Used car guide · 2018–2025

Ford Focus Mk4: best and worst years, and what goes wrong

How every year of the Ford Focus Mk4 did at its MOT in 2025 compared with other cars the same age, the weak spots that keep coming up, and what to check before you buy one. From 139,430 MOT tests.

2021best year: 87% pass first time, 0 points above all 2021 cars
2019weakest year: 81% pass first time, 3 points below all 2019 cars
Brake padsthe weak spot that shows up in 3 different years

Year by year

First-time MOT pass rate for each year of the Ford Focus Mk4, against all cars registered the same year. Older cars fail more, so the comparison with cars the same age is what matters.

70%85%100%2018: 82% pass first time (all 2018 cars: 81%) 82% 2018*2019: 81% pass first time (all 2019 cars: 84%) 81% 20192020: 85% pass first time (all 2020 cars: 86%) 85% 20202021: 87% pass first time (all 2021 cars: 87%) 87% 2021
This model, first-time pass rate All cars registered that year · * changeover year: some cars are the previous or next generation
YearPass first timeAll cars that yearStands outMOT tests
2018*82%81% +1Nothing unusual47,246
201981%84% -3Brake pads 1.6× usual53,319
202085%86% -1Brake pads 1.9× usual30,344
202187%87% +0Brake pads 2.1× usual8,521

Weak spots across the Ford Focus Mk4

Parts flagged at MOT well above the usual rate for cars the same age, in more than one year of this generation. Repeat findings like these are much less likely to be chance.

  • Brake padsup to 2.1× usual

    Stands out in 3 years: 2021, 2020, 2019.

    Rough price £75–£175 (one axle) ClickMechanic

    At the viewing: Listen for squealing or grinding when braking, and look through the wheel at how much pad is left.

Known faults

From owners, mechanics and UK buying guides, in our own words. Not every car will have them.

  • Timing belt that runs in oil (1.0 EcoBoost)

    The 1.0 EcoBoost’s timing belt sits in the engine oil. Missed or wrong-spec oil changes can make it break down and block the oil pickup, which can wreck the engine.

    Check: Ask for a full service history with regular oil changes, and whether the timing belt has been changed when due.

    If it needs doing: Timing belt (cambelt) change, about £300–£700 (often with the water pump). ClickMechanic

    Source: Bumper: Ford Fiesta reliability guide

Where this comes from: the DVSA's anonymised results for every MOT test in Great Britain in 2025, counting each car's main test of the year (not retests). A weak spot needs at least 30 cars flagged and must stay 1.5× the usual rate even at the cautious end of a 95% confidence range. Generation years are approximate: cars registered in a changeover year (*) can be either generation. How we score

Looking at a Ford Focus?

Check the actual car: its own MOT history, whether it already shows these weak spots, and what to ask the seller. Free, no sign-up.