All generations and engines together · 286,258 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 61k
Better than most small SUVs, by age and by mileage. Watch suspension and lights & electrics. A solid used buy, provided its MOT history has no repeating suspension advisories.
Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.
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.
Early 1.5-litre EcoBoost petrol engines (roughly pre-2018 build) can leak coolant internally, often through a degraded cylinder head or a failing coolant outlet, leading to white smoke, a burning-sweet smell, and eventually overheating or a blown head gasket if ignored. Ford issued a technical service bulletin covering low coolant and white exhaust smoke on this engine family, and has in some cases replaced engines under goodwill outside of warranty. Repairs run from a few hundred pounds for hoses and a coolant flush up to £2,000-plus for a head or engine swap.
The dual-clutch PowerShift gearbox fitted to automatic diesels (mainly 2013-2016 cars) can judder from a standstill or between 1st and 2nd gear, and the transmission control module is a known failure point that leaves the car stuck in gear or jerking on trailing throttle. Owners who skip the recommended fluid change (every 3 years or so) tend to see it worse. A clutch pack and TCM repair typically runs £800-£1,800; it doesn't affect manual cars at all.
Repeated owner reports of the electronic handbrake refusing to release, especially on a slope or after the car has sat overnight, sometimes traced to a faulty gearbox or wheel sensor rather than the brake itself. A separate but related complaint is rear disc scoring, where the calliper bites hard enough on some early batches of discs to gouge the surface, forcing early disc replacement. No official recall, but it comes up often enough on forums to be worth checking. Fix is usually a sensor or calliper replacement, £150-£400.
Ford recalled Kuga PHEVs built roughly 2019-2023 after tracing contamination inside some battery cells that can raise the risk of an internal short circuit and, in rare cases, a fire during charging or hard acceleration. Affected owners were initially told not to charge the car until a dealer software update or battery replacement was done. This is a genuine safety recall, not folklore, so check the car's recall status and that the fix has been applied before buying any Kuga PHEV.
Long-standing owner complaint of clunking or knocking from the front or rear suspension, often blamed on anti-roll bar links, top mounts or the rear radius arm bush, a bush design shared with the Focus that a lot of owners rate poorly. Suspension is also the measured MOT-failure signature for this size of SUV, so there's a real link between what owners hear and what testers find, though a clunk alone doesn't always mean an MOT-failing part; get it checked on a ramp rather than diagnosed by ear. Typical repair for links and bushes is £150-£400 per corner.
Diesel Kugas used mainly for short trips can suffer EGR valve clogging and DPF blockage, showing up as rough idle, a warning light, or reduced power and a car that goes into limp mode. Some owners also report EGR units leaking coolant internally over time. A clean or EGR valve replacement is £150-£500; a DPF that's beyond forced regeneration can run to £1,000-plus. Purely a function of how the car has been driven, not a build defect, but worth budgeting for on any high-mileage diesel.
Ranked from this model’s own MOT record, then from what owners report.
Saveable checklistThe physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
Drawn from the reports above rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
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.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 139,308 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
Same segment (Small SUVs), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.
Head to head with the other popular cars in its class on reliability and common faults.