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MOT results · tests in 2025 · Great Britain

Mazda MX-5 reliability: what the MOT shows

66,119 MX-5s had an MOT in 2025. 78.3% passed first time, against 71.6% for other cars of the same age and mileage. That is 6.7 points better than comparable cars.

78.3%passed first time
+6.7points against cars of the same age and mileage
66,119MOTs in 2025
Report card

Mazda MX-5 MOT results by registration year

Each dot compares how often MX-5s of that year failed on one area of the test with cars of the same age and mileage.

Much betterBetterAbout the sameWorseMuch worse
YearPassed first timeAgainst same age and mileageMOTsSuspensionSteeringBrakesTyresLights & electricsVisibilityBody & structureEmissions & leaks
200566.1%+5.12,942
200667.0%+7.15,855
200769.7%+8.97,304
200868.8%+7.45,190
200971.4%+8.64,069
201073.2%+8.24,589
201176.1%+8.13,348
201279.6%+9.03,104
201379.3%+6.73,096
201480.4%+4.52,834
201585.3%+7.42,986
201686.1%+6.14,091
201789.1%+5.94,565
201889.2%+4.14,251
201991.4%+4.34,009
202091.8%+3.01,055
202194.6%+4.91,469
202294.1%+3.41,362

Much worse: failed on that area at least 1.5 times as often. Worse: 1.15 to 1.5 times. Better: up to 0.87 times. Much better: two-thirds as often or less. Gaps under half a percentage point count as about the same. Registration year is the year the car was first used.

Mazda MX-5 years to avoid, going by the MOT

Ahead2005 to 2022+3.0 to +9.0 ptsMost common failures: component mounting prescribed areas (prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength) in 2005 and 2006; coil spring (fractured or broken) in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014; brake pads (less than 1.5 mm thick) in 2015, 2017 and 2018; service brake performance (excessively binding) in 2016; wipers (does not clear the windscreen effectively) in 2019; condition (has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords) in 2020 and 2021; headlamp aim (too high) in 2022. 66,119 MOTs.

Well behind: 5 or more points below cars of the same age and mileage. Behind: 1.5 to 5 points below. Level: within 1.5 points. Ahead: 1.5 or more points above.

What fails

Mazda MX-5 common faults at the MOT

8.4% of MX-5 MOTs failed on suspension, against 9.5% for cars of the same age and mileage, and 5.4% on brakes, against 6.3%.

Most common failures

Coil spring: fractured or broken2.9%Cars of the same age and mileage: 2.5%
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively1.9%Cars of the same age and mileage: 2.2%
Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength1.7%Cars of the same age and mileage: 0.7%
Position lamp: not working1.6%Cars of the same age and mileage: 2.7%
Service brake performance: excessively binding1.6%Cars of the same age and mileage: 0.8%
Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick1.5%Cars of the same age and mileage: 1.4%
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid1.3%Cars of the same age and mileage: 1.5%
Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits1.1%Cars of the same age and mileage: 0.7%
MX-5Same age and mileage

Fails more often than other cars

Sub-frame mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength4.5×0.40% of MX-5 MOTs (262) against 0.09% for cars of the same age and mileage
Chassis condition: or chassis has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of a body mounting2.5×0.40% of MX-5 MOTs (264) against 0.16% for cars of the same age and mileage
Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength2.4×1.69% of MX-5 MOTs (1,120) against 0.72% for cars of the same age and mileage
Integral vehicle structure condition: corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced2.3×0.49% of MX-5 MOTs (323) against 0.21% for cars of the same age and mileage
Service brake performance: excessively binding2.2×0.45% of MX-5 MOTs (296) against 0.20% for cars of the same age and mileage
Service brake performance: excessively binding2.1×1.62% of MX-5 MOTs (1,070) against 0.78% for cars of the same age and mileage
Mileage

First-time pass rate by mileage

Against cars of the same age and mileage, in points: Under 30k: +5.4, 30–60k: +7.7, 60–90k: +8.0, 90–120k: +5.4, 120k+: +1.9.

First-time MOT pass rate by mileage: Mazda MX-5 against cars of the same age and mileage0%25%50%75%100%9186UNDER 30K+5.4 pts827430–60K+7.7 pts706260–90K+8.0 pts615690–120K+5.4 pts5755120K++1.9 pts
MX-5, first-time pass rateCars of the same age and mileage

Check these before you buy a used MX-5

What testers most often noted as advisories on MX-5s in 2025: wear that passed but was close to failing. Figures in brackets are for cars of the same age and mileage.

Questions about MX-5 reliability

Is the Mazda MX-5 reliable?

At the MOT, 78.3% of 66,119 MX-5 MOTs in 2025 passed first time, against 71.6% for cars of the same age and mileage. 2005 to 2022: ahead (+3.0 to +9.0 points).

Which Mazda MX-5 years should I avoid?

None stand out: every registration year is within 1.5 points of cars of the same age and mileage, or ahead of them.

What is the most common MOT failure on a MX-5?

Coil spring: fractured or broken: 2.9% of MX-5 MOTs, against 2.5% for cars of the same age and mileage.

How we measure

Data. Every car MOT in Great Britain in 2025 (31,475,521 first tests on cars first used 2005 to 2022), from DVSA's anonymised MOT test data. Retests are left out.

Passed first time. A car passed if its first test that year ended in a pass. Cars that failed and were fixed within the hour count as fails, as DVSA counts them.

Same age and mileage. We group every car by the year it was first used and its mileage (under 30k, 30–60k, 60–90k, 90–120k, over 120k). The comparison figure is what those groups scored, weighted to match the MX-5's mix of ages and mileages.

Model. Every car DVSA records as a Mazda MX-5: 19 recorded model names, from "MX-5" to trims such as "MX-5 RF GT SPORT TECH".

The full method, including how each report-card dot and year group is decided.