74.9%
Mazda MX-5
Mazda MX-5 MOT pass rate and common problems
The Mazda MX-5 passed 74.9% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 2.6 percentage points above the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was coil spring fractured or broken.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the MX-5 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 MX-5 runs 2.1 points ahead of the Mazda average. It is 5th of the 11 Mazda models in the data. The average MX-5 arrived at its test 16.4 years old with 64,409 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.
MX-5 MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
Mazda MX-5 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 92.8% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 69.4%, a drop of 23.4 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 5,519 | 92.8% | 20.5 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 18,834 | 87.3% | 15 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 65,421 | 69.4% | 2.9 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 MX-5 failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Mazda MX-5 cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Suspension and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment together account for 43.5% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common MX-5 MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Mazda MX-5 cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 34.8% of everything testers recorded against failed Mazda MX-5 cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a MX-5
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Suspension
Recorded most often: coil spring fractured or broken, component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength and ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. 12.7% of failure items.
2
Brakes
Recorded most often: service brake performance excessively binding and brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick. 6.4% of failure items.
3
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: position lamp not working and headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect. 6.1% of failure items.
4
Visibility
Recorded most often: wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively. 4% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific MX-5 has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Mazda MX-5 buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Mazda MX-5 MOT FAQs
What is the Mazda MX-5 MOT pass rate?
74.9% of Mazda MX-5 cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 90,896 tests. That is 2.6 percentage points above the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 267th of 575 models.
What does a Mazda MX-5 most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Mazda MX-5 cars failing their 2025 MOT was coil spring fractured or broken, on 5.1% of failure items. Next were component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (5.1%) and wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (4%).
Which area causes the most Mazda MX-5 MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was suspension at 23.7%, followed by lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 19.8%.
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, against 69.4% for cars aged 11 years and over.
Does this mean every Mazda MX-5 has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Mazda MX-5 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 MX-5'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.