Used Ford Grand C-MAX buying guide

In 2025, Ford Grand C-MAX cars passed 65.2% of 34,571 initial MOT tests, 7.1 points below the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.

Looking at a specific Grand C-MAX? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Ford Grand C-MAX MOT record in brief

Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.

65.2%

Ford Grand C-MAX pass rate

72.3%

UK average, all cars

−7.1

percentage points below average

Ranked on pass rate the Grand C-MAX sits 426th of 575 models in the data. Ford as a brand averaged 68.8%, so this model runs 3.6 points behind its own brand. Ford Grand C-MAX cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 77.9% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 60.1%.

A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Ford Grand C-MAX MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the Grand C-MAX compares with similar cars.

Grand C-MAX fuel types

Diesel made up 73.4% of Ford Grand C-MAX MOT tests in 2025, against 39.3% across all models in this data. Most used examples you look at will be diesels.

Where the Grand C-MAX fails its MOT

Where Ford Grand C-MAX cars that failed their 2025 MOT were marked down, as a share of all recorded failure items.

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment28.4%
  • Tyres20.1%
  • Brakes15.7%
  • Suspension11.3%
  • Body, chassis, structure7.4%
  • Visibility6.7%

The specific items testers recorded most often were brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick (6.6%), tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.9%) and stop lamp not working (5.8%). See every common Grand C-MAX MOT failure.

These are DVSA failure records across every Ford Grand C-MAX that failed, not a claim that every Grand C-MAX has these problems.

What should you check when buying a used Grand C-MAX?

The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at in each.

1

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting. 28.4% of Grand C-MAX failure items.

2

Tyres

Check tread depth across the full width of every tyre (the legal minimum is 1.6mm), and look for cuts, bulges and uneven wear. 20.1% of Grand C-MAX failure items.

3

Brakes

Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing. 15.7% of Grand C-MAX failure items.

4

Suspension

Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 11.3% of Grand C-MAX failure items.

5

Body, chassis, structure

Look underneath and along the sills for corrosion, and check for damaged or poorly repaired panels. 7.4% of Grand C-MAX failure items.

None of this replaces the car's own record. Run a free MOT history check on the registration to see every test, advisory and recorded mileage for that car.

What the MOT record doesn't tell you

Knowing Ford Grand C-MAX failures cluster around lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and tyres tells you what to inspect. It tells you nothing about whether the car is safe to buy. An MOT does not show money still owed on the car, a write-off, a theft record or a clocked odometer.

Check the exact Grand C-MAX you are looking at. One £15 report, instant results, backed by a £30,000 data guarantee. More on the Ford history check.

  • Outstanding finance
  • Write-off records
  • Stolen markers
  • Mileage history
  • Previous keepers

Used Ford Grand C-MAX FAQs

Is the Ford Grand C-MAX reliable?

MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 65.2% first-time pass rate for the Ford Grand C-MAX across 34,571 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.

Do older Ford Grand C-MAX cars fail their MOT more often?

Ford Grand C-MAX cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 77.9% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 60.1%. On an older example, the car's own MOT history tells you more than the model average.

What should I check before buying a used Ford Grand C-MAX?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, tyres and brakes. Then check the individual car's history: outstanding finance, insurance write-off records, stolen markers, mileage and previous keepers. None of these appear in the MOT record or on the V5C.

How do I check a Ford Grand C-MAX's history?

Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.