Is the Ford Transit Custom ULEZ compliant?

Most petrol Ford Transit Customs from 2006 and diesels from September 2015 meet the Euro standards for London ULEZ and other UK clean-air zones, so they are generally exempt from the daily charge. Pure-electric versions are always exempt.

What insurance group is the Ford Transit Custom in?

The Ford Transit Custom sits in insurance group 31 of 50. Your actual premium still depends on age, postcode, annual mileage and no-claims history.

Is the Ford Transit Custom reliable?

Our reliability score for the Ford Transit Custom is 71 out of 100 (good), derived from DVSA MOT records, with a first-time MOT pass rate of about 82% at the reference age.

What economy does the Ford Transit Custom get?

Expect roughly around 38 mpg combined for a typical Ford Transit Custom, based on official figures and our running-cost model. Real-world figures vary with driving style, load and conditions.

What are the common problems on the Ford Transit Custom?

On the Ford Transit Custom, the issues that come up most by mileage include EGR cooler / valve, Wet timing belt (2.0 EcoBlue) and Clutch (manual). The section above breaks down each one with its typical mileage, repair cost and severity.

How many Ford Transit Customs are on UK roads?

About 517,136 Ford Transit Customs are currently taxed and on the road in the UK, from DfT vehicle-licensing data.

Is the Ford Transit Custom reliable?

The Ford Transit Custom scores 71/100 on Forecourt's MOT-based reliability measure, ahead of 29% of the cars we track. That is computed from 1,112,270 real DVSA MOT test results. The main things to check on a used one are the egr cooler / valve and the wet timing belt (2.0 ecoblue).

How much does a used Ford Transit Custom cost?

A 2023 Ford Transit Custom with around 48,000 miles is worth roughly £17,550 today (typical range £15,600–£19,550). Dealer forecourt prices sit higher and part-exchange offers lower; newer or lower-mileage examples cost more.

How quickly does the Ford Transit Custom depreciate?

A new Ford Transit Custom typically loses about 48% of its value over the first three years, then depreciates more slowly. Buying at three to five years old avoids the steepest part of the curve.

What insurance group is the Ford Transit Custom?

The Ford Transit Custom sits in insurance group 31 of 50 — the more expensive end of the scale. Exact premiums depend on the trim (some versions sit a few groups higher or lower), your age, postcode and no-claims history.

What goes wrong on a used Ford Transit Custom?

The most common age-related issues we track for the Ford Transit Custom are: egr cooler / valve (typically around 70k–110k, £650–£1,100 to put right); wet timing belt (2.0 ecoblue) (typically around 100k–150k, £900–£1,500 to put right); clutch (manual) (typically around 80k–130k, £900–£1,400 to put right). A full service history and a recent MOT with no advisories are the best protection.

What does the Ford Transit Custom cost to run?

Expect around 38 mpg combined, £335 a year in road tax, about £320 for a standard annual service. The full cost-of-ownership table above breaks this down per year and per mile for the exact year and mileage you choose.

Ranked #1 van in the UK · Panel van · 50,746 units sold last year

Ford Transit Custom

The default British work van. Genuinely van-like to drive — easy to park, easy to load, easy to fix. The current generation (2024+) is a major leap with much better cabin tech; the previous (2012–2023) is the used-buy sweet spot.

Body: Panel van
Years: 2017–2025
Fuel: Diesel / Plug-in Hybrid / Electric
Economy: 38 mpg
Insurance: Group 31

The short version

31/100

Forecourt score

Value 21 · Reliability 45 · Insurance 22

The Ford Transit Custom loses value faster than most cars and is dearer to run than most. Its MOT-based reliability is good, 71 out of 100, ahead of 45% of the cars we track. On three-year value retention it ranks better than 21% of models. The main things to check on a used one are the egr cooler / valve and wet timing belt (2.0 ecoblue).

The Forecourt score blends how this car ranks against the catalogue on value retention, reliability and insurance cost (weighted 40/40/20). Higher is better; running cost is not yet folded in.

Pick your version

Fuel

Diesel · 1996cc

Power

136 ps

Drivetrain

FWD

Cam drive

Wet belt

Quoted MPG

39 mpg

The volume Transit Custom Mk3. 2.0L EcoBlue diesel, 136 PS, 6-speed manual, FWD. ~1100kg payload, 6.0m³ load volume L1H1. The UK LCV best-seller.

Tell us about the one you're looking at

Year of registration2023

20172025

Mileage on the clock48,000 mi

0Expected: 48,000180k

Conditiongood

PoorFairGoodExcellent

Tidy and well looked-after for its age — the typical car.

Region

Remembered as you browse other cars.

Know the registration?

Optional — fills in the exact year and ULEZ status for your specific car. The registration isn’t stored.

Estimated market value

£17,550

Range £14,550 – £20,850

medium confidence

When new (2023)£29,840Age-based value£15,517Mileage adjustment+£0Condition & region+£14Market calibration+£3,219Forecourt price£18,750Private sale£16,400Part-exchange£14,450

The depreciation curve

How a 2023-registration Ford Transit Custom loses value over time.

Marker = your selection
Dashed = mileage either side

What it costs to own

Over

Based on the 2023 car with 48,000 miles you entered above — worth about £17,550 today — here is the cost of owning it for the next 5 years, at roughly 16,000 miles a year.

5-year total

£31,373

Per year

£6,275

All-in per mile

£0.39

Fuel per mile

20.6p

Depreciation£3,531

Fuel / energy£16,507

Servicing£2,680

Road tax£1,675

Insurance£6,980

Best age to buy — around 5 years

A 5-year-old example loses roughly £900 a year — under half the £3,400 a one-year-old sheds. The steepest drop is behind it.

Uses current UK pump and home-charging prices (DESNZ weekly), typical-driver insurance and manufacturer service intervals. "Fuel per mile" is just the energy input — so an EV at ~9p and a diesel at ~22p make running-cost comparison direct. A guide; your own costs will vary.

How it compares

Where this car ranks against the 340 vehicles in our index — higher is better.

Holds its valuebetter than 21%

Reliabilitybetter than 45%

Fuel economybetter than 21%

Cheap to insurebetter than 22%

Percentile rank across our full index. A measure is shown only where the data spreads meaningfully across the index.

Petrol, diesel, hybrid or EV?

How the available versions compare on price, running cost, and the headaches each tends to develop.

EcoBlue / PHEV / e-Transit Custom

UK's bestselling LCV — has been for over a decade. Mk3 shares Ford platform with VW Transporter T7 (built alongside at Ford Kocaeli, Turkey). Cross-shop VW Transporter (now sister), Mercedes Vito (premium), Renault Trafic (cheaper). The Transit Custom is the default UK medium panel van.

New price: £35,000
Annual fuel / energy: £2,200
3-yr depreciation: 45%

Watch for

·Mk2 (used market) 2.0 EcoBlue had EGR cooler failures
·Some early Mk2 AdBlue sensor issues (campaign-fixed)
·Mk3 too new for clear patterns
·🏆 International Van of the Year 2024

Fuel/energy costs based on this week’s UK averages (w/c 22/06/2026) · Petrol 153.3p/L, Diesel 172.5p/L, Electricity 27.0p/kWh · DESNZ

Estimated insurance

Group 31 of 50 (upper-mid — pricier to insure) · Comprehensive · 3 years NCB

Indicative annual comprehensive premiums for this car, by driver age band and risk profile. Pick the combination closest to your circumstances.

No-claims bonus3 years

0 yearsBaseline: 3 years15+

Risk profile:

Estimated annual premium · typical, age 33-39

£1,396/ year

Roughly £116 per month

Typical

Average UK driver — 3 years NCB, average postcode, no recent claims.

Age band	Lower risk	Typical	Higher risk
Age 17-25	£3,183	£3,979	£5,172
Age 26-32	£1,661	£1,954	£2,384
Age 33-39Selected	£1,228	£1,396	£1,647
Age 40-49	£1,043	£1,159	£1,344
Age 50+	£930	£1,033	£1,219

How we estimate this

Indicative annual comprehensive premium estimates. The 'Typical' figure represents an average UK driver in each age band; Lower and Higher risk show the realistic spread driven by factors UK insurers legitimately price on (postcode, occupation, claims history, NCB, voluntary excess, modifications). Based on 10,000 miles/yr, £250 voluntary excess, and the no-claims bonus selected above. Always get individual quotes before buying.

Expected annual costs

Adjust the annual mileage to match how you'll actually use the car. Insurance is what you selected above (age 33-39, typical risk, 3 yrs NCB).

Annual mileage16,000 mi/yr

2,000UK avg for this model: 16,00030,000

Routine service

£320

Annual main-dealer service

Major service

£270

Every 2 years, annualised

Road tax

£335

Standard rate, post year-one

Fuel

£2,779

38 mpg, £1.49/L

Insurance

£1,396

Age 33-39, group 31

Clean-air zones

✓ ULEZ compliant

Electric variants are compliant with London ULEZ and all UK clean-air zones.
All diesel variants meet Euro 6 standards and are ULEZ compliant.

Based on London ULEZ standards — Birmingham, Bath, Bristol, Sheffield, Glasgow and other UK clean-air zones generally follow the same rules.

Total expected£5,100 / year

Excludes depreciation and unscheduled repairs (see next section).

Unexpected costs

What out-of-warranty repairs typically run, by mileage band. Your selected mileage is highlighted.

0-30k miles

£120

per year · low risk

30-60k miles

£320

per year · low risk

60-100k miles

£680

per year · medium risk

100k+ miles

£1,180

per year · medium risk

Tyres

215/65 R16C · 235/55 R17C · 235/60 R17C

What a full set of four will cost you (including fit and balance), and which brand each tier of buyer should pick. A typical set lasts about 30,000 miles.

Budget

£460

set of 4, fitted · £95 per tyre

Mid-range

£660

set of 4, fitted · £145 per tyre

Premium

£940

set of 4, fitted · £215 per tyre

What to fit

Summer

Continental VanContact 200

OE choice on many Transit Customs. Built to take payload abuse.

All-season

Michelin Agilis CrossClimate

All-weather van tyre with extra-load rating. Worth it for year-round commercial use.

Summer

Hankook Vantra LT RA18

Solid budget commercial option. Korean-made, common UK fitment.

C-rated tyres are mandatory — passenger-car spec tyres won't meet the payload rating. Watch for unscrupulous fitters.

Optional extras worth paying for

Factory options ranked by how much of their original cost they recover at resale. Anything above 70% return tends to make money back; below 40% is paying for your own enjoyment.

Option	New cost	Added used value	Return
Long-load hatch (bulkhead opening) Tradespeople value this disproportionately — over-recovers cost.	£200	£280	140%
Air conditioning Near-essential on the used market. Vans without it are visibly harder to shift.	£850	£800	94%
Tow pack (factory) Strong retention — fleet buyers actively search for it.	£750	£650	87%
Reverse camera Higher-spec trims include it; aftermarket fitments don't recover value.	£450	£380	84%
Cruise control + speed limiter Modest cost, sensible return.	£350	£280	80%
Heated front seats Nice to have, weak return.	£280	£150	54%

Parts most likely to fail

Drawn from owner reports and warranty data. Filtered for relevance to 48,000 miles.

Watch now

Failure typically happens around your current mileage.

Upcoming

A known weak point — but you haven't reached its usual mileage yet.

Already due

Past its usual failure mileage. Either already fixed, or about to.

EGR cooler / valveUpcoming

Typical at 70k–110kCost £650–£1,100high severityParts high

Carbon build-up on 2.0 EcoBlue. Smoke at start-up is the giveaway.

Wet timing belt (2.0 EcoBlue)Upcoming

Typical at 100k–150kCost £900–£1,500high severityParts high

Pre-2022 units. Ford revised interval to 116k or 10 years.

Clutch (manual)Upcoming

Typical at 80k–130kCost £900–£1,400medium severityParts high

Heavier on multi-drop urban work.

DPF blockageUpcoming

Typical at 60k+Cost £400 (clean) – £1,800 (replace)medium severityParts high

Forced regen masks the problem. Look for the warning lamp history.

Rear door hinges

Typical at AnyCost £150–£300low severityParts high

Heavily-used doors sag; check alignment when closing.

Sliding door rollersUpcoming

Typical at 80k+Cost £200–£400low severityParts high

Squeaks and rattles. Cheap fix if caught early.

Turbo actuatorUpcoming

Typical at 90k+Cost £500–£900medium severityParts medium

Limp-mode events. Often replace whole turbo for warranty parity.

"Parts low/medium/high" indicates how easy the replacement part is to source — discontinued or specialist parts mean longer workshop time and bigger bills.

What the press says

Pull-quotes from the major UK motoring titles. Each links back to the full review.

The benchmark medium panel van
What Van? · 2024-05

Drives more like a car than a van
Auto Express · 2024-08

Genuinely refined for a working vehicle
Parkers Vans · 2024-11

Resale values are the strongest in class
Van Reviewer · 2025-01

MOT outlook

How this model fares at its MOT as it ages — from 1,112,270 real DVSA test records.

MOT pass rate by age

82.9% at 3yr → 70% at 20yr

A 3-year-old Transit Custom passes its MOT 82.9% of the time; by 20 years that has slipped to 70%. The y-axis is zoomed to this model’s range so the trend is readable.

Longevity

0%of 33-year-old examples are still taxed and on the road — a useful read on how well the model lasts.

From 147 vehicles registered in 1993.

Survival by registration year

0% of 1993 cars still on the road

Each point is one registration cohort. Older cars on the left, newer on the right. A flatter line means the model holds up over time; a steep drop means cohorts disappear from UK roads faster.

What’s on the road

The fuel-type split of every Transit Custom currently MOT’d in the UK. From 391,532 vehicles.

Diesel 93.7%
Electric 3.1%
Hybrid 3.1%

Common MOT failures by mileage

The defect categories this Transit Custom fails on most often, and how the failure rate climbs as the miles add up — from the same DVSA test records.

Category	0-30k	30-60k	60-100k	100k+
Tyres & wheels	3%	4%	4%	4%
Brakes	2%	4%	4%	5%
Driver's view	3%	4%	4%	3%
Lighting & signalling	1%	2%	3%	4%
Identification & other	—	—	1%	2%
Suspension	—	—	1%	1%

Share of MOT tests in each mileage band with at least one defect in that category. The peak band for each is highlighted.

Typical mileage by age

The average odometer reading for a Transit Custom at MOT, by age — measured from the same DVSA records, not assumed. A useful yardstick for whether a given car has done more or fewer miles than its age suggests.

0 yr4,594
1 yr20,717
2 yr43,444
3 yr47,967
4 yr60,363
5 yr71,855
6 yr83,136
7 yr93,226
8 yr102,958
9 yr122,212
10 yr129,716
11 yr136,433

Mean recorded mileage at MOT by vehicle age, from DVSA test records (ages with at least 10 tests shown).

Reliability

71/ 100

Good

MOT outlook · age 5 years

82%first-time pass rate

29th percentile — Below catalogue average

Based on 185,397 MOT tests · ranked against 248 catalogue models with comparable data

Where this car sits in the catalogue

Pass-rate distribution across 248 catalogue models

Things owners say

01Ply-lining is the difference between a tidy van and a knackered one — always look for one with original-fit lining.
02Pre-2018 dashboards crack on dark units left in summer sun — Ford issued a TSB but no recall.
03PHEV variant rarely seen used; the battery range (35 miles) doesn't move the needle for fleet operators.
04Service history must include the wet-belt replacement on pre-2022 cars or walk away.

Safety recalls

Manufacturers occasionally issue safety recalls to fix a fault free of charge. You can check whether the Ford Transit Custom, or your exact vehicle, has any outstanding recalls on the official DVSA service.

Check on GOV.UK

Opens the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency recall checker. Choose the make, model and year of manufacture — no registration needed.

Theft risk

A general indicator from UK 2025 theft data and this car’s characteristics — not a prediction for any one vehicle.

Whole-car theft

Around average

Theft risk is around the UK average. Like most modern cars it has keyless entry, so relay theft is the method to guard against.

Parts theft

Higher

Hybrid versions are a catalytic-converter target — a hybrid cat is rich in precious metals and can be cut out in about a minute.

Worth doing

Keep keys in a Faraday pouch and away from the front door to block relay attacks.
A catalytic-converter guard or forensic marking makes a hybrid far less appealing to cut.

Clean-air zones

Whether driving a Ford Transit Custom into a UK clean-air zone will cost you anything. Rules use the same Euro standard across most zones — petrol from 2006 and diesel from 2015 onwards are exempt; pure electric is always exempt.

Charging zones for cars

City	Area	Daily charge	Likely outcome
London	All of Greater London (within the M25)	£12.50	Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
Birmingham	Inside the A4540 Middleway	£8.00	Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
Bristol	City centre and part of the Portway	£9.00	Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
Glasgow	City centre	—	Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
Edinburgh	City centre	—	Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
Aberdeen	City centre	—	Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
Dundee	City centre	—	Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.

Zones that don't charge private cars

Bath — City centre (Private cars and motorbikes are not charged).
Bradford — Outer ring road and the Aire Valley (Private cars are not charged).
Sheffield — Inside the A61 inner ring road (Private cars are not charged).
Newcastle & Gateshead — City centres and the Tyne, Swing, High Level and Redheugh bridges (Private cars are not charged).
Portsmouth — Part of the city centre (Applies to taxis, PHVs, buses, coaches and HGVs only).

Model-level guidance only. To check a specific registration, use the official gov.uk clean-air zone checker. Zone charges and boundaries are set by local councils and change over time.

Servicing & the dealer network

How well-supported Ford is across the UK — a practical read on how easy servicing, parts and warranty work will be to find.

Franchised UK dealers

~290

Large network

Mass-market

Network size relative to the UK's largest (Ford is 6.4% of all franchised outlets)

Servicing, parts and warranty work are easy to find UK-wide, and most independent garages know the brand well — which keeps maintenance competitive.

For context, the UK has roughly 4,500 franchised car-dealer outlets in total, plus about 15,500 independent garages.

Approximate figures, curated from public UK industry sources (NFDA, Car Dealer Magazine). Franchised networks shrink year on year — these indicate network size, not an exact count.

Dimensions & weight

Length

5,050 mm

Width

2,280 mm

Height

1,928 mm

Kerb weight

1,830 kg

Boot

6,000–9,000 L

Fuel tank

70 L

What it can carry

Load capacity and payload across the body-length and roof-height variants. The bigger spread means more versatility — but also more choice to get wrong when buying used.

Load volume

6–9 m³

Payload

850–1,430 kg

Gross weight

3,200 kg

Body variants

L1H1, L2H1, L2H2

Max towing (braked)

2,800 kg

How many are still out there

Of every Ford Transit Custom ever registered in the UK, this is what's actively on the road, parked off the road on a SORN, or gone for good.

Total ever registered

532,911

Currently taxed & on road

517,136

97% of all registered

SORN (off road)

15,775

3% of all registered

Scrapped or exported

UK fleet trend — 2014 to 2025

+8.7% vs 2024

43,830517,136

Source: DfT VEH0124 vehicle licensing statistics (year-end 2025) · Updated 1 Jul 2026

Common questions

Ford Transit Custom, answered

Is the Ford Transit Custom ULEZ compliant?: Most petrol Ford Transit Customs from 2006 and diesels from September 2015 meet the Euro standards for London ULEZ and other UK clean-air zones, so they are generally exempt from the daily charge. Pure-electric versions are always exempt.
What insurance group is the Ford Transit Custom in?: The Ford Transit Custom sits in insurance group 31 of 50. Your actual premium still depends on age, postcode, annual mileage and no-claims history.
Is the Ford Transit Custom reliable?: Our reliability score for the Ford Transit Custom is 71 out of 100 (good), derived from DVSA MOT records, with a first-time MOT pass rate of about 82% at the reference age.
What economy does the Ford Transit Custom get?: Expect roughly around 38 mpg combined for a typical Ford Transit Custom, based on official figures and our running-cost model. Real-world figures vary with driving style, load and conditions.
What are the common problems on the Ford Transit Custom?: On the Ford Transit Custom, the issues that come up most by mileage include EGR cooler / valve, Wet timing belt (2.0 EcoBlue) and Clutch (manual). The section above breaks down each one with its typical mileage, repair cost and severity.
How many Ford Transit Customs are on UK roads?: About 517,136 Ford Transit Customs are currently taxed and on the road in the UK, from DfT vehicle-licensing data.

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Common questions

Ford Transit Custom, answered from the data

Is the Ford Transit Custom reliable?: The Ford Transit Custom scores 71/100 on Forecourt's MOT-based reliability measure, ahead of 29% of the cars we track. That is computed from 1,112,270 real DVSA MOT test results. The main things to check on a used one are the egr cooler / valve and the wet timing belt (2.0 ecoblue).
How much does a used Ford Transit Custom cost?: A 2023 Ford Transit Custom with around 48,000 miles is worth roughly £17,550 today (typical range £15,600–£19,550). Dealer forecourt prices sit higher and part-exchange offers lower; newer or lower-mileage examples cost more.
How quickly does the Ford Transit Custom depreciate?: A new Ford Transit Custom typically loses about 48% of its value over the first three years, then depreciates more slowly. Buying at three to five years old avoids the steepest part of the curve.
What insurance group is the Ford Transit Custom?: The Ford Transit Custom sits in insurance group 31 of 50 — the more expensive end of the scale. Exact premiums depend on the trim (some versions sit a few groups higher or lower), your age, postcode and no-claims history.
What goes wrong on a used Ford Transit Custom?: The most common age-related issues we track for the Ford Transit Custom are: egr cooler / valve (typically around 70k–110k, £650–£1,100 to put right); wet timing belt (2.0 ecoblue) (typically around 100k–150k, £900–£1,500 to put right); clutch (manual) (typically around 80k–130k, £900–£1,400 to put right). A full service history and a recent MOT with no advisories are the best protection.
What does the Ford Transit Custom cost to run?: Expect around 38 mpg combined, £335 a year in road tax, about £320 for a standard annual service. The full cost-of-ownership table above breaks this down per year and per mile for the exact year and mileage you choose.

Answers are generated from this car's Forecourt data — DVSA MOT records, DfT licensing statistics and our valuation model — and update with the weekly data refresh.