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Ford Ka, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

116,277 Ford Kas are licensed in the UK, the 99th most common model on the road. In 2025 they passed 66.3% of initial MOT tests, 6 points below the 72.3% UK average.

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

Ford Ka at the MOT

66.3% of 169,328 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Ka 412th of 575 models. Ford Kas aged 3 to 5 years passed 87.6% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 60%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Ford Ka66.3%
  • All Ford modelsThe Ka is 2.5 pts behind68.8%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Ford Ka tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years7,197 tests87.6%
  • 6 to 10 years58,195 tests74.9%
  • 11 years and over103,936 tests60%

Where Kas fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Ford Ka tests in 2025.

  • Suspension31.2%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment21.1%
  • Brakes14.3%
  • Tyres9.7%
  • Visibility7.3%

The items testers recorded most often were pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (5.8%), shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak (4.4%) and shock absorbers has an excessively worn bush (4.2%).

The MOT page lists every common Ka MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Ford Ka MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Ka's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.31.2% of Ka failure items

  2. 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.21.1% of Ka 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.14.3% of Ka failure items

Ford Kas in the UK

116,277 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 69% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−69%from 373,317 licensed
Typical year of first use
2012half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2012 or earlier
First registered in 2025
2against 13,724 in 2015
Declared off the road
27,47519% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Ford Kas since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 2014373,317
End of 2015338,823
End of 2016300,085
End of 2017257,384
End of 2018222,454
End of 2019196,316
End of 2020176,086
End of 2021160,376
End of 2022149,574
End of 2023140,455
End of 2024130,735
End of 2025121,323
End of June 2026116,277

How old they are

Licensed Ford Kas by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year

A further 1,013 were first used before 2003.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
20165,2895,700
201512,43613,724
201417,372
201317,167
201215,089
201113,484
201015,187
200913,710
20082,703
20072,130
20061,390
2005903
2004809
2003614

12,436 Kas first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 91% of the 13,724 first registered that year.

Ka engines and fuel

1.2 litre engines made up 90% of Ford Ka MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.3 litre at 8.4%. Petrol accounts for 99% of licensed Kas and diesel for 1.4%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 169,324 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 1.2 litre90.5%
  • 1.3 litre8.4%
  • 1.6 litre1.1%

Fuel type, licensed Kas

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol114,70799%
Diesel1,5701%

Ford Ka recalls

5 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Ford Ka. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Ka is affected.

  1. Jul 2019 R/2019/228

    UN-fused battery monitoring system wire chafing

    Kas built Sep 2017 to May 2019 · 9,788 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Un-fused Battery Monitoring System (BMS) Wire Chafing.
    Remedy
    Visual inspection of the BMS wiring and replace the wire if damage is identified. Cloth tape is to be used to wrap the BMS wiring and install a wiring harness retaining clip on all vehicles

  2. May 2015 R/2015/062

    Driver seatbelt latch may fail in the event of a frontal collision

    Kas built Oct 2014 to Nov 2014 · 260 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The rear seat belt buckle (catch) could be defective. In the event of a frontal impact a defective buckle could fail causing the rear seat occupant to be unrestrained by the seat belt.
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected to check the rear seat belt buckles and if found to be part of the defective batch new buckles will be fitted.

  3. Feb 2009 R/2009/019

    Risk of rear brake lockup

    Kas built May 2008 to Jan 2009 · 7,156 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    It has been identified that the rear brake back plate bolts may not have been tightened to the specified torque. Should a back plate bolt fall into the brake drum damage to the brake linings and or wheel lockup could occur.
    Remedy
    Recalled vehicles will have the rear brake back plate bolts checked to ensure that they have been tightened to the specified torque.

  4. Jul 2002 R/2002/085

    Front brake hose retention

    31,605 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    There is a possibility that the front brake hose might foul and rub on the front wheel rim which might lead to a brake fluid leak and a possible loss in braking performance.
    Remedy
    Recall affected vehicles and fit tie strap to secure front brake hose to the support clip.

  5. Dec 1998 R/1998/115

    Reduction in braking efficiency

    Kas built Mar 1998 to Sep 1998 · 1,142 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Possible loss of one braking circuit due to brake master cylinder failure
    Remedy
    Affected vehicles are being recalled for checking and where necessary replacement of the brake master cylinder.
How to check a specific Ka for recalls

Ka vs similar cars

Head-to-head comparisons on the same 2025 DVSA data.

Other Ford models

The most-tested Ford models in 2025, against the Ka's 66.3% MOT pass rate.

All 27 Ford models

Ford Ka FAQs

How many Ford Kas are there in the UK?

116,277 Ford Kas were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 27,475 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Ford Ka 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 66.3% first-time pass rate for the Ford Ka across 169,328 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Ford Ka had any recalls?

5 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Ford Ka. The most recent was published in July 2019. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.

What should I check before buying a used Ford Ka?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: suspension, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and brakes. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.

How do I check a Ford Ka'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.

Already found a Ka?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Across the 1,548 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Ford history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Ford VIN check.

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

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to October 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.