2016 Ford Fiesta 1.0L Petrol · AF66 ABN

A pattern of recurring advisories around tyres and steering geometry defines the recorded roadworthiness picture of this 2016 Ford Fiesta, with the most recent test on 9 December 2025 returning a pass alongside two items flagged for monitoring. The December 2025 pass followed immediately after a fail on 8 December 2025, which was caused by a dangerous tear in the offside rear tyre sidewall attributed to structural separation, an item that on its own would render the car unroadworthy until rectified. Beyond that single failure, every prior test has passed, but the advisory trail is consistent: nearside rear and both front tyres have been noted at or close to the legal limit across 2023 and 2024, and the December 2025 test also flagged a slight play in the offside front track rod end ball joint together with an oil leak classed as not excessive. Taken together, the record points to a vehicle that remains legally compliant at test time but carries a steady stream of wear-related advisories rather than a clean sheet, with the tyre pattern in particular suggesting edge wear issues that have been recurrent over several test cycles. At 35,578 miles over ten years, the recorded usage works out to roughly 3,558 miles per year, which is low for a supermini of this age and considerably below typical annual accumulations. Such a low figure can reflect genuinely light private use, but it can equally point to extended periods of standing, seasonal driving, or gaps between keepers that are not visible in the MOT file. The four tests on record fall at roughly twelve-month intervals from 2022 onwards, which suggests the car has been kept in active road use continuously through that window rather than laid up for any multi-year stretch, but the modest annual mileage still means that consumables such as brake discs, pads, clutches, and tyres may have aged more from time and exposure than from outright distance. Rubber components in particular, including the various bushes, gaiters, and seals around the suspension and drivetrain, deteriorate with calendar age regardless of mileage, and the oil leak already flagged at the recent test is consistent with seals hardening over a long, low-mileage life. For a prospective buyer, the priority areas on physical inspection are the suspension and steering components that have already appeared in the advisory record. The offside front track rod end ball joint should be checked by rocking the wheel at nine and three o'clock with the car on the ground and listening or feeling for a clonking slack; on the road, expect any worsening to show as vague steering, a slight knocking over uneven surfaces, or uneven tyre wear on the front nearside edge. The 2023 advisory on both front tyres being worn close to the limit on the edge suggests the geometry may merit a four-wheel alignment check now, particularly as the same tyres were renewed since, and any pull to one side under braking or acceleration would reinforce the need for that. Brake feel should be assessed for a spongy pedal or juddering under heavy application, as the brake discs and pads on a low-mileage car of this age can suffer from surface corrosion even when the friction material remains serviceable. The oil leak noted in December 2025 warrants a close look under the engine bay, ideally with the car clean and the underside inspected on a ramp, paying particular attention to the rocker cover gasket, sump plug area, and any dampness along the bellhousing or turbo oil feed lines if fitted. While the tester classed the leak as not excessive, any progression between tests would be visible as fresh wet residues rather than dried staining. The dangerous rear tyre failure from the same test cycle is a reminder to inspect all four tyres, including the inner shoulders and sidewalls, for bulges, cracking, or uneven tread wear, and to verify that replacements are of consistent size and load rating. Finally, given the low annual mileage, the battery, cooling system, and brake fluid should be regarded as time-serviced items rather than mileage-serviced, and a confirmation of when these were last changed will be useful alongside a thorough test drive covering motorway speeds, town manoeuvres, and a bumpy road section to expose any developing suspension or drivetrain slack.