64.6%
Ford S-MAX pass rate
Used Ford S-MAX buying guide
In 2025, Ford S-MAX cars passed 64.6% of 67,952 initial MOT tests, 7.7 points below the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific S-MAX? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Ford S-MAX MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
−7.7
percentage points below average
Ranked on pass rate the S-MAX sits 439th of 575 models in the data. Ford as a brand averaged 68.8%, so this model runs 4.2 points behind its own brand. Ford S-MAX cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 77.8% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 58.3%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Ford S-MAX MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the S-MAX compares with similar cars.
S-MAX fuel types
Diesel made up 90.1% of Ford S-MAX MOT tests in 2025, against 39.3% across all models in this data. Almost every used example you look at will be a diesel.
Where the S-MAX fails its MOT
Where Ford S-MAX 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 tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.9%), brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick (4.9%) and pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (4.9%). See every common S-MAX MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Ford S-MAX that failed, not a claim that every S-MAX has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used S-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. 24.9% of S-MAX failure items.
2
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 18.6% of S-MAX 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. 16.4% of S-MAX failure items.
4
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. 12.7% of S-MAX failure items.
5
Body, chassis, structure
Look underneath and along the sills for corrosion, and check for damaged or poorly repaired panels. 8% of S-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.
S-MAX vs similar cars
Head-to-head comparisons on the same 2025 DVSA data.
What the MOT record doesn't tell you
Knowing Ford S-MAX failures cluster around lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and suspension 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 S-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
Other used Ford models
The most-tested Ford models in 2025, with how their MOT pass rate compares with the S-MAX.
Used Ford S-MAX FAQs
Is the Ford S-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 64.6% first-time pass rate for the Ford S-MAX across 67,952 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
Do older Ford S-MAX cars fail their MOT more often?
Ford S-MAX cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 77.8% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 58.3%. 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 S-MAX?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, suspension 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 S-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.