Used car guide · 2015–2022

Ford Mondeo Mk5: best and worst years, and what goes wrong

How every year of the Ford Mondeo Mk5 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 58,220 MOT tests.

2016best year: 80% pass first time, 5 points above all 2016 cars
2021weakest year: 85% pass first time, 2 points below all 2021 cars
Number plate lightsthe weak spot that shows up in 5 different years

Year by year

First-time MOT pass rate for each year of the Ford Mondeo Mk5, against all cars registered the same year. Older cars fail more, so the comparison with cars the same age is what matters.

60%80%100%2015: 76% pass first time (all 2015 cars: 72%) 76% 2015*2016: 80% pass first time (all 2016 cars: 75%) 80% 20162017: 83% pass first time (all 2017 cars: 78%) 83% 20172018: 83% pass first time (all 2018 cars: 81%) 83% 20182019: 84% pass first time (all 2019 cars: 84%) 84% 20192020: 86% pass first time (all 2020 cars: 86%) 86% 20202021: 85% pass first time (all 2021 cars: 87%) 85% 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
2015*76%72% +4Tyre pressure monitoring system 3.6× usual17,082
201680%75% +5Number plate lights 2.5× usual16,013
201783%78% +5Number plate lights 2.9× usual10,838
201883%81% +2Number plate lights 2.8× usual6,982
201984%84% +0Number plate lights 4× usual4,363
202086%86% +0Number plate lights 3.6× usual1,991
202185%87% -2Nothing unusual951

Weak spots across the Ford Mondeo Mk5

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.

  • Number plate lightsup to 4× usual

    Stands out in 5 years: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016.

    Rough price £5–£40 our estimate

    At the viewing: Check the number plate lights work and the plates are clean and legal.

  • Number platesup to 1.8× usual

    Stands out in 3 years: 2019, 2017, 2016.

    Rough price £5–£40 our estimate

    At the viewing: Check the number plate lights work and the plates are clean and legal.

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 Mondeo?

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