective
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 Freda 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
- Mazda Bongo 64.9%
- Nissan Qashqai 66.0%
- Chevrolet Kalos 66.1%
- Chevrolet Aveo 66.5%
- Renault Grand Scenic 66.6%
- Fiat Bravo 67.3%
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 Freda 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 750 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 | 169 | 22.20% | 20.98% | +1.22 |
| Brakes | 128 | 16.80% | 20.89% | −4.09 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 114 | 15.00% | 12.21% | +2.79 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 98 | 12.90% | 5.57% | +7.33 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 83 | 10.90% | 5.52% | +5.38 |
| Tyres | 53 | 7.00% | 19.76% | −12.76 |
| Visibility | 42 | 5.50% | 4.97% | +0.53 |
| Steering | 40 | 5.30% | 2.57% | +2.73 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 12 | 1.60% | 0.82% | +0.78 |
| Non-component advisories | 11 | 1.40% | 4.18% | −2.78 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | Major | 12.9% | £180–450 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 7.1% | £5–25 |
| Service brake performance excessively binding Brakes | Major | 5.4% | £60–150 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 4.9% | £18–45 |
| Rear fog lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 4.9% | £3–15 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 4.9% | £5–20 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 4.9% | £80–200 |
| Integral vehicle structure condition corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced Body, chassis, structure | Major | 4.5% | £180–450 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Major | 3.6% | £45–120 |
| Wipers blade defective Visibility | Minor | 3.6% | £8–22 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 23.7% | £200–700 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 13.4% | £18–45 |
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 13.4% | £25–65 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 12.1% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 11.2% | £45–110 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | Advisory | 8.9% | £180–450 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60-90k | 17 | 82.4% | 80,157 mi |
| 90-120k | 35 | 68.6% | 107,699 mi |
| 120k+ | 172 | 62.8% | 169,687 mi |
Source: 224 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 Freda MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2008 Ford Freda?
65.2% of the 224 2008 Ford Freda tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 73.1% for cars first used in 2008. First-attempt pass rate: 53.6%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2008 Ford Freda?
The three most recorded items are component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (12.95%), headlamp lens slightly defective (7.14%), service brake performance excessively binding (5.36%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2008 Ford Freda MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 82.4% of the time, falling to 62.8% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2008 Ford Freda in this dataset had covered 154,750 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2008 Ford Freda?
Diesel: 66.1% pass rate across 186 tests. Petrol: 60.5% pass rate across 38 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2008 Ford Freda MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 65.5% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 65.0%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.