Is the Ford Mustang reliable?
The Ford Mustang has a first-time MOT pass rate of 85.3%, from 38,060 tests on cars dating from 2015 to 2022. All cars together manage 71.7%. Raw pass rates flatter young models and punish old ones, so we also compare each Mustang with cars of the same age: on that basis it does 2.6 points better than a typical car, which makes it above average. The cleanest measure of build quality is the first test at three years old, where the Mustang scores 89.5% against 87.9% for all cars. The most common reason for a fail is parking brake efficiency below the limit.
What fails a Ford Mustang at its MOT
Parking brake efficiency below the limit is recorded on 12.4% of failed Ford Mustang tests, followed by a tyre worn or cut to the cords at 12.4% and wipers not clearing the screen at 11.4%. Percentages can add to more than 100 because one failed test often records several defects.
Brakes fail on wear, and wear is predictable. A squeal or a soft pedal in the months before the test is the car telling you the result.
Warning signs on the certificate
These are the advisories most often recorded on a Ford Mustang: items that passed on the day but were wearing. Tyre tread below the legal minimum is noted on 14.1% of all tests. If one of these is on a car's last certificate, it is the next repair. How often each category of advisory turns into a failure is measured across the whole dataset.
Petrol, diesel or hybrid Mustang?
The electric Mustang has the better record at 90%; the petrol manages 83.7%. 6.3 points is a real difference. Allow for the electric fleet being younger.
| Fuel | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 83.7% | 28,308 |
| Electric | 90% | 9,655 |
Ford Mustang pass rate by year
Between 2015 (84.9%) and 2022 (89.9%) the pass rate moves mostly with age. Among years with a decent sample, 2021 is the strongest at 90% and 2016 the weakest at 81.6%.
| First used | Pass rate | Tests | Miles a year | First MOT pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Mustang 2022 | 89.9% | 5,366 | 10,242 | 89.7% |
| Ford Mustang 2021 | 90% | 6,014 | 9,304 | 89.8% |
| Ford Mustang 2020 | 86.5% | 2,675 | 4,749 | 87.5% |
| Ford Mustang 2019 | 84.5% | 3,597 | 4,569 | – |
| Ford Mustang 2018 | 83.2% | 6,189 | 4,926 | – |
| Ford Mustang 2017 | 83.1% | 5,601 | 4,638 | – |
| Ford Mustang 2016 | 81.6% | 7,589 | 4,508 | – |
| Ford Mustang 2015 | 84.9% | 1,029 | 4,587 | – |
Mileage matters more than the badge
Take the 2016 Mustang, the year with the most tests: cars with under 40,000 miles on the clock pass 85.5% of the time, and that falls to 88% over 100,000. A -2-point drop across the mileage range is a bigger effect than the difference between most makes.
| Mileage at test (2016 cars) | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 85.5% | 4,789 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 75.6% | 1,881 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 72.5% | 688 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 74.6% | 181 |
| Over 100,000 | 88% | 50 |
How the Mustang compares
The average Ford passes 68.5% of tests, so the Mustang is one of the stronger cars in the range. Within the family, see Fiesta common problems (65.9%), Ford Focus reliability (67.9%), Transit common problems (66.9%) and Ford Kuga reliability (79.5%), or every Ford model compared. For a cross-make comparison, the Kia Optima and Audi A7 have similar test volumes and their own pages. The full reliability table puts them side by side, and the UK pass rates by age and fuel give the baseline.
Year by year
Each year opens to show its own failure list and pass rate by mileage.
Ford Mustang 2022 89.9% pass 5,366 tests89.7% at first MOT
On a 2022 Ford Mustang, headlamp aim out of adjustment appears on 21.3% of failed tests, with a tyre worn or cut to the cords next at 18.1%.
2022 cars pass 90.6% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 87.5% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 90.6% | 4,123 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 87.6% | 934 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 87.2% | 257 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 90.9% | 44 |
| Over 100,000 | 87.5% | 8 |
By fuel: electric 89.7% (4,694 tests), petrol 91.7% (672 tests).
Ford Mustang 2021 90% pass 6,014 tests89.8% at first MOT
On a 2021 Ford Mustang, tyre tread below the legal minimum appears on 22.9% of failed tests, with a tyre worn or cut to the cords next at 19.6%.
2021 cars pass 90.3% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 100% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 90.3% | 4,276 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 90.2% | 1,242 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 87.7% | 391 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 78.6% | 84 |
| Over 100,000 | 100% | 21 |
By fuel: electric 90.2% (4,961 tests), petrol 88.9% (1,053 tests).
Ford Mustang 2020 86.5% pass 2,675 tests87.5% at first MOT
On a 2020 Ford Mustang, a tyre worn or cut to the cords appears on 22.8% of failed tests, with wipers not clearing the screen next at 21.1%.
2020 cars pass 86.9% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 100% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 86.9% | 2,508 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 81.9% | 144 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 75% | 20 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 100% | 2 |
| Over 100,000 | 100% | 1 |
Ford Mustang 2019 84.5% pass 3,597 tests
On a 2019 Ford Mustang, a tyre worn or cut to the cords appears on 20.9% of failed tests, with parking brake efficiency below the limit next at 18.2%.
2019 cars pass 85.5% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 57.1% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 85.5% | 3,183 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 77.4% | 341 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 70% | 50 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 87.5% | 16 |
| Over 100,000 | 57.1% | 7 |
Ford Mustang 2018 83.2% pass 6,189 tests
On a 2018 Ford Mustang, parking brake efficiency below the limit appears on 18.2% of failed tests, with wipers not clearing the screen next at 15.6%.
2018 cars pass 85.5% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 70% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 85.5% | 4,801 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 76.4% | 1,104 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 69.8% | 235 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 76.9% | 39 |
| Over 100,000 | 70% | 10 |
Ford Mustang 2017 83.1% pass 5,601 tests
On a 2017 Ford Mustang, parking brake efficiency below the limit appears on 21.1% of failed tests, with wipers not clearing the screen next at 14%.
2017 cars pass 86.3% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 75% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 86.3% | 3,937 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 75.5% | 1,199 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 74.9% | 355 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 76.9% | 78 |
| Over 100,000 | 75% | 32 |
Ford Mustang 2016 81.6% pass 7,589 tests
On a 2016 Ford Mustang, parking brake efficiency below the limit appears on 16.9% of failed tests, with wipers not clearing the screen next at 12.5%.
2016 cars pass 85.5% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 88% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 85.5% | 4,789 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 75.6% | 1,881 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 72.5% | 688 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 74.6% | 181 |
| Over 100,000 | 88% | 50 |
Ford Mustang 2015 84.9% pass 1,029 tests
On a 2015 Ford Mustang, parking brake efficiency below the limit appears on 14.2% of failed tests, with wipers not clearing the screen next at 11.6%.
2015 cars pass 88.6% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 71.4% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 88.6% | 614 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 83.4% | 199 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 75.6% | 127 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 78.7% | 61 |
| Over 100,000 | 71.4% | 28 |
Questions people ask
How reliable is the Ford Mustang?
On MOT evidence the Ford Mustang is above average. It passes 85.3% of tests against 71.7% for all cars, and beats cars of the same age by 2.6 points. 89.5% pass their first MOT at three years old. Figures from 38,060 DVSA tests.
What fails a Ford Mustang MOT most often?
Parking brake efficiency below the limit (12.4% of failed tests), a tyre worn or cut to the cords (12.4%) and wipers not clearing the screen (11.4%). Brakes fail on wear, and wear is predictable. A squeal or a soft pedal in the months before the test is the car telling you the result.
What is the best year for a used Ford Mustang?
Among years with a large sample, 2021 cars have the highest pass rate at 90% and 2016 cars the lowest at 81.6%. Newer years pass more because they are younger, so compare a specific car's year against the table above rather than against the overall figure.
What advisories does a Ford Mustang usually get?
Tyre tread below the legal minimum is the most frequent, noted on 14.1% of all Mustang tests, then worn brake discs (4.4%). An advisory passes the car today but marks the item most likely to fail next year.
How many miles a year does a Ford Mustang do?
About 6,186 miles a year on average, calculated from the odometer readings recorded at consecutive MOTs. That is close to the UK average of roughly 7,400.
Does the Ford Mustang pass rate apply to my car?
The figures describe the whole fleet. For one car, enter its registration in the free MOT check to see its own test history, advisories and mileage, set against these averages for its year.
Checking a Mustang before you buy?
Enter the registration to see its own MOT history, advisories and mileage set against these figures, including whether it has done more or fewer than the 6,186 miles a year typical of the model.
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 to 2025. Class 4 cars, normal tests only; a pass after rectification counts as an initial failure. Age-adjusted figures compare the model's pass rate at each age with the national rate at the same age. Methodology.