83.5%
Mazda CX-3
Mazda CX-3 MOT pass rate and common problems
The Mazda CX-3 passed 83.5% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 11.2 percentage points above the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the CX-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 CX-3 runs 10.8 points ahead of the Mazda average. It is 3rd of the 11 Mazda models in the data. The average CX-3 arrived at its test 7.5 years old with 49,771 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.
CX-3 MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
Mazda CX-3 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 88.7% of MOT tests. For cars aged 6 to 10 years that fell to 82.2%, a drop of 6.5 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 5,168 | 88.7% | 16.4 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 20,134 | 82.2% | 9.9 pts above |
That is a typical decline as cars age. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where CX-3 failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Mazda CX-3 cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Tyres and brakes together account for 42.4% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common CX-3 MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Mazda CX-3 cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 56.9% of everything testers recorded against failed Mazda CX-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 CX-3
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Tyres
Recorded most often: condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm and condition has ply or cords exposed. 16% of failure items.
2
Visibility
Recorded most often: wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively and washers provides insufficient washer liquid. 13.7% of failure items.
3
Brakes
Recorded most often: brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick and rigid brake pipes excessively corroded. 10.6% of failure items.
4
Suspension
Recorded most often: coil spring fractured or broken. 8% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific CX-3 has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Mazda CX-3 buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Mazda CX-3 MOT FAQs
What is the Mazda CX-3 MOT pass rate?
83.5% of Mazda CX-3 cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 25,302 tests. That is 11.2 percentage points above the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 151st of 575 models.
What does a Mazda CX-3 most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Mazda CX-3 cars failing their 2025 MOT was wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively, on 10.1% of failure items. Next were coil spring fractured or broken (8%) and brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick (7.7%).
Which area causes the most Mazda CX-3 MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was tyres at 22.2%, followed by brakes at 20.2%.
Do older Mazda CX-3 cars fail their MOT more often?
Mazda CX-3 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 88.7% of MOT tests in 2025, against 82.2% for cars aged 6 to 10 years.
Does this mean every Mazda CX-3 has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Mazda CX-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 CX-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.