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2001 Ford Ranger MOT pass rate

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Pass rate

72.8%

Below average — 0.5 pts behind the 73.3% that cars this age and mileage manage.

Across 2,125 recorded tests.

Typical repair bill £65–£176

Which year to buy

  • Best 2023 90.2% pass
  • Avoid 2006 69.8% pass

Across the 24 years on record, a spread of 20.4 points. See every year →

First-attempt pass
65.6%
Typical mileage
133k mi

The 2001 Ford Ranger MOT pass rate is 72.8% of its MOT tests — about what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 20.0% of what testers record.

MOT PASS RATES

The 2001 Ford Ranger on the real record

72.8% of 2001 Ford Ranger MOTs passed — 2,125 tests, 2023–2025

Pass rate

The answer from the DVSA's class-4 MOT records.

Expert verdict

Body & chassis: 3.4× the national share

Body & chassis accounts for 18.9% of everything recorded on the 2001 Ford Ranger, against 5.6% nationally — 13.3 points above. Suspension is still the single largest share at 20.0%, 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.

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 Ranger? Get an email when these numbers change .

How does the 2001 Ford Ranger compare?

Cars of this age and mileage average 73.3%, so this figure is 0.5 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 65.6%. The median 2001 Ford Ranger in this dataset had covered 132,741 mi.

Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 72.3% of the time, April–September 73.3%.

The single most recorded failure item is "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated", noted on 8.56% of tests.

  • 2,125 recorded tests behind this page.
  • 72.8% overall pass rate, 65.6% on a first attempt.
  • Across every year of the Ford Ranger, the average is 80.9% — best year 2023 (90.2%), worst 2006 (69.8%).

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
2,125
Typical mileage (median)
132,741 mi
Make and model
Ford Ranger
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 Ranger MOT pass rate?

0-30k 85.7%
30-60k 81.3%
60-90k 75.4%
90-120k 74.9%
120k+ 70.8%

Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 62% so small gaps stay visible.

Where the Ford Ranger is most common

Across all Ranger model years on record (2000–2023): 186,264 Ford Ranger cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 394,863 tests. Peterborough (PE) has the most, with 4,029 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 Share of all Tests Pass rate
1 Peterborough (PE) 4,029 2.2% 8,873 80.2%
2 Sheffield (S) 3,968 2.1% 7,956 83.6%
3 Leicester (LE) 3,822 2.1% 8,044 82.7%
4 Birmingham (B) 3,809 2% 7,193 84.8%
5 Chelmsford (CM) 3,522 1.9% 6,949 84.4%
6 Ipswich (IP) 3,407 1.8% 7,864 79.9%
7 Ashford (TN) 3,241 1.7% 7,453 80.7%
8 Norwich (NR) 3,229 1.7% 8,145 79.5%
9 Exeter (EX) 3,182 1.7% 7,845 75.8%
10 Nottingham (NG) 3,156 1.7% 6,704 81.0%
11 Reading (RG) 3,105 1.7% 6,254 84.3%
12 Guildford (GU) 2,996 1.6% 5,971 80.5%
13 Gloucester (GL) 2,874 1.5% 6,653 77.6%
14 Doncaster (DN) 2,760 1.5% 5,581 82.2%
15 Swansea (SA) 2,754 1.5% 6,864 79.3%
16 Derby (DE) 2,618 1.4% 5,277 83.5%
17 Northampton (NN) 2,538 1.4% 5,601 80.9%
18 Shrewsbury (SY) 2,536 1.4% 5,854 80.9%
19 Cardiff (CF) 2,516 1.4% 5,539 80.3%
20 Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) 2,491 1.3% 5,227 82.0%

The twenty areas with the most Ford Ranger 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 Ranger

Region Tests Pass rate
South East 555 73.9%
South West 469 68.9%
East of England 444 73.2%
West Midlands 189 72.0%
North West 133 76.7%
Wales 110 70.0%
East Midlands 108 77.8%
Yorkshire 60 73.3%
Scotland 33 75.8%

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 2001 Ranger

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.

Suspension 20.0%
−1.0 pts vs national national 21.0% Price suspension parts
Body & chassis 18.9%
+13.3 pts vs national national 5.6% Find body panels
Brakes 18.6%
−2.3 pts vs national national 20.9% Price brakes parts
Lamps & electrics 12.4%
in line with the national share national 12.2% Order bulbs & wipers
Show the other 6 fault categories
  • Tyres 6.7%
  • Emissions & leaks 5.7%
  • Visibility 5.2%
  • Steering 5.1%
  • Identification 3.3%
  • Advisories 2.2%

Shares are of every item recorded on 2001 Ford Ranger tests — a composition, so they add to 100% across all sections, not per test.

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 2001 Ranger

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.

  1. Check the suspension joints 8.6% 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.

  2. Check the windscreen 7.5% 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.

  3. Check the lights 6.2% 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.

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 2001 Ranger through its MOT

Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £65–£176 — and 20% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.

Average repair across the 10 common items
£65–£176
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
30%
Repairs that still cost under £30
20%

Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 2,125 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 Ranger, side by side

24 model years on record, from 2000 to 2023. Across them the pass rate runs from 69.8% to 90.2% — a spread of 20.4 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.

  1. 2000 72.9% ball joint dust cover severely…
  2. 2001 72.8%
    ball joint dust cover severely…
  3. 2002 71.8% joints constant velocity boot…
  4. 2003 71.9% joints constant velocity boot…
  5. 2004 70.6% joints constant velocity boot…
  6. 2005 71.8% joints constant velocity boot…
  7. 2006 69.8% joints constant velocity boot…
  8. 2007 72.0% registration plate lamp(s)…
  9. 2008 73.1% registration plate lamp(s)…
  10. 2009 72.7% registration plate lamp(s)…
  11. 2010 72.4% registration plate lamp(s)…
  12. 2011 74.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
  13. 2012 74.3% ball joint dust cover severely…
  14. 2013 77.4% ball joint dust cover severely…
  15. 2014 77.6% ball joint dust cover severely…
  16. 2015 78.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
  17. 2016 81.3% coil spring fractured or broken
  18. 2017 82.0% coil spring fractured or broken
  19. 2018 83.0% coil spring fractured or broken
  20. 2019 84.6% coil spring fractured or broken
  21. 2020 85.6% coil spring fractured or broken
  22. 2021 86.9% coil spring fractured or broken
  23. 2022 87.7% windscreen damaged but not…
  24. 2023 90.2% headlamp aim too high

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 2001 Ford Ranger 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.

Compare 2001 with another year →

Compare two different cars instead →

Other 2001 cars with a similar record

Closest pass rates among 2001 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 2001 Ford Ranger 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 7,498 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 1,527 20.00% 20.98% −0.98
Body, chassis, structure 1,444 18.90% 5.57% +13.33
Brakes 1,420 18.60% 20.89% −2.29
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 950 12.40% 12.21% +0.19
Tyres 509 6.70% 19.76% −13.06
Noise, emissions and leaks 433 5.70% 5.52% +0.18
Visibility 400 5.20% 4.97% +0.23
Steering 390 5.10% 2.57% +2.53
Identification of the vehicle 256 3.30% 1.76% +1.54
Non-component advisories 169 2.20% 4.18% −1.98

The exact failure items, in the tester's words

Share of the 2,125 tests on this vehicle that recorded each item
Recorded item Severity Tests Est. cost Part
Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension Minor 8.6% £18–45 Ball Joint →
Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure Minor 8.4% £80–250 Body Panel Repair →
Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility Minor 7.5% £80–200 Windscreen →
Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Minor 6.2% £5–20 Number Plate Lamp →
Rear fog lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Major 4.3% £3–15 Bulb →
Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure Major 4.1% £80–250 Body Panel Repair →
Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension Major 3.8% £180–450 Corrosion Welding Repair →
Chassis condition or chassis has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of a body mounting Body, chassis, structure Major 3.2% £180–450 Corrosion Welding Repair →
Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes Major 2.9% £80–180 Brake Pipe →
Headlamp aim too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Major 2.6% £30–80 Headlight Alignment →

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.

Items recorded as advisory on this vehicle
Recorded item Severity Tests Est. cost
Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes Advisory 28.7% £80–180
Wheel bearings has excessive play Suspension Advisory 15.2% £20–55
Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks Advisory 13.7% £200–700
Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres Advisory 11.4% £45–95
Chassis condition corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced Body, chassis, structure Advisory 11.2% £180–450
Registration plates inscription illegible Identification of the vehicle Advisory 11.0% £20–80

Pass rate by mileage

Mileage Tests Pass rate Median odometer
0-30k 7 85.7% 21,839 mi
30-60k 64 81.3% 50,714 mi
60-90k 293 75.4% 77,080 mi
90-120k 466 74.9% 105,995 mi
120k+ 1,283 70.8% 165,518 mi

Source: 2,125 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.

2001 Ranger MOT questions

What is the MOT pass rate for a 2001 Ford Ranger?

72.8% of the 2,125 2001 Ford Ranger tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 73.3% for cars first used in 2001. First-attempt pass rate: 65.6%.

What are the most common MOT failures on a 2001 Ford Ranger?

The three most recorded items are ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated (8.56%), joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated (8.38%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (7.48%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.

Does mileage affect the 2001 Ford Ranger MOT pass rate?

Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 85.7% of the time, falling to 70.8% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2001 Ford Ranger in this dataset had covered 132,741 mi.

Does the season affect the 2001 Ford Ranger MOT pass rate?

Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 72.3% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 73.3%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.