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MOT fail rates

Mazda 3 MOT fail rate by age

How often the Mazda 3 fails its MOT at each age, compared with all cars of the same age, and what it fails on. From 435,738 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated

At 8 years, the most tested age

MOT fail rate at age 8 (n=39,426)25.2%
All cars at 8 years (n=10,440,457)23.8%
Median mileage at test58,764
All cars, median mileage60,745

207 of 315 model groups with enough tests fail less often at 8 years.

What stands out

  • At 3 years the Mazda 3 fails 9.1% of MOTs (15,565 tests), 3.0 points below the 12.1% for all cars that age. At 20 years it fails 51.4% (2,751 tests), 8.7 points above the 42.8% average.
  • The gap is widest at 20 years: 8.7 points above all cars.
  • Its most common structural or mechanical fail item at 8 years: Coil spring broken, at 9.5 per 100 MOTs.

MOT fail rate by age

3 years 20 years 56.6%

Solid line: this model. Dashed line: all cars at the same age.

Mazda 3: share of MOT tests that failed, by age, against all cars. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
AgeMOT fail rateTests (n)All carsDifferenceMedian mileage
3 years9.1%15,56512.1%−3.0 pts19,613 miles
4 years11.1%19,95413.4%−2.2 pts25,913 miles
5 years15.4%24,17015.3%+0.1 pts33,297 miles
6 years19.5%30,52317.8%+1.7 pts41,802 miles
7 years22.2%38,01020.6%+1.6 pts50,681 miles
8 years25.2%39,42623.8%+1.5 pts58,764 miles
9 years26.3%36,22227.1%−0.9 pts65,829 miles
10 years28.7%30,64730.3%−1.6 pts72,881 miles
11 years31.7%24,33833.3%−1.5 pts78,948 miles
12 years36.1%24,83836.0%+0.1 pts85,592 miles
13 years40.1%27,77438.3%+1.9 pts91,400 miles
14 years43.5%29,42040.3%+3.3 pts94,942 miles
15 years45.3%29,03041.6%+3.7 pts97,832 miles
16 years46.9%24,54042.6%+4.3 pts100,030 miles
17 years49.2%19,31143.1%+6.1 pts101,662 miles
18 years49.4%12,64443.3%+6.1 pts102,821 miles
19 years49.8%6,57543.2%+6.6 pts102,030 miles
20 years51.4%2,75142.8%+8.7 pts100,399 miles

Most common fail items at 8 years

Split into structural or mechanical items and wear items. Wear items (tyres, brake pads, wipers, bulbs) say more about upkeep than about the design.

Structural and mechanical

Fail itemPer 100 MOTs
Coil spring broken Major9.5
Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded Major3.6

Out of 39,426 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Wear and upkeep

Fail itemPer 100 MOTs
Brake pads under 1.5 mm Dangerous4.3
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm Dangerous2.5
Wipers not clearing screen Major2.3
Tyre condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Major1.7
Headlamp aim: too low Major1
Tyre condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Dangerous0.8
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Major0.8
Side/position light not working Major0.8

Out of 39,426 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Other models at 8 years

ModelMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars
Mazda 220.6%36,30623.8%
Mazda CX-520.5%28,76423.8%
Mazda 623.2%25,30723.8%

MOT fail rate by first-use year

Each year has its own page: the fail rate for cars first used that year at each MOT from 2022 to 2025 with at least 1,000 tests, the most common faults at that age, and the car tax and ULEZ rules for that year.

First-use year data updated .

Latest MOT age with at least 1,000 tests for each first-use year.
First usedAge at testMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars
200520 years in 202551.1%1,96942.8%
200619 years in 202548.3%2,94443.2%
200718 years in 202547.7%4,19443.3%
200817 years in 202549.0%5,33943.1%
200916 years in 202543.3%6,66742.6%
201015 years in 202541.9%7,61141.6%
201114 years in 202543.4%5,09540.3%
201213 years in 202536.6%4,71038.3%
201312 years in 202531.6%5,03336.0%
201411 years in 202529.6%8,20333.3%
201510 years in 202529.7%11,69630.3%
20169 years in 202526.9%10,52627.1%
20178 years in 202525.9%8,22123.8%
20187 years in 202517.2%7,07920.6%
20196 years in 202512.5%4,46517.8%
20205 years in 202512.7%4,33415.3%
20214 years in 202510.8%4,10813.4%

More on the Mazda 3

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

Looking at one Mazda 3?

These are figures for the model, not for one car. The VetTheCar Buying Report looks at a single car: its MOT tests, defects, advisories and mileage readings.

See an example report Browse the car tools

Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 22 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources