68.8%
Mazda 3
Mazda 3 MOT pass rate and common problems
The Mazda 3 passed 68.8% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 3.5 percentage points below the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was ball joint excessively worn.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the 3 compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
72.7%
Mazda average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The 3 runs 4 points behind the Mazda average. It is 8th of the 11 Mazda models in the data. The average 3 arrived at its test 11.2 years old with 75,959 miles recorded.
A pass rate records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day. It is not a reliability score, and part of any gap reflects how old the tested cars were.
3 MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
Mazda 3 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 88.2% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 57.6%, a drop of 30.6 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 12,529 | 88.2% | 15.9 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 42,957 | 74.2% | 1.9 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 47,300 | 57.6% | 14.7 pts below |
That is a steep decline with age, so the headline rate flatters older examples. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where 3 failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Mazda 3 cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Suspension and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment together account for 52.7% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common 3 MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Mazda 3 cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 44.2% of everything testers recorded against failed Mazda 3 cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a 3
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Suspension
Recorded most often: ball joint excessively worn, coil spring fractured or broken and linkage ball joints ball joint excessively worn. 17% of failure items.
2
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: position lamp not working and headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect. 9.3% of failure items.
3
Tyres
Recorded most often: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm and condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords. 6.6% of failure items.
4
Brakes
Recorded most often: brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick. 4.9% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific 3 has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Mazda 3 buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Mazda 3 MOT FAQs
What is the Mazda 3 MOT pass rate?
68.8% of Mazda 3 cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 104,881 tests. That is 3.5 percentage points below the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 370th of 575 models.
What does a Mazda 3 most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Mazda 3 cars failing their 2025 MOT was ball joint excessively worn, on 7.2% of failure items. Next were coil spring fractured or broken (7.1%) and position lamp not working (6.5%).
Which area causes the most Mazda 3 MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was suspension at 28.8%, followed by lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 23.9%.
Do older Mazda 3 cars fail their MOT more often?
Mazda 3 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 88.2% of MOT tests in 2025, against 57.6% for cars aged 11 years and over.
Does this mean every Mazda 3 has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Mazda 3 that failed in 2025. They show where the model most often needs attention, not the condition of any individual car.
How do I see a specific Mazda 3's MOT history?
Enter its registration on the free Carpeep MOT history check to see that car's own test results, failures, advisories and recorded mileages.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025: class 4 initial tests, retests excluded, with failure items from failed tests (advisories and minor defects excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.