Mazda 3 MOT pass rate and common failures
In 2025, 68.3% of Mazda 3 MOT tests were a first-time pass, across 102,780 tests in Great Britain. For all cars it was 71.5%.
Compared with cars of the same age
Older cars fail more often, so a model that’s mostly a few years old will look better than one that’s mostly 12. These figures compare like with like.
At 3–5 years
88.3%
All cars: 86.1% (2.2 points better). 12,529 tests.
At 6–10 years
74.2%
All cars: 76.1% (1.9 points worse). 42,955 tests.
At 11 years and over
57.6%
All cars: 61.3% (3.7 points worse). 47,296 tests.
Pass rate by age
Figures by age, with typical mileage
| Age (years) | Tests | First-time pass | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 3,733 | 90.0% | 87.8% | 26,250 miles |
| 4 | 4,200 | 88.1% | 86.4% | 31,250 miles |
| 5 | 4,596 | 87.0% | 84.5% | 36,250 miles |
| 6 | 5,675 | 84.6% | 81.9% | 43,750 miles |
| 7 | 7,109 | 76.3% | 79.3% | 53,750 miles |
| 8 | 9,380 | 73.6% | 76.3% | 61,250 miles |
| 9 | 10,625 | 71.8% | 73.1% | 71,250 miles |
| 10 | 10,166 | 69.9% | 70.0% | 76,250 miles |
| 11 | 6,298 | 68.8% | 66.9% | 81,250 miles |
| 12 | 4,720 | 65.3% | 64.4% | 88,750 miles |
| 13 | 4,769 | 59.4% | 62.1% | 93,750 miles |
| 14 | 6,533 | 56.9% | 60.2% | 98,750 miles |
| 15 | 7,192 | 57.8% | 58.6% | 101,250 miles |
| 16 | 5,778 | 52.6% | 57.5% | 101,250 miles |
| 17 | 4,666 | 51.6% | 57.2% | 103,750 miles |
| 18 | 3,513 | 51.2% | 57.0% | 103,750 miles |
| 19 | 2,392 | 49.5% | 57.2% | 106,250 miles |
| 20+ | 1,435 | 49.3% | 61.4% | 98,750 miles |
Typical mileage is the median reading at the test, to the nearest 2,500 miles.
What fails most often
The share of Mazda 3 MOT tests that failed on at least one item in each area, against all cars. A test can fail on several areas at once.
| Area | 3 | All cars |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 20.8% | 13.7% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 17.0% | 16.6% |
| Brakes | 11.1% | 10.2% |
| Tyres | 8.6% | 8.4% |
| Visibility | 5.0% | 5.2% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 3.9% | 4.0% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 2.8% | 4.2% |
| Steering | 1.0% | 2.5% |
Most common reasons for failing
- Coil spring: fractured or broken failed 5.3% of tests · what this means
- Ball joint excessively worn failed 5.3% of tests · what this means
- Position lamp: not working failed 4.8% of tests · what this means
- Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick failed 3.6% of tests · what this means
- Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm failed 3.1% of tests
- Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction failed 2.5% of tests · what this means
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively failed 2.3% of tests · what this means
- Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect failed 2.1% of tests · what this means
- Linkage ball joints: ball joint excessively worn failed 2.0% of tests · what this means
- Stop lamp: not working failed 1.7% of tests · what this means
Checking a particular 3?
See its own MOT history, mileage record and advisories in plain English. Free, no sign-up.
About these figures
- They cover every 3 version DVSA records under this name (engines, trims and generations together), on its first MOT test of each visit. A “pass with rectification” (fixed within an hour) counts as a fail, as in DVSA’s own statistics.
- Cars under three years old are left out, because the few tested that young are mostly taxis.
- Fuel mix of the cars tested: petrol 86.8%, diesel 13.2%, hybrid electric (clean) 0.0%.
- A pass rate describes the model, not any one car. How a car has been looked after matters more.
Download these figures (CSV) · Other Mazda models · All makes
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data for 2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Our own analysis; not produced or endorsed by DVSA.