1997 Ford Transit — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1997 perform at MOT as they age

29 years

Current Age

60.4%

Latest Pass Rate

104,136

Total Tests (All Years)

127,297 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 1997 Ford Transit as it ages.

12 yrs39.0%

→ ↑0.5%

13 yrs39.5%

→ ↓0.1%

14 yrs39.4%

→ ↓0.1%

15 yrs39.3%

→ ↑1.9%

16 yrs41.2%

→ ↑1.7%

17 yrs42.9%

→ ↑3.8%

18 yrs46.7%

→ ↑1.3%

19 yrs48.0%

→ ↑0.3%

20 yrs48.3%

→ ↑3.4%

21 yrs51.7%

→ ↑2.6%

22 yrs54.3%

→ ↑5.2%

23 yrs59.5%

→ ↓2.4%

24 yrs57.1%

→ ↑0.6%

25 yrs57.7%

→ ↑3.6%

26 yrs61.3%

→ ↓0.9%

27 yrs60.4%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
12 yrs	39.0%	23,005
13 yrs	39.5%	19,142
14 yrs	39.4%	14,675
15 yrs	39.3%	10,069
16 yrs	41.2%	7,579
17 yrs	42.9%	5,941
18 yrs	46.7%	4,802
19 yrs	48.0%	3,944
20 yrs	48.3%	3,418
21 yrs	51.7%	1,961
22 yrs	54.3%	1,732
23 yrs	59.5%	1,309
24 yrs	57.1%	1,694
25 yrs	57.7%	1,332
26 yrs	61.3%	1,366
27 yrs	60.4%	2,167

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1997 Ford Transit pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2024 (27 yrs)	60.4%	2,167
2023 (26 yrs)	61.3%	1,366
2022 (25 yrs)	57.7%	1,332
2021 (24 yrs)	57.1%	1,694
2020 (23 yrs)	59.5%	1,309
2019 (22 yrs)	54.3%	1,732
2018 (21 yrs)	51.7%	1,961
2017 (20 yrs)	48.3%	3,418
2016 (19 yrs)	48%	3,944
2015 (18 yrs)	46.7%	4,802
2014 (17 yrs)	42.9%	5,941
2013 (16 yrs)	41.2%	7,579
2012 (15 yrs)	39.3%	10,069
2011 (14 yrs)	39.4%	14,675
2010 (13 yrs)	39.5%	19,142
2009 (12 yrs)	39%	23,005

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate

39.0%

Age (yrs) 12Tests 23,005Avg Mileage 134,012Top Failure Suspension — 40.4%

2010High Fail Rate

39.5%

Age (yrs) 13Tests 19,142Avg Mileage 135,943Top Failure Suspension — 40.8%

2011High Fail Rate

39.4%

Age (yrs) 14Tests 14,675Avg Mileage 136,250Top Failure Suspension — 41.9%

2012High Fail Rate

39.3%

Age (yrs) 15Tests 10,069Avg Mileage 135,616Top Failure Suspension — 43.0%

2013High Fail Rate

41.2%

Age (yrs) 16Tests 7,579Avg Mileage 135,165Top Failure Suspension — 139.8%

2014High Fail Rate

42.9%

Age (yrs) 17Tests 5,941Avg Mileage 135,462Top Failure Suspension — 138.7%

2015High Fail Rate

46.7%

Age (yrs) 18Tests 4,802Avg Mileage 135,669Top Failure Suspension — 124.2%

2016High Fail Rate

48.0%

Age (yrs) 19Tests 3,944Avg Mileage 134,453Top Failure Suspension — 121.5%

2017High Fail Rate

48.3%

Age (yrs) 20Tests 3,418Avg Mileage 131,797Top Failure Suspension — 121.4%

2018High Fail Rate

51.7%

Age (yrs) 21Tests 1,961Avg Mileage 129,711Top Failure Suspension — 103.5%

2019High Fail Rate

54.3%

Age (yrs) 22Tests 1,732Avg Mileage 130,597Top Failure Suspension — 102.8%

2020High Fail Rate

59.5%

Age (yrs) 23Tests 1,309Avg Mileage 128,656Top Failure Suspension — 80.6%

2021High Fail Rate

57.1%

Age (yrs) 24Tests 1,694Avg Mileage 127,866Top Failure Suspension — 92.3%

2022High Fail Rate

57.7%

Age (yrs) 25Tests 1,332Avg Mileage 131,724Top Failure Suspension — 93.7%

2023High Fail Rate

61.3%

Age (yrs) 26Tests 1,366Avg Mileage 125,912Top Failure Suspension — 83.0%

2024High Fail Rate

60.4%

Age (yrs) 27Tests 2,167Avg Mileage 127,297Top Failure Suspension — 62.9%

MOT results for 1997 Ford Transit by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	12	39.0%	23,005	134,012	Suspension — 40.4%
2010	13	39.5%	19,142	135,943	Suspension — 40.8%
2011	14	39.4%	14,675	136,250	Suspension — 41.9%
2012	15	39.3%	10,069	135,616	Suspension — 43.0%
2013	16	41.2%	7,579	135,165	Suspension — 139.8%
2014	17	42.9%	5,941	135,462	Suspension — 138.7%
2015	18	46.7%	4,802	135,669	Suspension — 124.2%
2016	19	48.0%	3,944	134,453	Suspension — 121.5%
2017	20	48.3%	3,418	131,797	Suspension — 121.4%
2018	21	51.7%	1,961	129,711	Suspension — 103.5%
2019	22	54.3%	1,732	130,597	Suspension — 102.8%
2020	23	59.5%	1,309	128,656	Suspension — 80.6%
2021	24	57.1%	1,694	127,866	Suspension — 92.3%
2022	25	57.7%	1,332	131,724	Suspension — 93.7%
2023	26	61.3%	1,366	125,912	Suspension — 83.0%
2024	27	60.4%	2,167	127,297	Suspension — 62.9%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1997 Ford Transit, with age trends.

Suspension

89.4%

↑ Increases with age

Brakes

58.6%

↑ Increases with age

Body, chassis, structure

56.9%

— Consistent

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

55.9%

↓ Decreases with age

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

54.6%

↑ Increases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Suspension	40.4% (12 yrs)	62.9% (27 yrs)	+22.5%	🔴 ↑
Brakes	35.2% (12 yrs)	39.6% (27 yrs)	+4.4%	🔴 ↑

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 1997 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2024, covering 104,136 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.