Car statistics by year

2012 Mazda 2

Mazda 2 cars first registered in 2012: how they did at their 2025 MOT, what failed them, how far they have been driven and how many are still on the road. Compared with every car first registered in 2012, so like is set against like.

A year of the Mazda 2. “2012” is the year of first registration.

Last updated
Records analysed
8,634 MOT tests of 2012 Mazda 2 cars
Methodology
View methodology
  • MOT first-time pass rate, 2025 61.8% All 2012 cars 63.6%
  • Typical mileage at the MOT 71,300 miles; all 2012 cars 90,800
  • Left at the end of 2025 8,666 90.3% of the 9,597 at the end of 2014
  • Tests finding a dangerous defect 8.8% All 2012 cars 9.2%
  • Tests with an advisory 62.4% All 2012 cars 62.0%
  • MOT tests in 2025 8,634 normal tests in Great Britain

How do 2012 Mazda 2s do at their MOT?

In 2025, at about 13 years old, 61.8% of 2012 Mazda 2 MOT tests were passed first time, against 63.6% for all cars first registered in 2012. 2012 Mazda 2s did worse than average for their age, by 1.8 points. A year earlier the same cars passed 63.2% of the time (all 2012 cars 64.5%).

MOT pass rate by year of first registration: Mazda 2 vs all cars

Each pair of bars is one year of first registration, tested in 2025. Older cars pass less often, so compare each Mazda 2 bar with the all-cars bar beside it.

MOT first-time pass rate in 2025 by year of first registration, Mazda 2 compared with all cars
First registered Mazda 2All cars
’06 56.9%56.9%
’07 57.6%57.3%
’08 50.5%57.0%
’09 53.4%58.2%
’10 54.5%59.3%
’11 59.2%61.5%
’12 61.8%63.6%
’13 62.8%66.0%
’14 67.3%69.1%
’15 75.5%72.6%
’16 78.4%75.6%
’17 81.9%79.1%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Most common MOT failures on the 2012 Mazda 2

Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn was the most common single reason a 2012 Mazda 2 failed, on 22.0% of about 3,300 failed tests. By area of the car, suspension failed most often (51.8% of failed tests; all 2012 cars 39.1%). 8.8% of tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 9.2% for all cars first registered in 2012. A failed test can have several defects, so shares add up to more than 100%.

Most common reasons for failure

Share of failed tests with each defect. The same fault on any wheel or side counts once.

Most common specific MOT defects on failed 2012 Mazda 2 tests, 2025
Defect Share of failed tests
Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn Suspension 22.0%
Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension 18.0%
Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play Steering 12.8%
Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 10.5%
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility 9.3%
Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak Suspension 8.8%
Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 6.8%
Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 5.1%
Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres 5.1%
Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres 4.4%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Failure categories: Mazda 2 vs all 2012 cars

The marker shows the share for all cars first registered the same year.

Share of failed 2012 Mazda 2 MOT tests with a defect in each category, with all 2012 cars for comparison
Category Share of failed tests
Suspension 51.8%
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 33.1%
Tyres 19.9%
Steering 16.5%
Visibility 15.3%
Brakes 11.0%
Noise, emissions and leaks 5.9%
Body, chassis, structure 4.5%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Most common MOT advisories on the 2012 Mazda 2

An advisory is something the tester noticed that did not fail the test but may need work soon. 62.4% of 2012 Mazda 2 tests had at least one (all 2012 cars 62.0%). These are the things to check on one you are thinking of buying.

Most common advisories

Most common MOT advisories on 2012 Mazda 2 tests, 2025
Advisory Share of tests
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres 15.9%
Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres 13.5%
Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension 11.5%
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes 11.0%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes 6.8%
Suspension arms: ball joint has slight play Suspension 5.3%
Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks 5.2%
Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes 5.0%
Play in steering rack inner joint(s) Non-component advisories 4.9%
Track rod end: ball joint has slight play Steering 4.4%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

What mileage is normal for a 2012 Mazda 2?

Half of the 2012 Mazda 2s tested in 2025 had covered fewer than 71,300 miles. A quarter had covered fewer than 51,700 and a quarter more than 92,300. For all cars first registered in 2012, the middle figure was 90,800 miles, so 2012 Mazda 2s have been driven 21.5% less far than average.

Mileage at the 2025 MOT

Odometer readings at each car’s latest MOT of the year. The bar covers the middle half of cars; the line the middle 80%.

Odometer readings at the 2025 MOT, 2012 Mazda 2 and all 2012 cars, by percentile
10% 25% Median 75% 90% Cars
2012 Mazda 2 36,000 51,700 71,300 92,300 112,600 8,359
All 2012 cars 47,100 66,700 90,800 117,400 145,000 1,483,042
miles

Half of the 2012 Mazda 2s tested in 2025 had covered fewer than 71,300 miles.

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

How many 2012 Mazda 2s are left?

At the end of 2014, 9,597 2012 Mazda 2s were on the DVLA record in the United Kingdom (these counts start in 2014). By the end of 2025, 8,666 were: 8,445 licensed and 221 declared off the road (SORN). That is 90.3% still on the record, against 83.1% for all cars first registered in 2012.

Share still on the record since 2014

Cars licensed or SORN at each year end, as a share of the number at the end of 2014. Cars scrapped or exported leave the record. Late registrations and imports can push the share above 100%.

2012 Mazda 2s on the DVLA record at each year end as a share of the number at the end of 2014, compared with all 2012 cars
Year end 2012 Mazda 2All 2012 cars
2014 100.0%100.0%
2015 98.9%97.0%
2016 100.3%98.2%
2017 99.5%97.4%
2018 98.5%96.3%
2019 97.7%95.2%
2020 96.8%93.9%
2021 96.7%93.0%
2022 95.6%91.4%
2023 93.8%89.2%
2024 92.4%86.5%
2025 90.3%83.1%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2025 Updated

Recalls that may affect cars built around 2012

2 of the Mazda 2’s 11 recalls in DVSA’s records cover cars built during 2012.

The 2012 on this page is the year of first registration, not the year the car was built. A car first registered early in 2012 may have been built in 2011, and recalls apply to particular build dates and VINs, so check the recalls either side too.

Mazda 2 recalls whose build dates include 2012
Launched Concern Built Vehicles
19 Nov 2018 Takata passenger airbag inflators may not operate as intended 17 Jul 2007 to 3 Nov 2014 89,746
30 Jun 2016 Steering may fail 19 Dec 2012 to 28 Oct 2014 99

Every Mazda 2 recall · Check a specific car on GOV.UK · How we match recalls

Recall details come from manufacturers through DVSA. “Vehicles” is the number the manufacturer reported; “all models” means the figure covers everything in the recall. A recall listed here may not apply to a particular car: only the manufacturer or GOV.UK can say for its VIN.

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis January 1992 to September 2026 Updated

Other years of the Mazda 2

19 years of the Mazda 2, by year of first registration, have their own page with MOT results, common faults, mileage and how many are left. Against all cars of the same age, the 2018 cars did best at their 2025 MOT (85.7% passed first time) and the 2008 cars worst (50.5%).

Mazda 2s by year of first registration
Year Registered Left Pass rate All cars
2004 839 56.1% 57.9%
2005 980 57.8% 57.7%
2006 1,092 56.9% 56.9%
2007 2,333 57.6% 57.3%
2008 6,819 50.5% 57.0%
2009 11,042 53.4% 58.2%
2010 11,487 54.5% 59.3%
2011 10,150 59.2% 61.5%
2012 8,666 61.8% 63.6%
2013 8,457 62.8% 66.0%
2014 8,856 8,372 67.3% 69.1%
2015 10,237 9,865 75.5% 72.6%
2016 10,358 10,027 78.4% 75.6%
2017 7,840 7,670 81.9% 79.1%
2018 8,275 8,066 85.7% 81.8%
2019 8,446 8,332 87.6% 84.4%
2020 4,109 4,113 90.1% 86.9%
2021 3,667 3,625 90.9% 88.4%
2022 5,286 5,048 92.8% 89.4%

Registered: cars on the DVLA record at the end of the year they were first registered (these counts start in 2014, so older years show a dash). Left: licensed or declared SORN at the end of 2025. Both cover the United Kingdom. Pass rate: first-time passes at normal MOT tests in Great Britain in 2025; all cars: every car first registered the same year.

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
MOT results and mileage Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
Derived statistics UK Motoring
2025 8,634 MOT tests of 2012 Mazda 2 cars 15 September 2026
Cars on the record Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of 2025 8,666 cars still on the record (licensed or SORN) 15 September 2026
  • MOT figures cover normal tests in Great Britain in 2025 of Mazda 2 cars first registered in 2012; retests are excluded. “All cars” means every car we match to a model, first registered in 2012.
  • Year of first registration is DVSA’s first-use date: when the car was first registered, in the UK or abroad.
  • Defects and advisories are DVSA’s descriptions made readable. Where on the car a defect was found (side, front or rear) is ignored, so the same fault on any wheel counts once per test.
  • Mileage is the odometer reading at each car’s latest normal MOT of the year, as recorded by the tester. A few readings are in kilometres or mistyped; percentiles are not thrown by a handful of outliers.
  • Cars on the record come from DfT table VEH0124 and cover the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland; MOT figures cover Great Britain only.
  • DVSA records the model name typed in at the test. We match those names to DVLA’s generic models, so a handful of tests may be counted under a close relative.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.