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1978 Ford Fiesta — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1978 perform at MOT as they age

48 years
Current Age
80.0%
Latest Pass Rate
178
Total Tests (All Years)
51,867 mi
Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Insufficient data for same-age comparison.

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1978 Ford Fiesta as it ages.

31 yrs70.3%
32 yrs64.9%
33 yrs65.8%
35 yrs64.5%
39 yrs80.0%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 31 to 39 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
31 yrs70.3%37
32 yrs64.9%37
33 yrs65.8%38
35 yrs64.5%31
39 yrs80.0%35

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1978 Ford Fiesta pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows improving over 5 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2017 (39 yrs)80%35
2013 (35 yrs)64.5%31
2011 (33 yrs)65.8%38
2010 (32 yrs)64.9%37
2009 (31 yrs)70.3%37

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009
70.3%
Age (yrs) 31Tests 37Avg Mileage 48,904Top Failure Suspension — 18.9%
2010High Fail Rate
64.9%
Age (yrs) 32Tests 37Avg Mileage 57,617Top Failure Brakes — 18.9%
2011
65.8%
Age (yrs) 33Tests 38Avg Mileage 49,109Top Failure Brakes — 23.7%
2013High Fail Rate
64.5%
Age (yrs) 35Tests 31Avg Mileage 49,689Top Failure Brakes — 32.3%
2017
80.0%
Age (yrs) 39Tests 35Avg Mileage 51,867Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 42.9%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1978 Ford Fiesta, with age trends.

Suspension
20.3%
— Consistent
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
20.0%
↑ Increases with age
Brakes
19.5%
↑ Increases with age
Driver's View of the Road
12.9%
— Consistent
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions
12.1%
↓ Decreases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment13.5% (31 yrs)42.9% (39 yrs)
+29.4%
🔴 ↑
Brakes8.1% (31 yrs)14.3% (39 yrs)
+6.2%
🔴 ↑
Tyres8.1% (31 yrs)5.7% (39 yrs)
-2.4%
🟢 ↓
Suspension18.9% (31 yrs)20.0% (39 yrs)
+1.1%
⚪ —

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Ford Fiesta page →

About This Data

This page shows how Ford Fiesta cars manufactured in 1978 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2017, covering 178 tests. Pass rates naturally decline with age as components wear.

Based on DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2005–2024). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.

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