1971 Ford Transit — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1971 perform at MOT as they age

55 years

Current Age

68.5%

Latest Pass Rate

823

Total Tests (All Years)

68,521 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 Transit as it ages.

38 yrs57.4%

→ ↓4.6%

39 yrs52.8%

→ ↑10.3%

40 yrs63.1%

→ ↓6.7%

41 yrs56.4%

→ ↑6.1%

42 yrs62.5%

→ ↑0.2%

43 yrs62.7%

→ ↑1.9%

44 yrs64.6%

→ ↓2.8%

45 yrs61.8%

→ ↑6.7%

46 yrs68.5%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
38 yrs	57.4%	129
39 yrs	52.8%	106
40 yrs	63.1%	103
41 yrs	56.4%	94
42 yrs	62.5%	80
43 yrs	62.7%	83
44 yrs	64.6%	79
45 yrs	61.8%	76
46 yrs	68.5%	73

Pass Rate Trend

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

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2017 (46 yrs)	68.5%	73
2016 (45 yrs)	61.8%	76
2015 (44 yrs)	64.6%	79
2014 (43 yrs)	62.7%	83
2013 (42 yrs)	62.5%	80
2012 (41 yrs)	56.4%	94
2011 (40 yrs)	63.1%	103
2010 (39 yrs)	52.8%	106
2009 (38 yrs)	57.4%	129

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate

57.4%

Age (yrs) 38Tests 129Avg Mileage 79,937Top Failure Brakes — 26.4%

2010High Fail Rate

52.8%

Age (yrs) 39Tests 106Avg Mileage 82,609Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 32.1%

2011High Fail Rate

63.1%

Age (yrs) 40Tests 103Avg Mileage 70,750Top Failure Brakes — 20.4%

2012High Fail Rate

56.4%

Age (yrs) 41Tests 94Avg Mileage 75,246Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 27.7%

2013High Fail Rate

62.5%

Age (yrs) 42Tests 80Avg Mileage 66,429Top Failure Brakes — 70.0%

2014High Fail Rate

62.7%

Age (yrs) 43Tests 83Avg Mileage 64,103Top Failure Brakes — 79.5%

2015High Fail Rate

64.6%

Age (yrs) 44Tests 79Avg Mileage 61,574Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 68.4%

2016High Fail Rate

61.8%

Age (yrs) 45Tests 76Avg Mileage 67,107Top Failure Suspension — 80.3%

2017

68.5%

Age (yrs) 46Tests 73Avg Mileage 68,521Top Failure Suspension — 50.7%

MOT results for 1971 Ford Transit by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	38	57.4%	129	79,937	Brakes — 26.4%
2010	39	52.8%	106	82,609	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 32.1%
2011	40	63.1%	103	70,750	Brakes — 20.4%
2012	41	56.4%	94	75,246	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 27.7%
2013	42	62.5%	80	66,429	Brakes — 70.0%
2014	43	62.7%	83	64,103	Brakes — 79.5%
2015	44	64.6%	79	61,574	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 68.4%
2016	45	61.8%	76	67,107	Suspension — 80.3%
2017	46	68.5%	73	68,521	Suspension — 50.7%

Common MOT Failures

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

Suspension

45.2%

↑ Increases with age

Brakes

43.9%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

39.1%

↑ Increases with age

Seat Belts and Supplementary Restraint Systems

19.7%

— Consistent

Driver's View of the Road

16.9%

— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Suspension	24.8% (38 yrs)	50.7% (46 yrs)	+25.9%	🔴 ↑
Brakes	26.4% (38 yrs)	46.6% (46 yrs)	+20.2%	🔴 ↑
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment	24.8% (38 yrs)	43.8% (46 yrs)	+19.0%	🔴 ↑
Driver's View of the Road	11.6% (38 yrs)	13.7% (46 yrs)	+2.1%	🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

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

About This Data

This page shows how Ford Transit cars manufactured in 1971 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2017, covering 823 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.