Mazda MX-5 MOT failure rate and common faults
66,055 Mazda MX-5 cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 21.7% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 33.1% of the time, which makes the Mazda MX-5 34% less likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
21.7%
failed first time
66,055 MOT tests in 2025
-34%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 33.1%
14 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
64.6
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 118.5
What fails on a Mazda MX-5 MOT
Failure items recorded per 1,000 tests, by part of the car, set against an average car with exactly the same spread of ages. A figure well above average is a weak spot worth checking before you buy.
The most common Mazda MX-5 MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 34.2 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength | Suspension | 26.2 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 24.7 |
| Service brake performance: excessively binding | Brakes | 23.5 |
| Position lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 18.3 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 17.2 |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Suspension | 14.7 |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect | Lights and electrics | 13.5 |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 13.1 |
| Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Suspension | 12.6 |
Mazda MX-5 MOT failure rate by year
Every car fails more often as it ages, so each registration year is compared with the average for all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 500 tests are left out.
| First registered | Tests | Failed | Same age average | Average mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1,362 | 6.0% | 11.4% | 14,400 |
| 2021 | 1,469 | 5.5% | 12.8% | 18,800 |
| 2020 | 1,055 | 8.3% | 14.1% | 21,300 |
| 2019 | 4,009 | 8.6% | 16.5% | 25,700 |
| 2018 | 4,251 | 10.8% | 19.1% | 30,800 |
| 2017 | 4,563 | 10.9% | 21.8% | 34,800 |
| 2016 | 4,080 | 13.8% | 25.1% | 41,000 |
| 2015 | 2,983 | 14.7% | 28.1% | 43,800 |
| 2014 | 2,833 | 19.6% | 31.4% | 44,800 |
| 2013 | 3,088 | 20.8% | 34.3% | 51,000 |
| 2012 | 3,089 | 20.4% | 36.6% | 53,700 |
| 2011 | 3,348 | 23.9% | 38.8% | 58,300 |
| 2010 | 4,585 | 26.8% | 40.7% | 63,000 |
| 2009 | 4,068 | 28.6% | 41.8% | 68,600 |
| 2008 | 5,183 | 31.2% | 42.9% | 72,500 |
| 2007 | 7,298 | 30.3% | 42.7% | 76,900 |
| 2006 | 5,851 | 33.0% | 43.0% | 78,300 |
| 2005 | 2,940 | 33.9% | 42.4% | 76,600 |
Advisories to look for in a Mazda MX-5's MOT history
An advisory is a tester's warning that something is wearing but has not failed yet. These are the ones written most often on the Mazda MX-5, per 1,000 tests. If the car you are looking at has one of these, ask whether it has been fixed since.
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing163.0
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened150.5
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge137.0
- Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened93.6
- Brake pads: wearing thin87.9
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement67.0
Checking a used Mazda MX-5 before you buy
The Mazda MX-5 has no part of the car that fails well above average for its age, so check the areas that fail most often overall.
Suspension
Drive over speed bumps with the radio off and listen for knocks. Look at the car side on: a corner sitting lower than the others often means a broken coil spring.
Lights and electrics
Walk round the car with every light on: headlights on dip and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and the number plate lamp. A pattern of electrical faults costs more than a bulb.
Brakes
Look through the wheel spokes at the discs for a deep lip or scoring, check the handbrake holds the car on a slope, and feel for a pull to one side when braking hard.
Averages only take you so far. The specific car's MOT history shows whether it has already failed on any of these, how often advisories were ignored, and whether the mileage climbs steadily from test to test. Read our guide to reading a car's MOT history before you go to view it.
Mazda MX-5 MOT questions
What is the Mazda MX-5 MOT failure rate?
21.7% of Mazda MX-5 cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 66,055 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 33.1% of the time, so the Mazda MX-5 was 34% less likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Mazda MX-5 MOT?
Suspension caused the most failure items, at 144 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Coil spring: fractured or broken", recorded 34.2 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Mazda MX-5 year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2021 registrations did best: 5.5% failed against an average of 12.8% for cars that age. Older cars always fail more often, so compare a year with its age group rather than with newer cars.
Does this tell me whether a particular Mazda MX-5 will pass?
No. These are averages across every Mazda MX-5 tested in 2025. The car in front of you has its own record: its full MOT history shows every pass, failure and advisory it has had, and it is free to view by registration.
Other Mazda models
- Mazda 230.4% failed
- Mazda 331.2% failed
- Mazda CX-519.6% failed
- Mazda 630.7% failed
- Mazda CX-316.5% failed
- Mazda CX-308.7% failed
Ranked close to the Mazda MX-5
- Volkswagen T-Rocrank 11
- BMW 6 Seriesrank 12
- Audi TTrank 13
- Audi Q7rank 15
How these figures are calculated
Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 release. We count first tests of cars and small vans (class 4) aged 3 to 20, so a car that fails and is retested is counted once. A failure includes faults fixed and passed within the same visit. The same age average weights the national failure rate for each age by how many Mazda MX-5 cars of that age were tested, so a model is never penalised for having an older fleet. Make and model are as recorded at the test; trim levels are combined. Full method and rankings.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.