Fault File
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Ford B-MAX

All generations and engines together · 53,637 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 40k

Reliability verdict
EBy age
EBy miles

Graded against its peers

One of the worst people carriers, by age and by mileage. Watch lights & electrics and suspension. A risky used buy. Check the MOT history for repeating lights & electrics advisories before you go.

First-time failure at age 7
28.8%
Across 3,603 tests. The average for people carriers is 20.6%.
First-time failure at 50-60k miles
32.3%
Across 7,812 tests. The average for people carriers is 24.9%.
Rank in its class
19 of 23
1 = lowest failure rate among the 23 people carriers we can rank.
Typical mileage at age 7
40k miles
How far the average car has gone by seven years old. Low-mileage models can look better by age than they are.

What owners report

Reported

Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press, with how well each report stands up. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.

PowerShift automatic gearbox judder and clutch wear

EmergingAutomatics only

The 1.6 PowerShift automatic is a dry dual-clutch box that doesn't get on well with stop-start town driving or being held on the clutch at junctions. Owners report juddering on pull-away, jerky or delayed gear changes, and clutch packs wearing out well before the rest of the car, one owner review described needing a third clutch pack in three years. A clutch pack replacement runs from a few hundred pounds up towards £1,500, more if the mechatronic control unit has also failed. No B-MAX-specific recall found; regular gearbox fluid changes, roughly every third service, cut the risk.

Reported from around 30-40k miles on autos · sources: Honest John owner reviews, WhoCanFixMyCar, What Car reliability

Battery drain and random electrical faults

Partly in the MOT data

A repeated owner complaint is a battery that won't hold charge, sometimes traced to moisture getting into the rear parking sensor wiring, sometimes to general wiring loom corrosion that in bad cases needs the engine out to fix, around £1,000. Windows, mirrors and dash warning lights misbehaving get mentioned alongside it. This lines up with the measured MOT data for this model, where lights and electrics is the standout fault category, though the wiring-corrosion explanation itself comes from owner reports rather than the test data.

Reported at various ages, more common on higher-mileage cars · sources: Honest John, WhoCanFixMyCar

1.0 EcoBoost coolant loss and under-bonnet fire risk

Confirmed pattern

Early 1.0-litre EcoBoost engines could lose coolant through a poorly sealed pipe, and in the worst cases coolant reached the cylinders or created a fire risk. Ford addressed this with an official recall across the EcoBoost range, including the B-MAX, so check the car's recall status before buying. Watch for a sweet coolant smell, a dropping coolant level, or rough running on any car where you can't confirm the fix was done.

Affects 1.0 EcoBoost engines · sources: owner and mechanic reports on the Ford EcoBoost coolant fault, Ford UK recall records

1.0 EcoBoost wet timing belt contamination

Emerging1.0 EcoBoost only

Unlike a conventional cambelt, the 1.0 EcoBoost's timing belt runs inside the engine, submerged in oil, so there's no visual check you can do on it. When it wears, the debris contaminates the oil and can block oil pickups, leading to turbo or engine damage. Ford's own change interval is long, but independent garages and owners have flagged failures well inside that on some cars. A rebuild after a belt failure can run into four figures, so get the belt's service history from a Ford dealer or a specialist before buying.

Affects 1.0 EcoBoost only · sources: WhoCanFixMyCar, independent Ford EcoBoost specialist write-ups

Heated windscreen (Quickclear) failure

Emerging

The heated front windscreen, Ford's Quickclear, is reported to fail on some cars. Because the heating elements are baked into the glass, a failure means a full windscreen replacement rather than a simple part swap, and it's pricier than a standard chip repair. The embedded wiring also makes the screen more vulnerable to stone-chip damage. Not officially acknowledged by Ford as a fault, just a repeated theme in owner write-ups.

Reported at various ages · sources: Honest John, WhoCanFixMyCar

DPF blockage on the diesel

DisputedDiesel only

The 1.5 TDCi diesel's particulate filter is prone to blocking on cars used mostly for short trips, since it needs a sustained motorway-speed run to burn off soot. Symptoms are a DPF warning light, reduced power or limp mode, and a rougher idle. A forced regeneration or clean costs a couple of hundred pounds, but a filter that's been ignored for too long can mean a full replacement at a much higher cost.

Affects 1.5 TDCi diesel only · sources: WhoCanFixMyCar, general diesel DPF pattern

What to check on this car

Ranked from this model’s own MOT record, then from what owners report.

Saveable checklist

From this model’s MOT record

The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.

Lights and horn walkroundRuns high on this model With a helper, run every light: dipped, main beam, indicators, brake lights including the high-level one, reverse, fog, and the horn. On newer cars a dead LED section can mean replacing the whole lamp unit rather than a bulb.Recorded on 9.5% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.8%
Coil springsRuns high on this model Look through the wheel spokes at the bottom coil of each spring; when springs snap it is usually there, and the break is visible. Step back and check the car sits level too. A dropped corner is often a broken spring.Recorded on 5.4% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 1.4%
Bushes and ball jointsRuns high on this model Drive slowly over broken tarmac with the windows down and listen for clonks from either end. Back at the car, have someone rock the steering wheel while you rest a hand on each front wheel; play you can feel through the tyre is a worn joint.Recorded on 2.3% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.2%
Rubber boots and gaitersRuns high on this model On full steering lock, look in behind each front wheel at the concertina rubber boots on the driveshafts and steering rack. Splits, or grease flung around the arch, mean dirt is getting into a joint that costs far more than the boot protecting it.Recorded on 1.7% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.6%
Dampers Look for oil misting on the damper body behind each wheel, then push down hard on each corner of the car. It should settle in one bounce. A floaty or crashy ride on the test drive is the same fault felt from the driver's seat.Recorded on 1.9% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 2.3%
ExhaustRuns high on this model Listen along the exhaust at cold idle for blowing or chuffing, and give the tailpipe a push to check nothing hangs loose. Small blows only get louder.Recorded on 1.3% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.6%

Worth doing on any used car

These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.

Tyres, all four Check the tread across the full width of each tyre, inner edge included, and look for cracking and mismatched brands. A set of decent tyres is £500 or more on most cars, which makes this the easiest money to take off a price. If the pressure warning light is on, budget for sensors too.Recorded on 23.4% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 20.1%
Pads and discs Look through the wheel spokes at the brake disc. A pronounced lip on its outer edge, or a rusty and scored face, means discs and pads are due all round, a few hundred pounds on most cars. A haggling point rather than a reason to walk away.Recorded on 8.4% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 8.7%
Windscreen and wipersRuns high on this model Scan the glass in daylight for chips, especially in the driver's line of sight where even a small one can fail the MOT. Run the washers and check the wipers clear without smearing.Recorded on 3.2% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 1.7%

Because of what owners report

Drawn from the reports above rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.

Pull away gently from a stop and coast to a halt on an automatic car. Any judder, hesitation or delayed gear change points to PowerShift clutch pack wear.
Ask for proof of automatic gearbox fluid changes, roughly every third service. No history of fluid changes means the clutch packs have likely been run harder than they should.
Check all electrics: windows, mirrors, dash warning lights, and ask when the battery was last replaced. Random electrical faults and a battery that won't hold charge are the most common owner complaint on this model.
On a 1.0 EcoBoost car, check the service book for the coolant pipe recall and any timing belt work. No record of the recall fix or belt history is a red flag on this engine.
On a cold morning, run the heated windscreen and check it clears evenly across the glass. Patchy or no heating suggests the Quickclear elements have failed, meaning a full screen replacement.
On a diesel, ask about the mix of short trips versus motorway runs and check for a DPF warning history. Mostly short-journey use raises the chance of a blocked filter and an expensive clean or replacement.
Pull the full MOT history, not just the pass or fail. Repeated electrical advisories year after year back up the pattern seen in the wider MOT data for this model.

Open the saveable checklist, tick it off at the car

The MOT data

Measured

Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.

How this model wears

Ford B-MAXClass average, all tracked models

What testers flag

Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.

Faults with the car itself

The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 18,793 tests in this band.

Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
Fail
9.5%class 0.8%
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
Fail
5.4%class 1.4%
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
Advisory
2.6%class 1.3%
A stub axle swivel pin and/or bush excessively worn
Advisory
2.3%class 0.2%
A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage
Advisory
1.9%class 2.3%
A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated
Minor
1.7%class 0.6%
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
Fail
1.4%class 0.7%
?
Advisory
1.3%class 0.2%
Exhaust system leaking or insecure
Advisory
1.3%class 0.6%
A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED
Fail
1.2%class 0.8%

Wear, upkeep and luck

Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
Advisory
25.9%class 22.9%
A tyre seriously damaged
Advisory
16.9%class 12.7%
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
Advisory
8.4%class 8.7%
Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured
Advisory
5.5%class 10.1%
Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn
Advisory
3.8%class 3.4%
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
Fail
3.2%class 1.7%
Number plate inscription missing or illegible
Advisory
2.7%class 1.5%
Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt
Advisory
2.6%class 2.2%

Others in its class

Same segment (MPVs), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.

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