Pass rate
83.3%
Around average — 6.1 pts ahead of the 77.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 2,747 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £21–£54
2012 Ford Fusion MOT pass rate
- 2012
- typical 59,165 mi
Most common fault
Brakes
22.9% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Part only £25–£55 for Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded. What fitting it takes →
4.1 pts down across model years — 10.4% in 2002, 6.3% in 2012.
Which year to buy
- Best 2012 83.3% pass · this year
- Avoid 2003 71.9% pass
Across the 11 years on record, a spread of 11.4 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 80.1%
- Typical mileage
- 59k mi
The 2012 Ford Fusion MOT pass rate is 83.3% of its MOT tests — 6.1 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 22.9% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Ford Fusion does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Lamps & electrics: 1.7× the national share
Lamps & electrics make up 20.7% of everything recorded on the 2012 Ford Fusion, against 12.2% nationally — 8.5 points above. Brakes are still the single largest share at 22.9%, but at 20.9% 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.
- Beats its own age and mileage. Once you allow for how old and how far these cars have been driven, the expected pass rate is 77.2% and this one manages 83.3% — 6.1 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- Failures here tend to be cheap ones. 68% of the repairs this model fails on cost under £30 in parts. The pass rate matters less than what a bad afternoon at the test centre actually costs you.
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 Fusion? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2012 Ford Fusion compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 77.2%, so this figure is 6.1 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 80.1%. The median 2012 Ford Fusion in this dataset had covered 59,165 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 83.5% of the time, April–September 83.1%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 4.30% of tests.
- 2,747 recorded tests behind this page.
- 83.3% overall pass rate, 80.1% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Ford Fusion, the average is 75.5% — best year 2012 (83.3%), worst 2003 (71.9%).
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
- 2,747
- Typical mileage (median)
- 59,165 mi
- Make and model
- Ford Fusion
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
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 Fusion MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 64% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the Fusion
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 512 | 85.9% |
| East of England | 382 | 84.6% |
| South West | 371 | 80.9% |
| North West | 263 | 85.6% |
| East Midlands | 241 | 83.0% |
| Yorkshire | 238 | 84.5% |
| West Midlands | 235 | 88.5% |
| Scotland | 191 | 71.7% |
| Wales | 123 | 78.0% |
| North East | 106 | 77.4% |
| London | 85 | 90.6% |
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 2012 Fusion
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 2012 Fusion
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 4.3% 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 brake pipes 2.0% of tests
“rigid brake pipes excessively corroded”
Brake pipes run under the car, usually in front of the rear wheels. Flaking or crusty metal is what fails; a light dusting of surface rust does not. Worth asking a garage to look while it is on a ramp.
-
Check the windscreen 1.8% of tests
“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.
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 2012 Fusion through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £21–£54 — and 68% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £21–£54
- Cheapest common item: stop lamp not working
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: windscreen damaged
- £80–£200
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 80%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 68%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 2,747 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 Fusion, side by side
11 model years on record, from 2002 to 2012. Across them the pass rate runs from 71.9% to 83.3% — a spread of 11.4 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2002 72.2% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2003 71.9% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2004 72.7% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2005 73.7% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2006 72.6% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2007 75.1% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2008 76.4% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2009 77.4% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2010 78.4% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2011 81.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2012 83.3%registration plate lamp(s)…
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 2012 Ford Fusion 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 2012 cars with a similar record
- MINI Mini 83.3%
- Volkswagen Touareg 83.1%
- BMW 530 83.5%
- Audi Q5 83.0%
- Land Rover Range Rover 82.9%
- Mercedes-Benz Ml 83.7%
Closest pass rates among 2012 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 2012 Ford Fusion 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 4,228 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 977 | 22.90% | 20.89% | +2.01 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 885 | 20.70% | 12.21% | +8.49 |
| Tyres | 779 | 18.20% | 19.76% | −1.56 |
| Suspension | 629 | 14.70% | 20.98% | −6.28 |
| Visibility | 227 | 5.30% | 4.97% | +0.33 |
| Non-component advisories | 187 | 4.40% | 4.18% | +0.22 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 185 | 4.30% | 5.52% | −1.22 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 173 | 4.00% | 5.57% | −1.57 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 103 | 2.40% | 1.76% | +0.64 |
| Steering | 83 | 1.90% | 2.57% | −0.67 |
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 | 4.3% | £5–20 |
| Rear fog lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.5% | £3–15 |
| Stop lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.5% | £3–12 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Major | 2.0% | £80–180 |
| Stop lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Rectified | 2.0% | £3–12 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 1.8% | £80–200 |
| Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | Major | 1.6% | £8–22 |
| Wheel bearings rough when rotated Suspension | Major | 1.5% | £20–55 |
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 1.5% | £25–65 |
| Individual direction indicators incorrect colour Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Rectified | 1.5% | £3–12 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 12.6% | £45–95 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 11.0% | £45–95 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 10.6% | £80–180 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 8.1% | £45–110 |
| Individual direction indicators incorrect colour Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Advisory | 4.8% | £3–12 |
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 4.5% | £25–65 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 288 | 90.3% | 22,191 mi |
| 30-60k | 1,130 | 85.5% | 46,215 mi |
| 60-90k | 930 | 81.7% | 73,348 mi |
| 90-120k | 289 | 77.5% | 102,575 mi |
| 120k+ | 104 | 72.1% | 145,760 mi |
Source: 2,747 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.
2012 Fusion MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2012 Ford Fusion?
83.3% of the 2,747 2012 Ford Fusion tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 77.2% for cars first used in 2012. First-attempt pass rate: 80.1%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2012 Ford Fusion?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (4.30%), rear fog lamp not working (2.51%), stop lamp not working (2.51%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2012 Ford Fusion MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 90.3% of the time, falling to 72.1% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2012 Ford Fusion in this dataset had covered 59,165 mi.
Does the season affect the 2012 Ford Fusion MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 83.5% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 83.1%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.