Repair costs · Mazda 3

Mazda 3 coil spring replacement: MOT fails on these items more often than other cars of the same age

At MOT, the Mazda 3 fails on items fixed by coil spring replacement at least 1.6 times as often as cars of the same ages and fuel. From 435,738 MOT tests at 18 ages (3 to 20 years), DVSA data 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

Mazda 3, at least, per 100 MOTs (n=435,738)4.34

Cars of the same ages and fuel, per 100 MOTs2.62

Times as often≥ 1.6

Ages compared18

What this shows

These are MOT fail items that coil spring replacement 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 coil spring replacement, 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 3: ages with at least 1,000 tests.
Age	Mazda 3 per 100	Same age and fuel per 100	Tests (n)
3 years	0	0.038	15,565
4 years	0.42	0.14	19,954
5 years	2.98	0.45	24,170
6 years	6.29	1.03	30,523
7 years	7.29	1.61	38,010
8 years	8.53	2.07	39,426
9 years	7.22	2.58	36,222
10 years	5.77	3.07	30,647
11 years	3.03	3.44	24,338
12 years	0.97	3.83	24,838
13 years	1.64	3.99	27,774
14 years	3.02	4.13	29,420
15 years	3.53	4.13	29,030
16 years	3.83	3.93	24,540
17 years	3.84	3.59	19,311
18 years	3.20	3.22	12,644
19 years	2.72	2.91	6,575
20 years	2.18	2.63	2,751

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 3.

No public source records the price of this whole job, and the time it takes varies from car to car, so we do not publish a single figure.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.

Coil spring replacement: garage rates and all models

MOT defects this repair fixes

Coil spring fractured or broken2.37 per 100, all cars

Other models that fail on these items more often

Model	Times as often	Tests (n)
Suzuki Ignisfirst used 2016 or later	at least 6.7	86,194
DS DS3	at least 3.1	425,461
Volvo V40first used 2012 or later	at least 3.1	384,615
Renault Modus	at least 3.0	51,726
Renault Clio	at least 3.0	1,326,120
MG ZSfirst used 2017 or later	at least 2.9	143,170
Renault Zoe	at least 2.8	74,266
Vauxhall Meriva	at least 2.6	385,594
Renault Grand Scenic	at least 2.6	98,535
Ford Ranger	at least 2.6	426,542

Looking at a Mazda 3?

These figures describe all cars, not any one car. Found one you might buy? See what the VetTheCar Buying Report would tell you.

See an example report MOT fail rates by model All free 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, 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