1961 Ford Zephyr — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1961 perform at MOT as they age

65 years

Current Age

85.5%

Latest Pass Rate

443

Total Tests (All Years)

49,021 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 1961 Ford Zephyr as it ages.

48 yrs73.5%

→ ↑1.0%

49 yrs74.5%

→ ↑6.5%

50 yrs81.0%

→ ↑2.0%

51 yrs83.0%

→ ↑6.4%

52 yrs89.4%

→ ↓3.0%

53 yrs86.4%

→ ↓0.9%

54 yrs85.5%

→ ↑5.8%

55 yrs91.3%

→ ↓5.8%

56 yrs85.5%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
48 yrs	73.5%	49
49 yrs	74.5%	51
50 yrs	81.0%	42
51 yrs	83.0%	47
52 yrs	89.4%	47
53 yrs	86.4%	44
54 yrs	85.5%	55
55 yrs	91.3%	46
56 yrs	85.5%	62

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1961 Ford Zephyr pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2017 (56 yrs)	85.5%	62
2016 (55 yrs)	91.3%	46
2015 (54 yrs)	85.5%	55
2014 (53 yrs)	86.4%	44
2013 (52 yrs)	89.4%	47
2012 (51 yrs)	83%	47
2011 (50 yrs)	81%	42
2010 (49 yrs)	74.5%	51
2009 (48 yrs)	73.5%	49

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009

73.5%

Age (yrs) 48Tests 49Avg Mileage 50,300Top Failure Brakes — 18.4%

2010

74.5%

Age (yrs) 49Tests 51Avg Mileage 49,055Top Failure Brakes — 19.6%

2011

81.0%

Age (yrs) 50Tests 42Avg Mileage 51,666Top Failure Brakes — 14.3%

2012

83.0%

Age (yrs) 51Tests 47Avg Mileage 64,078Top Failure Brakes — 12.8%

2013

89.4%

Age (yrs) 52Tests 47Avg Mileage 63,197Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 10.6%

2014

86.4%

Age (yrs) 53Tests 44Avg Mileage 45,635Top Failure Brakes — 38.6%

2015

85.5%

Age (yrs) 54Tests 55Avg Mileage 47,466Top Failure Brakes — 20.0%

2016

91.3%

Age (yrs) 55Tests 46Avg Mileage 45,730Top Failure Brakes — 17.4%

2017

85.5%

Age (yrs) 56Tests 62Avg Mileage 49,021Top Failure Brakes — 27.4%

MOT results for 1961 Ford Zephyr by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	48	73.5%	49	50,300	Brakes — 18.4%
2010	49	74.5%	51	49,055	Brakes — 19.6%
2011	50	81.0%	42	51,666	Brakes — 14.3%
2012	51	83.0%	47	64,078	Brakes — 12.8%
2013	52	89.4%	47	63,197	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 10.6%
2014	53	86.4%	44	45,635	Brakes — 38.6%
2015	54	85.5%	55	47,466	Brakes — 20.0%
2016	55	91.3%	46	45,730	Brakes — 17.4%
2017	56	85.5%	62	49,021	Brakes — 27.4%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1961 Ford Zephyr, with age trends.

Brakes

19.4%

↑ Increases with age

Suspension

11.0%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

9.7%

↓ Decreases with age

Steering

6.2%

— Consistent

Body, Structure and General Items

5.3%

↑ 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
Brakes	18.4% (48 yrs)	27.4% (56 yrs)	+9.0%	🔴 ↑
Suspension	8.2% (48 yrs)	12.9% (56 yrs)	+4.7%	🔴 ↑
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment	8.2% (48 yrs)	4.8% (56 yrs)	-3.4%	🟢 ↓
Steering	4.1% (48 yrs)	6.5% (56 yrs)	+2.4%	🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

1960 1961 1962

← Back to Ford Zephyr overview

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

About This Data

This page shows how Ford Zephyr cars manufactured in 1961 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2017, covering 443 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.