80.5%
Mazda CX-5 pass rate
Used Mazda CX-5 buying guide
In 2025, Mazda CX-5 cars passed 80.5% of 72,746 initial MOT tests, 8.2 points above the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific CX-5? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Mazda CX-5 MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
+8.2
percentage points above average
Ranked on pass rate the CX-5 sits 193rd of 575 models in the data. Mazda as a brand averaged 72.7%, so this model runs 7.7 points ahead of its own brand. Mazda CX-5 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 88% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 65%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Mazda CX-5 MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the CX-5 compares with similar cars.
CX-5 fuel types
Diesel made up 52.2% of Mazda CX-5 MOT tests in 2025, against 39.3% across all models in this data. The rest ran on other fuels, so tested examples were a genuine mix.
Where the CX-5 fails its MOT
Where Mazda CX-5 cars that failed their 2025 MOT were marked down, as a share of all recorded failure items.
The specific items testers recorded most often were brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick (8.5%), track rod end ball joint has excessive play (7.5%) and coil spring fractured or broken (7.1%). See every common CX-5 MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Mazda CX-5 that failed, not a claim that every CX-5 has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used CX-5?
The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at in each.
1
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 24.6% of CX-5 failure items.
2
Brakes
Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing. 17.8% of CX-5 failure items.
3
Tyres
Check tread depth across the full width of every tyre (the legal minimum is 1.6mm), and look for cuts, bulges and uneven wear. 15% of CX-5 failure items.
4
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting. 13.7% of CX-5 failure items.
5
Steering
Feel for play, knocking or stiffness in the steering, and check there is no steering warning light. 10.6% of CX-5 failure items.
None of this replaces the car's own record. Run a free MOT history check on the registration to see every test, advisory and recorded mileage for that car.
CX-5 vs similar cars
Head-to-head comparisons on the same 2025 DVSA data.
What the MOT record doesn't tell you
Knowing Mazda CX-5 failures cluster around suspension and brakes tells you what to inspect. It tells you nothing about whether the car is safe to buy. An MOT does not show money still owed on the car, a write-off, a theft record or a clocked odometer.
Check the exact CX-5 you are looking at. One £15 report, instant results, backed by a £30,000 data guarantee. More on the Mazda history check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
Other used Mazda models
The most-tested Mazda models in 2025, with how their MOT pass rate compares with the CX-5.
Used Mazda CX-5 FAQs
Is the Mazda CX-5 reliable?
MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is an 80.5% first-time pass rate for the Mazda CX-5 across 72,746 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.
Do older Mazda CX-5 cars fail their MOT more often?
Mazda CX-5 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 88% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 65%. On an older example, the car's own MOT history tells you more than the model average.
What should I check before buying a used Mazda CX-5?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: suspension, brakes and tyres. Then check the individual car's history: outstanding finance, insurance write-off records, stolen markers, mileage and previous keepers. None of these appear in the MOT record or on the V5C.
How do I check a Mazda CX-5's history?
Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.