68.1%
Mazda RX-8
Mazda RX-8 MOT pass rate and common problems
The Mazda RX-8 passed 68.1% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 4.2 percentage points below the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the RX-8 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 RX-8 runs 4.6 points behind the Mazda average. It is 9th of the 11 Mazda models in the data. The average RX-8 arrived at its test 18.6 years old with 66,072 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.
RX-8 MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 years and over | 2,554 | 68.1% | 4.2 pts below |
Every Mazda RX-8 tested in 2025 was aged 11 years and over, so there is no other age group to compare with. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where RX-8 failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Mazda RX-8 cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Noise, emissions and leaks and suspension together account for 43.1% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common RX-8 MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Mazda RX-8 cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 34.6% of everything testers recorded against failed Mazda RX-8 cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a RX-8
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Noise, emissions and leaks
Recorded most often: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction, catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits and catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits. 11.7% of failure items.
2
Suspension
Recorded most often: component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength and coil spring fractured or broken. 8.2% 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
Brakes
Recorded most often: service brake performance excessively binding. 3.3% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific RX-8 has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Mazda RX-8 buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Mazda RX-8 MOT FAQs
What is the Mazda RX-8 MOT pass rate?
68.1% of Mazda RX-8 cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 2,554 tests. That is 4.2 percentage points below the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 381st of 575 models.
What does a Mazda RX-8 most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Mazda RX-8 cars failing their 2025 MOT was component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength, on 5.4% of failure items. Next were malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction (5%) and position lamp not working (3.8%).
Which area causes the most Mazda RX-8 MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was noise, emissions and leaks at 23.4%, followed by suspension at 19.7%.
Does this mean every Mazda RX-8 has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Mazda RX-8 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 RX-8'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.