Mazda MX-5 MOT reliability

Mazda MX-5s passed their MOT first time 75% of the time across 90,908 tests in 2025. 83,737 are still licensed in Great Britain.

First-time pass rate

75%

MOTs analysed

90,908

Still licensed (GB)

83,737

Body type

Roadster

Pass rate by year of first registration

Older cars fail more often, so compare a car with others of the same age. Years with very few MOTs can show extreme pass rates, even 0% or 100%, so give more weight to years with more tests.

In detail:

First registered

2021 petrol

1,469 MOTs

Passed first time 95%. Typical mileage 16,643 (most between 10,730 and 24,662).

2021: 57% → 2022: 0% → 2023: 98% → 2024: 94% → 2025: 95%

Most common failures

Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (0.9%)
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively (0.9%)
Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick (0.6%)
Headlamp aim: too high (0.5%)
Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (0.4%)

Where 2021 MX-5s fail

Wheels & tyres

1.9%

Visibility & wipers

1.4%

Lights & electrics

1.1%

Brakes

0.8%

Exhaust, emissions & leaks

0.3%

Suspension & axles

0.3%

Looking at a particular car?

See its own MOT history, mileage and red flags, compared with these figures. Free.

Based on 2025 initial MOT tests in DVSA's anonymised MOT dataset (cars and light vans). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Model details: Vehicle data by VehiclesDB.