Skip to main content
Pass Your MOT

1971 Ford Mustang — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1971 perform at MOT as they age

55 years
Current Age
82.0%
Latest Pass Rate
449
Total Tests (All Years)
51,952 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 1971 Ford Mustang as it ages.

38 yrs78.7%
39 yrs72.9%
40 yrs79.5%
41 yrs79.5%
42 yrs75.0%
43 yrs83.3%
44 yrs88.0%
45 yrs73.5%
46 yrs82.0%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 38 to 46 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
38 yrs78.7%47
39 yrs72.9%48
40 yrs79.5%44
41 yrs79.5%44
42 yrs75.0%52
43 yrs83.3%54
44 yrs88.0%50
45 yrs73.5%49
46 yrs82.0%61

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1971 Ford Mustang pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows declining over 9 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2017 (46 yrs)82%61
2016 (45 yrs)73.5%49
2015 (44 yrs)88%50
2014 (43 yrs)83.3%54
2013 (42 yrs)75%52
2012 (41 yrs)79.5%44
2011 (40 yrs)79.5%44
2010 (39 yrs)72.9%48
2009 (38 yrs)78.7%47

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009
78.7%
Age (yrs) 38Tests 47Avg Mileage 65,707Top Failure Suspension — 12.8%
2010
72.9%
Age (yrs) 39Tests 48Avg Mileage 65,364Top Failure Brakes — 16.7%
2011
79.5%
Age (yrs) 40Tests 44Avg Mileage 48,048Top Failure Brakes — 11.4%
2012
79.5%
Age (yrs) 41Tests 44Avg Mileage 52,191Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 13.6%
2013
75.0%
Age (yrs) 42Tests 52Avg Mileage 51,885Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 23.1%
2014
83.3%
Age (yrs) 43Tests 54Avg Mileage 52,176Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 33.3%
2015
88.0%
Age (yrs) 44Tests 50Avg Mileage 68,927Top Failure Brakes — 14.0%
2016
73.5%
Age (yrs) 45Tests 49Avg Mileage 50,866Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 28.6%
2017
82.0%
Age (yrs) 46Tests 61Avg Mileage 51,952Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 29.5%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1971 Ford Mustang, with age trends.

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
18.8%
↑ Increases with age
Suspension
13.8%
↑ Increases with age
Brakes
13.8%
↑ Increases with age
Driver's View of the Road
9.5%
↑ Increases with age
Steering
9.0%
↓ Decreases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Brakes6.4% (38 yrs)27.9% (46 yrs)
+21.5%
🔴 ↑
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment12.8% (38 yrs)29.5% (46 yrs)
+16.7%
🔴 ↑
Driver's View of the Road4.3% (38 yrs)13.1% (46 yrs)
+8.8%
🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

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

About This Data

This page shows how Ford Mustang cars manufactured in 1971 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2017, covering 449 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.

Share via WhatsApp Share on Facebook Report Issue