MazdaMX-5 MOT results

In 2025, 74.6% of Mazda MX-5 MOT tests were passed first time, better than the 65.6% for cars of the same age. 5.1% had at least one dangerous defect (8.3% for cars the same age). The typical Mazda MX-5 tested was 16 years old with 60,800 miles. Based on 88,492 initial MOT tests in Great Britain.

RegisterHow many Mazda MX-5 cars are on the road

First-time pass: 74.6%no defects to fix
Cars the same age: 65.6%first-time pass
Fixed at the test: 4.0%passed after repair
Failed: 21.4%needed a retest
Dangerous defect: 5.1%same age 8.3%
Typical mileage: 60,800at the test

Great Britain · DVSA MOT tests · 2025

First-time pass rate by year first registered

Mazda MX-5All cars first registered that year

Year first registered	Tests	First-time pass	All cars
2023	33	90.9%	91.7%
2022	1,264	94.0%	88.5%
2021	1,379	94.3%	87.2%
2020	989	91.8%	85.9%
2019	3,783	91.5%	83.5%
2018	4,030	89.1%	80.8%
2017	4,373	89.0%	78.1%
2016	3,947	86.1%	74.8%
2015	2,897	85.2%	71.8%
2014	2,741	80.3%	68.5%
2013	2,985	79.1%	65.6%
2012	3,019	79.5%	63.2%
2011	3,262	75.9%	61.0%
2010	4,484	73.2%	59.1%
2009	3,976	71.2%	58.1%
2008	5,089	68.6%	57.0%
2007	7,185	69.5%	57.2%
2006	5,748	66.9%	56.8%
2005	2,879	65.9%	57.5%
2004	2,699	64.6%	57.5%
2003	3,476	63.1%	58.5%
2002	2,740	65.4%	59.4%
2001	1,706	66.8%	60.9%
2000	2,349	63.1%	62.2%
1999	2,374	65.5%	64.2%
1998	2,264	67.8%	65.1%
1997	1,679	67.9%	66.4%
1996	1,141	66.2%	66.9%
1995	761	66.9%	67.6%
1994	491	68.0%	68.6%
1993	562	67.1%	68.6%
1992	586	63.1%	68.9%
1991	794	64.9%	71.7%
1990	742	68.7%	72.7%
1989	59	62.7%	73.4%

Years with fewer than 30 tests are left out.

Great Britain · DVSA MOT tests · 2025

By age at the test

Mazda MX-5All cars that age

Age	Tests	First-time pass	All cars	Typical miles
3-4 years	2,738	94.1%	87.4%	15,800
5-9 years	18,021	88.8%	79.1%	30,400
10-14 years	15,407	78.5%	65.7%	49,500
15-19 years	25,921	69.1%	57.6%	72,000
20-29 years	22,452	65.4%	59.6%	85,000
30-39 years	3,547	66.6%	71.3%	107,400
40+ years	3	66.7%	82.0%	80,000

Great Britain · DVSA MOT tests · 2025

Where they’re tested

Colour shows how common the Mazda MX-5 is among cars tested in each area, against its share across Great Britain: 2× means twice as common as usual.

under 0.5×
0.5×–0.8×
0.8×–1.25×
1.25×–2×
2× or more
Fewer than 5 tests
None tested

Postcode area of the garage that did the test, not where the owner lives. Hover over or tap an area for its figures.

Postcode area	Region	Tests	Share	vs all cars	First-time pass
B Birmingham	West Midlands	2,046	2.3%	0.7×	78.5%
S Sheffield	Yorkshire and the Humber	1,820	2.1%	0.9×	77.8%
TN Tonbridge	South East	1,816	2.1%	1.5×	74.0%
CV Coventry	West Midlands	1,813	2.0%	1.4×	77.9%
RG Reading	South East	1,806	2.0%	1.3×	78.9%
BS Bristol	South West	1,789	2.0%	1.2×	67.7%
PO Portsmouth	South East	1,752	2.0%	1.4×	71.1%
GU Guildford	South East	1,655	1.9%	1.4×	71.4%
PE Peterborough	East of England	1,633	1.8%	1.0×	76.7%
NR Norwich	East of England	1,617	1.8%	1.3×	75.4%
SO Southampton	South East	1,552	1.8%	1.4×	74.0%
GL Gloucester	South West	1,531	1.7%	1.4×	71.7%
NG Nottingham	East Midlands	1,513	1.7%	0.9×	75.5%
IP Ipswich	East of England	1,480	1.7%	1.4×	73.9%
LE Leicester	East Midlands	1,465	1.7%	0.9×	77.2%
BN Brighton	South East	1,455	1.6%	1.4×	67.9%
BH Bournemouth	South West	1,419	1.6%	1.5×	72.5%
NN Northampton	East Midlands	1,389	1.6%	1.2×	75.2%
RH Redhill	South East	1,372	1.6%	1.5×	74.1%
DE Derby	East Midlands	1,344	1.5%	1.1×	78.1%
CM Chelmsford	East of England	1,290	1.5%	1.2×	81.8%
OX Oxford	South East	1,241	1.4%	1.3×	71.0%
CH Chester	North West	1,220	1.4%	1.2×	69.9%
EX Exeter	South West	1,172	1.3%	1.2×	68.5%
NE Newcastle upon Tyne	North East	1,132	1.3%	0.8×	76.9%
CF Cardiff	Wales	1,125	1.3%	0.8×	72.9%
BA Bath	South West	1,117	1.3%	1.5×	69.2%
ME Rochester	South East	1,086	1.2%	1.2×	78.9%
SA Swansea	Wales	1,055	1.2%	0.9×	70.3%
PL Plymouth	South West	1,050	1.2%	1.2×	69.2%
MK Milton Keynes	South East	1,042	1.2%	1.1×	75.4%
HP Hemel Hempstead	South East	1,032	1.2%	1.2×	76.5%
YO York	Yorkshire and the Humber	1,025	1.2%	1.2×	74.6%
SK Stockport	North West	1,021	1.2%	1.2×	73.6%
DN Doncaster	Yorkshire and the Humber	999	1.1%	0.9×	77.2%
ST Stoke-on-Trent	West Midlands	995	1.1%	1.0×	73.6%
KT Kingston upon Thames	London	970	1.1%	1.3×	82.8%
SG Stevenage	East of England	937	1.1%	1.5×	78.5%
WR Worcester	West Midlands	909	1.0%	1.8×	75.6%
SN Swindon	South West	895	1.0%	1.1×	74.6%
PR Preston	North West	877	1.0%	1.1×	78.3%
CB Cambridge	East of England	875	1.0%	1.4×	74.6%
CO Colchester	East of England	873	1.0%	1.2×	77.7%
EH Edinburgh	Scotland	803	0.9%	0.7×	72.7%
TA Taunton	South West	803	0.9%	1.4×	71.4%
LL Llandudno	Wales	798	0.9%	0.9×	71.2%
CW Crewe	North West	776	0.9%	1.5×	75.0%
NP Newport	Wales	767	0.9%	1.0×	75.6%
G Glasgow	Scotland	762	0.9%	0.5×	71.0%
WA Warrington	North West	754	0.9%	0.8×	78.1%
LS Leeds	Yorkshire and the Humber	741	0.8%	0.7×	69.9%
SS Southend-on-Sea	East of England	737	0.8%	1.0×	77.3%
CT Canterbury	South East	722	0.8%	1.1×	70.9%
M Manchester	North West	682	0.8%	0.5×	73.3%
SY Shrewsbury	West Midlands	673	0.8%	1.1×	72.2%
WF Wakefield	Yorkshire and the Humber	668	0.8%	0.9×	79.9%
TR Truro	South West	665	0.8%	1.2×	67.1%
DY Dudley	West Midlands	653	0.7%	1.1×	78.4%
SP Salisbury	South West	639	0.7%	1.5×	68.5%
TS Teesside	North East	630	0.7%	0.8×	73.7%
TQ Torquay	South West	621	0.7%	1.4×	67.1%
SL Slough	South East	606	0.7%	1.0×	79.9%
DT Dorchester	South West	598	0.7%	1.7×	73.1%
BB Blackburn	North West	597	0.7%	0.8×	79.6%
BD Bradford	Yorkshire and the Humber	593	0.7%	0.8×	77.2%
DL Darlington	North East	579	0.7%	1.1×	76.0%
LN Lincoln	East Midlands	570	0.6%	1.1×	69.8%
WV Wolverhampton	West Midlands	570	0.6%	1.0×	83.9%
TW Twickenham	London	540	0.6%	0.8×	78.9%
LA Lancaster	North West	523	0.6%	1.1×	76.7%
L Liverpool	North West	503	0.6%	0.5×	74.6%
WD Watford	East of England	497	0.6%	1.4×	81.7%
BR Bromley	London	484	0.5%	1.5×	79.5%
HU Hull	Yorkshire and the Humber	478	0.5%	0.8×	71.3%
DA Dartford	South East	467	0.5%	0.7×	81.2%
AB Aberdeen	Scotland	466	0.5%	0.7×	68.2%
WS Walsall	West Midlands	462	0.5%	0.7×	74.2%
CA Carlisle	North West	456	0.5%	0.9×	73.0%
AL St Albans	East of England	446	0.5%	1.1×	77.4%
HR Hereford	West Midlands	441	0.5%	1.3×	76.4%
LU Luton	East of England	433	0.5%	0.7×	76.9%
TF Telford	West Midlands	413	0.5%	1.2×	74.3%
HD Huddersfield	Yorkshire and the Humber	385	0.4%	1.1×	72.5%
BL Bolton	North West	383	0.4%	0.6×	77.0%
CR Croydon	London	372	0.4%	0.6×	79.6%
KA Kilmarnock	Scotland	360	0.4%	0.8×	75.0%
KY Kirkcaldy	Scotland	359	0.4%	0.7×	63.2%
FY Blackpool	North West	351	0.4%	0.9×	72.4%
HG Harrogate	Yorkshire and the Humber	351	0.4%	1.4×	75.2%
DH Durham	North East	341	0.4%	0.8×	75.4%
OL Oldham	North West	332	0.4%	0.5×	78.9%
WN Wigan	North West	331	0.4%	0.8×	77.0%
EN Enfield	London	328	0.4%	0.6×	77.1%
SE London SE	London	314	0.4%	0.5×	79.3%
FK Falkirk	Scotland	302	0.3%	0.8×	71.9%
IV Inverness	Scotland	289	0.3%	0.8×	70.2%
RM Romford	London	285	0.3%	0.4×	79.6%
PA Paisley	Scotland	269	0.3%	0.7×	70.3%
ML Motherwell	Scotland	251	0.3%	0.6×	77.3%
E London E	London	246	0.3%	0.3×	70.3%
DD Dundee	Scotland	244	0.3%	0.7×	74.2%
SW London SW	London	243	0.3%	0.6×	66.7%
HX Halifax	Yorkshire and the Humber	225	0.3%	1.0×	74.7%
PH Perth	Scotland	225	0.3%	0.9×	68.9%
N London N	London	223	0.3%	0.4×	74.9%
IG Ilford	London	219	0.2%	0.6×	83.1%
UB Southall	London	197	0.2%	0.4×	80.2%
HA Harrow	London	194	0.2%	0.4×	80.4%
NW London NW	London	190	0.2%	0.3×	68.9%
SM Sutton	London	174	0.2%	0.9×	84.5%
DG Dumfries	Scotland	146	0.2%	0.7×	71.2%
SR Sunderland	North East	141	0.2%	0.5×	75.9%
TD Galashiels	Scotland	136	0.2%	0.8×	69.1%
W London W	London	103	0.1%	0.4×	76.7%
LD Llandrindod Wells	Wales	89	0.1%	1.2×	58.4%
KW Kirkwall	Scotland	40	<0.1%	0.5×	72.5%
HS Outer Hebrides	Scotland	18	<0.1%	0.5×	–
ZE Shetland	Scotland	11	<0.1%	0.3×	–

Region	Tests	Share	vs all cars	First-time pass
Scotland	4,681	5.3%	0.7×	71.1%
North East	2,823	3.2%	0.8×	75.7%
North West	8,806	10.0%	0.9×	75.1%
Yorkshire and the Humber	7,285	8.2%	0.9×	75.7%
Wales	3,834	4.3%	0.9×	72.0%
West Midlands	8,975	10.1%	1.0×	76.9%
East Midlands	6,281	7.1%	1.0×	75.8%
East of England	10,818	12.2%	1.2×	77.1%
London	5,082	5.7%	0.6×	78.6%
South East	17,604	19.9%	1.3×	74.1%
South West	12,299	13.9%	1.3×	70.1%

Great Britain · DVSA MOT tests · 2025

Where they fail

Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against cars of the same age.

Mazda MX-5Cars the same age

Suspension9.1%12.5%
Lights and electrics8.2%15.2%
Brakes7.3%9.0%
Emissions and leaks4.8%4.9%
Visibility (wipers, glass, mirrors)3.9%5.6%
Body and structure3.1%6.0%
Tyres3.0%6.0%
Seat belts and airbags1.7%1.8%
Steering0.7%2.9%

A test can fail in more than one area. Failures fixed during the test are included.

Great Britain · DVSA MOT tests · 2025

Most common failures

The 10 defects that failed Mazda MX-5 tests most often, as a share of all tests.

Failure	Tests	Cars the same age	vs same age	Marked dangerous
Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension	2.8%	2.6%	1.1×	0.0%
Service brake performance: excessively binding Brakes	2.2%	1.2%	1.8×	0.0%
Position lamp: not working Lights and electrics	2.2%	3.7%	0.6×	0.0%
Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension	2.1%	1.7%	1.2×	0.0%
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility (wipers, glass, mirrors)	2.0%	2.3%	0.9×	0.0%
Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Emissions and leaks	1.9%	1.0%	1.9×	0.0%
Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes Dangerous	1.4%	1.6%	0.9×	100.0%
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility (wipers, glass, mirrors)	1.3%	1.8%	0.7×	0.0%
Prescribed areas: prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced Seat belts and airbags	1.2%	0.6%	2.0×	0.0%
Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lights and electrics	1.1%	2.1%	0.5×	0.0%

“vs same age” compares this model with cars of the same age: 2.0× means twice as often. “Marked dangerous” is how often the tester recorded that failure as dangerous.

Great Britain · DVSA MOT tests · 2025

Most common advisories

Things the tester noted to watch, which don’t fail the test.

Advisory	Tests
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	9.9%
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge	8.8%
Condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing	8.5%
Brake pads: wearing thin	6.9%
Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened	6.7%
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive	4.8%
Service brake performance: binding but not excessively	4.7%
Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened	4.1%
Pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement	4.1%
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material	3.9%

MOT results for every model