Ford Ka MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Ford Ka MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Ford Ka passed on its first attempt in 72.8%, and its overall record sits −3.0 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Ford Ka in the 2023–2025 data: 655,754 tests across 20 model years (2000–2019). 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 Ka MOT Problems by Failure Category

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

Top Recorded Ford Ka DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Ford Ka, each with how many of the model's 655,754 tests it was noted on.

• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 18,082 Ford Ka tests, 2.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn" (Major) — noted on about 17,708 Ford Ka tests, 2.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak" (Major) — noted on about 15,161 Ford Ka tests, 2.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Ball joint excessively worn" (Major) — noted on about 14,106 Ford Ka tests, 2.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Shock absorbers has an excessively worn bush" (Major) — noted on about 12,092 Ford Ka tests, 1.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements" (Major) — noted on about 8,525 Ford Ka tests, 1.3% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Ford Ka Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Ford Ka model year on record is 2019 (92.6% across 31,344 tests), and the weakest is 2008 (66.2%). The gap between them is 26.4 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Ford Ka reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 2.6 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 Ka Owners

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

• the lights — “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.

• the suspension joints — “pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn”

  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.

• the shock absorbers — “shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak”

  Press down hard on each corner of the car and let go. It should settle in one bounce; if it keeps rocking, or you can see oil weeping down a shock absorber, that is the fault a tester will find.

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

Where the Ford Ka is most common

Across every Ka model year on record (2000–2019): 253,674 Ford Ka cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 655,731 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 8,526 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 Ka 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 Ka MOT & Reliability