2020 Ford S-Max MOT pass rate and common faults
MOT tests in 2025, published 22 Jun 2026. DVSA publishes a new year each summer.
1,140 Ford S-Max cars first used in 2020 had an MOT in 2025, at about 5 years old, and 80.4% passed first time. That is below the 86.0% for all cars first used in 2020.
The year is when the car was first used, as on its V5C log book, not the model year.
Common failures
The share of 2020 Ford S-Max cars tested that failed on, or had fixed at the station, each item. Worth checking before the MOT or before you buy.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam | 4.6% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | 3.2% |
| Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | 2.5% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | 2.4% |
| Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | 2.1% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | 1.6% |
Source: DVSA, tests in 2025, published 22 June 2026.
Common advisories
Things the tester noticed that were not bad enough to fail. They often turn into failures later. What advisories mean for the next MOT.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge | 24.2% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin | 16.1% |
| Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt | 6.1% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened | 4.7% |
| Condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing | 3.9% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread | 2.5% |
Source: DVSA, tests in 2025, published 22 June 2026.
Where the faults are
The share of cars tested with at least one failure or fix in each part of the car.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 7.6% |
| Tyres | 6.2% |
| Brakes | 3.9% |
| Visibility | 3.2% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 2.1% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 1.1% |
Source: DVSA, tests in 2025, published 22 June 2026.
Typical mileage
Recorded mileage at the MOT. A car well above this range has done more work than most; one far below is worth a closer look at its MOT history.
| Cars | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,140 | 31,400 | 42,000 miles | 55,100 |
The middle half of cars fall between the low and high figures. Source: DVSA, tests in 2025, published 22 June 2026.
Other Ford S-Max years
| Year | Tests | Passed first time | All cars that year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1,140 | 80.4% | 86.0% |
| 2019 | 2,293 | 73.6% | 83.5% |
| 2018 | 2,396 | 80.7% | 80.9% |
| 2017 | 5,244 | 78.6% | 78.2% |
| 2016 | 6,842 | 75.8% | 74.9% |
| 2015 | 3,267 | 69.2% | 71.9% |
| 2014 | 6,289 | 64.0% | 68.6% |
| 2013 | 6,006 | 61.2% | 65.8% |
| 2012 | 6,611 | 60.1% | 63.5% |
| 2011 | 5,967 | 60.8% | 61.2% |
| 2010 | 7,796 | 58.0% | 59.3% |
| 2009 | 4,862 | 55.9% | 58.3% |
| 2008 | 3,511 | 53.4% | 57.2% |
| 2007 | 3,261 | 52.1% | 57.4% |
- Ford S-Max MOT results for all years and its reliability score.
- Years with fewer than 1,000 tests have no page of their own. How these figures are worked out.
Checking one car?
These figures describe groups of cars. A vehicle history report shows the full MOT history, mileage, outstanding finance, write-offs and stolen records for one registration.
Figures from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing data for MOT tests in 2025, published by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency. Analysis by Motoring Insider. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. How we work out these figures.
Every dataset we use is listed on our data sources page, with the credit lines on our attribution page.