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Ford Sierra, Buying guide, MOT record and UK numbers

2,445 Ford Sierras are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 88.3% of initial MOT tests, 16 points above the 72.3% UK average.

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

Ford Sierra at the MOT

88.3% of 2,592 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Sierra 63rd of 575 models.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Ford Sierra88.3%
  • All Ford modelsThe Sierra is 19.5 pts ahead68.8%
  • All cars72.3%

Where Sierras fail

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

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment26.2%
  • Brakes15.1%
  • Suspension15.1%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks12.9%
  • Body, chassis, structure11.3%

The items testers recorded most often were component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (5.9%), non catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content excessive (4.1%) and prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced (2.8%).

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

Full Ford Sierra MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Sierra's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks 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.26.2% of Sierra failure items

  2. 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.15.1% of Sierra failure items

  3. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.15.1% of Sierra failure items

Ford Sierras in the UK

2,445 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 33% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−33%from 3,649 licensed
Typical year of first use
1989half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 1989 or earlier
Declared off the road
10,96182% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Ford Sierras since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 20143,649
End of 20153,263
End of 20162,977
End of 20172,641
End of 20182,323
End of 20192,144
End of 20201,970
End of 20211,836
End of 20221,793
End of 20231,684
End of 20241,704
End of 20251,778
End of June 20262,445

How old they are

Licensed Ford Sierras by year of first use.

A further 9 were first used before 1983.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025
19963
19950
19940
199360
1992210
1991208
1990215
1989201
1988135
1987147
198686
198525
1984187
1983197

Sierra engines and fuel

2.0 litre engines made up 69% of Ford Sierra MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.8 litre at 11%. Petrol accounts for 98% of licensed Sierras and diesel for 1.7%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 2,592 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 2.0 litre69.3%
  • 1.8 litre10.8%
  • 2.9 litre6.8%
  • 2.8 litre6%
  • 1.6 litre5.1%

Fuel type, licensed Sierras

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol2,40498%
Diesel412%

Other Ford models

The most-tested Ford models in 2025, against the Sierra's 88.3% MOT pass rate.

All 27 Ford models

Ford Sierra FAQs

How many Ford Sierras are there in the UK?

2,445 Ford Sierras were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 10,961 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Ford Sierra 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 88.3% first-time pass rate for the Ford Sierra across 2,592 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

What should I check before buying a used Ford Sierra?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, brakes and suspension. 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 Sierra'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 Sierra?

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). 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.