Ford Freedom MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Ford Freedom MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Ford Freedom passed on its first attempt in 84.2%, and its overall record sits +5.1 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Ford Freedom in the 2023–2025 data: 4,814 tests across 6 model years (2016–2021). 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 Freedom MOT Problems by Failure Category

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

Top Recorded Ford Freedom DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Ford Freedom, each with how many of the model's 4,814 tests it was noted on.

• "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (Rectified) — noted on about 114 Ford Freedom tests, 2.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 89 Ford Freedom tests, 1.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers blade defective" (Minor) — noted on about 75 Ford Freedom tests, 1.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick" (Major) — noted on about 71 Ford Freedom tests, 1.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Exhaust system system insecure" (Major) — noted on about 55 Ford Freedom tests, 1.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (Major) — noted on about 49 Ford Freedom tests, 1.0% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Ford Freedom Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Ford Freedom model year on record is 2018 (86.8% across 885 tests), and the weakest is 2020 (84.8%). The gap between them is 2.0 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 Freedom Owners

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

• the wipers and washers — “wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively”

  Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the screen.

• 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.

• the brakes — “brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick”

  Look through the spokes of each wheel at the pad — less than 3mm of friction material, or a lip on the disc edge, is the usual failure. Check the handbrake holds on a slope with a few clicks, not at the top of its travel.

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

Where the Ford Freedom is most common

Across every Freedom model year on record (2016–2021): 2,292 Ford Freedom cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 4,814 tests. Portsmouth (PO) has the most, with 93 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 Freedom 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 Freedom MOT & Reliability