Registration plate inscription illegible on the Ford S-Max
Registration plate inscription illegible on the Ford S-Max is recorded on 17,021 tests — 6.2% of all its MOT tests, against 2.8% across every car in the data. That is 2.2× the national share.
Is this unusual for this model?
| Compared with | What it says |
|---|---|
| Every car in the data | 2.8% of tests record it — this model is 2.2× that share |
| The 380 models compared | 24 of 380, highest first |
| The model's own record | 276,065 tests · every year of the S-Max → |
A share of tests is not a probability for your car: it counts every Ford S-Max tested, whatever its mileage, service history and use. The like-for-like comparison on the model page is the fairer number.
Year by year
In 2006, 3.1% of this model's tests recorded it; in 2021, 1.4%. The share has fallen 1.8 points over that time. Worst year 2006 at 3.1%; best 2018 at 1.1%.
| Year | Failures recorded | Tests | Share of tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 558 | 17,733 | 3.1% |
| 2007 | 1,649 | 54,303 | 3.0% |
| 2008 | 1,523 | 53,199 | 2.9% |
| 2009 | 1,974 | 69,030 | 2.9% |
| 2010 | 2,480 | 101,625 | 2.4% |
| 2011 | 1,533 | 49,292 | 3.1% |
| 2012 | 1,530 | 80,931 | 1.9% |
| 2013 | 1,329 | 72,564 | 1.8% |
| 2014 | 1,331 | 74,763 | 1.8% |
| 2015 | 566 | 35,925 | 1.6% |
| 2016 | 961 | 71,715 | 1.3% |
| 2017 | 756 | 54,642 | 1.4% |
| 2018 | 267 | 24,435 | 1.1% |
| 2019 | 340 | 24,024 | 1.4% |
| 2020 | 135 | 11,643 | 1.2% |
| 2021 | 69 | 5,088 | 1.4% |
Years with fewer than 0.2% of tests recording the item are left out: a year with two failures in 400 tests is noise, and this table is not here to make noise look like a trend.
What it costs
A typical UK repair for this item is £20–£80 fitted. It is a job a careful owner can do at home. What the part is, and what to buy →
Prices are typical UK supply-and-fitting estimates, not quotes. What happens if it fails covers the retest rules.
Where this sits
- Registration plate inscription illegible: every model, every year → — the item's own page, with the part guide.
- Ford S-Max MOT pass rate by year → — the model's whole record, and what else it fails on.
- Every Ford model →