Pass rate
73.1%
Below average — 9.0 pts behind the 82.1% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 134 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £32–£112
2015 Ford Freda MOT pass rate
- 2015
- typical 118,806 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Suspension
20.1% 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
- 65.4%
- Typical mileage
- 119k mi
The 2015 Ford Freda MOT pass rate is 73.1% of its MOT tests — 9.0 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 20.1% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Lamps & electrics: 1.6× the national share
Lamps & electrics make up 19.4% of everything recorded on the 2015 Ford Freda, against 12.2% nationally — 7.2 points above. Suspension is still the single largest share at 20.1%, but at 21.0% nationally that one is ordinary. Walk round the car with the lights on before the test: bulbs, indicators and number-plate lamps are the cheapest failures to prevent and among the most common.
- Falls short of its own age and mileage. Like-for-like, cars this age and mileage expect about 82.1%; this one manages 73.1% — 9.0 points below. Age is a fair excuse; this is not age.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 12% 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 Freda? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2015 Ford Freda compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 82.1%, so this figure is 9.0 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 65.4%. The median 2015 Ford Freda in this dataset had covered 118,806 mi.
79% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Petrol, which passed 73.6% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 75.0% of the time, April–September 72.0%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated", noted on 7.46% of tests.
- 134 recorded tests behind this page.
- 73.1% overall pass rate, 65.4% 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
- 134
- Typical mileage (median)
- 118,806 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
Ball Joint
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Freda MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 42% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (79% 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 West | 47 | 70.2% |
| South East | 25 | 72.0% |
| East Midlands | 16 | 87.5% |
| North West | 16 | 68.8% |
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 2015 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 2015 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 the suspension joints 7.5% 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.
-
Check the exhaust and emissions 5.2% of tests
“exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases”
Listen for a blow at idle and have someone rev it gently. Then look at the tailpipe smoke: blue is oil, white when warm is coolant, black is over-fuelling. Any of those and the emissions test is the least of it.
-
Check the lights 5.2% 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.
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 2015 Freda through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £32–£112 — and 12% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £32–£112
- Cheapest common item: headlamp lens slightly defective
- £5–£25
- Dearest common item: catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd…
- £60–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 50%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 12%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 134 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 2015 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 2015 cars with a similar record
- Citroen DS3 73.3%
- Renault Clio 72.5%
- Dacia Sandero 73.9%
- Citroen Nemo 73.9%
- Vauxhall Combo 74.0%
- Renault Megane 74.1%
Closest pass rates among 2015 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 2015 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 296 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 | 60 | 20.10% | 20.98% | −0.88 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 58 | 19.40% | 12.21% | +7.19 |
| Brakes | 46 | 15.40% | 20.89% | −5.49 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 37 | 12.40% | 5.52% | +6.88 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 34 | 11.40% | 5.57% | +5.83 |
| Tyres | 28 | 9.40% | 19.76% | −10.36 |
| Visibility | 13 | 4.30% | 4.97% | −0.67 |
| Steering | 12 | 4.00% | 2.57% | +1.43 |
| Non-component advisories | 4 | 1.30% | 4.18% | −2.88 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 4 | 1.30% | 0.82% | +0.48 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 7.5% | £18–45 |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension | Major | 6.0% | £18–45 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Major | 5.2% | £45–120 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 5.2% | £5–25 |
| Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 3.7% | £60–250 |
| Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt Steering | Minor | 3.7% | £18–45 |
| Catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds default limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 3.0% | £60–250 |
| Catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 3.0% | £60–250 |
| Emissions not tested unable to be completed Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 3.0% | £60–250 |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 3.0% | £18–45 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 11.2% | £45–110 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 10.4% | £45–95 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 9.0% | £200–700 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Advisory | 6.0% | £45–120 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 6.0% | £45–95 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 5.2% | £18–45 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-60k | 2 | 50.0% | 54,533 mi |
| 60-90k | 34 | 67.6% | 79,850 mi |
| 90-120k | 31 | 83.9% | 102,257 mi |
| 120k+ | 67 | 71.6% | 150,504 mi |
Source: 134 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.
2015 Freda MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2015 Ford Freda?
73.1% of the 134 2015 Ford Freda tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 82.1% for cars first used in 2015. First-attempt pass rate: 65.4%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2015 Ford Freda?
The three most recorded items are ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated (7.46%), linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (5.97%), exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases (5.22%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2015 Ford Freda MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 50.0% of the time, falling to 71.6% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2015 Ford Freda in this dataset had covered 118,806 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2015 Ford Freda?
Petrol: 73.6% pass rate across 106 tests. Diesel: 71.4% pass rate across 28 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2015 Ford Freda MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 75.0% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 72.0%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.