83.6%
Ford Mustang pass rate
Used Ford Mustang buying guide
In 2025, Ford Mustang cars passed 83.6% of 12,307 initial MOT tests, 11.3 points above the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific Mustang? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Ford Mustang MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
+11.3
percentage points above average
Ranked on pass rate the Mustang sits 147th of 575 models in the data. Ford as a brand averaged 68.8%, so this model runs 14.8 points ahead of its own brand. Ford Mustang cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 86.6% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 82.4%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Ford Mustang MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the Mustang compares with similar cars.
Mustang fuel types
Petrol was the most common fuel among Ford Mustang cars tested in 2025. Diesel made up just 0% of tests.
Where the Mustang fails its MOT
Where Ford Mustang cars that failed their 2025 MOT were marked down, as a share of all recorded failure items.
The specific items testers recorded most often were rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements (8.7%), condition has ply or cords exposed (7%) and parking brake performance inoperative on one side (6.1%). See every common Mustang MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Ford Mustang that failed, not a claim that every Mustang has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used Mustang?
The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at in each.
1
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. 32.1% of Mustang 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. 18.2% of Mustang failure items.
3
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. 17% of Mustang failure items.
4
Visibility
Check the windscreen for chips or cracks in the driver's view, and that the wipers and washers clear it properly. 11.1% of Mustang failure items.
5
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 8.4% of Mustang 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 Mustang failures cluster around brakes and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 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 Mustang 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
Other used Ford models
The most-tested Ford models in 2025, with how their MOT pass rate compares with the Mustang.
Used Ford Mustang FAQs
Is the Ford Mustang 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 an 83.6% first-time pass rate for the Ford Mustang across 12,307 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.
Do older Ford Mustang cars fail their MOT more often?
Ford Mustang cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 86.6% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 82.4%. 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 Mustang?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: brakes, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and tyres. 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 Mustang'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.