Pass rate
74.9%
Below average — 2.3 pts behind the 77.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 26,977 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £39–£117
2012 Ford S-Max MOT pass rate
- 2012
- 2 trims combined
- typical 107,333 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Suspension
24.8% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Part only £35–£75 for Suspension pin or bush excessively worn. What fitting it takes →
6.7 pts down across model years — 7.2% in 2006, 0.5% in 2018.
Which year to buy
- Best 2023 92.2% pass
- Avoid 2006 68.1% pass
Across the 18 years on record, a spread of 24.1 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 67.2%
- Typical mileage
- 107k mi
The 2012 Ford S-Max MOT pass rate is 74.9% of its MOT tests — 2.3 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 24.8% of what testers record.
Watching a Ford S-Max? Get an email when these numbers change .
Every Ford S-Max first registered in 2012 is combined here — 2 trim and body variants in total — so the sample is as large as the DVSA data allows.
How does the 2012 Ford S-Max compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 77.2%, so this figure is 2.3 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 67.2%. The median 2012 Ford S-Max in this dataset had covered 107,333 mi.
The most common fuel recorded here is Diesel — 93% of tests, with a 74.8% pass rate. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 75.0% of the time, April–September 74.7%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 9.87% of tests.
- 26,977 recorded tests behind this page.
- 74.9% overall pass rate, 67.2% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Ford S-Max, the average is 76.8% — best year 2023 (92.2%), worst 2006 (68.1%).
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
- 26,977
- Typical mileage (median)
- 107,333 mi
- Make and model
- Ford S-Max
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
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 S-Max MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 65% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (93% of tests).
Where the Ford S-Max is most common
Across all S-Max model years on record (2006–2023): 109,406 Ford S-Max cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 276,049 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 3,556 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 | Birmingham (B) | 3,556 | 82.3% |
| 2 | Peterborough (PE) | 2,991 | 78.1% |
| 3 | Reading (RG) | 2,983 | 78.6% |
| 4 | Bristol (BS) | 2,319 | 73.9% |
| 5 | Leicester (LE) | 2,290 | 78.3% |
| 6 | Chelmsford (CM) | 2,143 | 80.3% |
| 7 | Nottingham (NG) | 2,123 | 74.3% |
| 8 | Guildford (GU) | 2,042 | 75.5% |
| 9 | Sheffield (S) | 1,999 | 78.9% |
| 10 | Coventry (CV) | 1,945 | 79.2% |
| 11 | Basildon (SS) | 1,926 | 80.7% |
| 12 | Oxford (OX) | 1,892 | 76.4% |
| 13 | Southampton (SO) | 1,838 | 74.1% |
| 14 | Ipswich (IP) | 1,816 | 75.9% |
| 15 | Northampton (NN) | 1,810 | 76.0% |
| 16 | Gloucester (GL) | 1,734 | 72.7% |
| 17 | Derby (DE) | 1,711 | 78.1% |
| 18 | Portsmouth (PO) | 1,697 | 72.2% |
| 19 | Ashford (TN) | 1,697 | 76.2% |
| 20 | Norwich (NR) | 1,676 | 75.5% |
The twenty areas with the most Ford S-Max 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 S-Max
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 6,304 | 75.7% |
| East of England | 4,416 | 76.8% |
| South West | 3,552 | 70.7% |
| West Midlands | 2,603 | 77.1% |
| North West | 2,557 | 75.2% |
| East Midlands | 2,213 | 73.6% |
| Yorkshire | 1,847 | 75.9% |
| Scotland | 1,074 | 70.1% |
| Wales | 1,070 | 71.8% |
| North East | 786 | 74.3% |
| London | 553 | 82.1% |
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 S-Max
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 S-Max
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 9.9% 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 windscreen 3.8% 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.
-
Check the suspension joints 3.3% of tests
“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.
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 S-Max through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £39–£117 — and 40% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £39–£117
- Cheapest common item: registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the…
- £5–£20
- Dearest common item: joints constant velocity boot severely…
- £80–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 40%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 26,977 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 S-Max, side by side
18 model years on record, from 2006 to 2023. Across them the pass rate runs from 68.1% to 92.2% — a spread of 24.1 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2006 68.1% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2007 69.8% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2008 71.7% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2009 72.4% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2010 74.1% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2011 75.4% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2012 74.9%registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2013 75.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2014 76.4% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2015 80.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2016 84.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2017 85.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2018 86.4% brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick
- 2019 84.4% headlamp not working on dipped…
- 2020 87.1% headlamp not working on dipped…
- 2021 86.4% brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick
- 2022 87.7% headlamp not working on dipped…
- 2023 92.2% tread depth below requirements of…
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 S-Max 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
- Vauxhall Corsa 74.9%
- Vauxhall Mokka 75.0%
- Chevrolet Orlando 74.8%
- Fiat 500 75.1%
- Kia Picanto 75.1%
- Fiat 500C 75.1%
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 S-Max 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 67,401 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 | 17,132 | 24.80% | 20.98% | +3.82 |
| Tyres | 12,137 | 17.60% | 19.76% | −2.16 |
| Brakes | 11,178 | 16.20% | 20.89% | −4.69 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 8,543 | 12.40% | 12.21% | +0.19 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 5,797 | 8.40% | 5.57% | +2.83 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 3,360 | 4.90% | 5.52% | −0.62 |
| Non-component advisories | 3,213 | 4.70% | 4.18% | +0.52 |
| Visibility | 2,456 | 3.60% | 4.97% | −1.37 |
| Steering | 1,998 | 2.90% | 2.57% | +0.33 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 1,587 | 2.30% | 1.76% | +0.54 |
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 | 9.9% | £5–20 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 5.2% | £80–250 |
| Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | Major | 4.9% | £80–250 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 3.8% | £80–200 |
| Position lamp with a multiple light source up to 1/2 not functioning Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 3.4% | £5–25 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 3.3% | £40–150 |
| Track rod end ball joint has excessive play Steering | Major | 2.0% | £18–45 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.9% | £5–20 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Major | 1.9% | £18–45 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Major | 1.9% | £45–95 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 27.1% | £45–95 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 15.3% | £40–150 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 14.1% | £18–45 |
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 13.7% | £25–65 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 12.7% | £45–110 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 9.3% | £200–700 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 47 | 93.6% | 23,776 mi |
| 30-60k | 994 | 80.2% | 50,911 mi |
| 60-90k | 6,410 | 76.4% | 78,007 mi |
| 90-120k | 10,268 | 74.6% | 104,811 mi |
| 120k+ | 9,222 | 73.4% | 146,350 mi |
Source: 26,977 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 S-Max MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2012 Ford S-Max?
74.9% of the 26,977 2012 Ford S-Max tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 77.2% for cars first used in 2012. First-attempt pass rate: 67.2%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2012 Ford S-Max?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (9.87%), joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated (5.20%), joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (4.89%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2012 Ford S-Max MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 93.6% of the time, falling to 73.4% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2012 Ford S-Max in this dataset had covered 107,333 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2012 Ford S-Max?
Diesel: 74.8% pass rate across 25,147 tests. Petrol: 75.9% pass rate across 1,827 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2012 Ford S-Max MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 75.0% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 74.7%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.