Repair costs · Mazda MX-5

Mazda MX-5 binding brake repair: MOT fails on these items more often than other cars of the same age

At MOT, the Mazda MX-5 fails on items fixed by binding brake repair at least 1.7 times as often as cars of the same ages and fuel. From 348,258 MOT tests at 23 ages (3 to 25 years), DVSA data 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

Mazda MX-5, at least, per 100 MOTs (n=348,258)2.21

Cars of the same ages and fuel, per 100 MOTs1.26

Times as often≥ 1.7

Ages compared23

What this shows

These are MOT fail items that binding brake repair fixes, as testers found them on the day of the test. Repairs done between MOTs never show up in MOT data, and mileage is not taken into account, so this is not how often owners pay for the repair.

By age

Fail items fixed by binding brake repair, per 100 MOT tests, against cars of the same age and the same fuel mix. The model figure is a floor: DVSA data lists each model’s 25 most recorded items per age, and an item outside that list is counted as zero. The comparison figure is a ceiling: an item too rare to be listed for a fuel is counted at its highest possible value.

Mazda MX-5: ages with at least 1,000 tests.
Age	Mazda MX-5 per 100	Same age and fuel per 100	Tests (n)
3 years	0	0.053	8,032
4 years	0	0.071	10,933
5 years	0.18	0.11	13,996
6 years	0.30	0.18	17,006
7 years	0.90	0.30	15,956
8 years	1.78	0.50	14,570
9 years	1.92	0.70	13,087
10 years	1.76	0.88	12,116
11 years	1.87	1.04	12,545
12 years	2.69	1.18	14,455
13 years	3.05	1.45	15,540
14 years	3.33	1.65	17,924
15 years	3.57	1.75	22,503
16 years	3.56	1.80	24,545
17 years	2.79	1.83	23,640
18 years	2.69	1.82	21,375
19 years	2.59	1.81	18,187
20 years	2.47	1.79	14,809
21 years	2.39	1.72	12,900
22 years	2.42	1.74	12,285
23 years	2.26	1.66	11,279
24 years	2.20	1.55	10,570
25 years	2.05	1.43	10,005

How we decide: a page exists only when the main generation’s rate, weighted to its own mix of ages and fuels, is at least 1.5 times the rate of cars of the same ages and fuel, from at least 50,000 tests at 3 or more ages, with at least 100 expected items.

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.

What garages charge

Prices are national. They are not specific to the Mazda MX-5.

No public source records the price of this whole job, and the time it takes varies from car to car, so we do not publish a single figure. Garages charge by the hour, so ask for a quote that lists labour time and parts. The rates below are what UK garages charge per hour.

Local garage labour, per hour (65 shops)£78

Local garage, middle half£70 to £96

Main dealer labour, per hour (62 shops)£156

Main dealer, middle half£144 to £174

Median hourly rate charged for car repairs, from 1,058 local garage and 953 main dealer price quotes collected by the ONS, September 2025 to August 2026. The same shops are priced each month, so the number of shops is the real sample.

Binding brake repair: garage rates and all models

MOT defects this repair fixes

Service brake binding but not excessively1.59 per 100, all cars
Service brake excessively binding0.82 per 100, all cars

Other models that fail on these items more often

Model	Times as often	Tests (n)
MG ZSfirst used 2017 or later	at least 6.3	143,170
Chevrolet Spark	at least 5.3	59,796
Volkswagen Amarok	at least 3.6	82,102
Peugeot 107	at least 3.0	464,216
Citroen C1	at least 2.9	671,515
Dacia Sandero	at least 2.9	415,804
Toyota Aygo	at least 2.9	1,006,151
Renault Captur	at least 2.8	597,036
Hyundai ix35	at least 2.7	209,126
SEAT Mii	at least 2.6	72,945

Looking at a Mazda MX-5?

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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, and the MOT inspection manual published on GOV.UK. Prices: ONS consumer price inflation price quotes, September 2025 to August 2026, UK.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026. Prices updated 22 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA or the Office for National Statistics. How we calculate these figures · Data sources