74.9%
Mazda MX-5 pass rate
Used Mazda MX-5 buying guide
In 2025, Mazda MX-5 cars passed 74.9% of 90,896 initial MOT tests, 2.6 points above the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific MX-5? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Mazda MX-5 MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
+2.6
percentage points above average
Ranked on pass rate the MX-5 sits 267th of 575 models in the data. Mazda as a brand averaged 72.7%, so this model runs 2.1 points ahead of its own brand. Mazda MX-5 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 92.8% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 69.4%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Mazda MX-5 MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the MX-5 compares with similar cars.
MX-5 fuel types
Petrol was the most common fuel among Mazda MX-5 cars tested in 2025. Diesel made up just 0% of tests.
Where the MX-5 fails its MOT
Where Mazda MX-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 coil spring fractured or broken (5.1%), component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (5.1%) and wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (4%). See every common MX-5 MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Mazda MX-5 that failed, not a claim that every MX-5 has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used MX-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. 23.7% of MX-5 failure items.
2
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. 19.8% of MX-5 failure items.
3
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. 18% of MX-5 failure items.
4
Noise, emissions and leaks
Listen for a blowing exhaust, watch for smoke on start-up and look under the car for oil or fluid leaks. 10.7% of MX-5 failure items.
5
Visibility
Check the windscreen for chips or cracks in the driver's view, and that the wipers and washers clear it properly. 7.5% of MX-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.
What the MOT record doesn't tell you
Knowing Mazda MX-5 failures cluster around suspension and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 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 MX-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 MX-5.
Used Mazda MX-5 FAQs
Is the Mazda MX-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 a 74.9% first-time pass rate for the Mazda MX-5 across 90,896 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.
Do older Mazda MX-5 cars fail their MOT more often?
Mazda MX-5 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 92.8% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 69.4%. 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 MX-5?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: suspension, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and brakes. 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 MX-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.