2025 MOT results
Mazda 2 common problems
The most common reason a Mazda 2 fails its MOT is a worn steering or suspension joint, on 16.7% of its 38,592 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 5 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: a worn steering or suspension joint at 16.7% of failures against 5.9% expected; corroded brake pipes at 4.8% of failures against 1.7% expected; wiper blades that do not clear the screen at 10.4% of failures against 5.8% expected.
- Tests in 2025 127,386 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 30.3% 38,592 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 7.0% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 53.8% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Mazda 2 MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Mazda 2 tests with that defect. Where we can compare it with cars of the same registration years, the marker shows what an average car of those ages records (12 of the 12 items below).
Most common reasons for failure
A test can fail for more than one defect, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 16.7% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 13.1% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 12.6% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 10.4% |
| Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play Steering | 9.0% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 7.8% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 6.3% |
| Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak Suspension | 5.9% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 5.3% |
| Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded Brakes | 4.8% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 4.6% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.5% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Worn steering or suspension joint
16.7% of failures 5.9% expected 2.8 times as often
Play in a steering or suspension joint, where a worn ball and socket lets the wheel move where it should not.
A knock at low speed over rough ground, or vague steering, is the usual warning.
-
Broken coil spring
13.1% of failures 9.9% expected somewhat more often
A broken suspension spring, which usually snaps in the bottom coil and often fails on both sides within a year.
Look at each corner for a sagging ride height, and listen for a knock over speed bumps.
-
Sidelight out
12.6% of failures 10.0% expected somewhat more often
A sidelight, also called a position lamp, not working. It marks the width of the car at night.
Walk round the car with the lights on and the hazards going; these are the cheapest failures to avoid.
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
10.4% of failures 5.8% expected 1.8 times as often
Wiper blades that leave the windscreen smeared or streaked across the area the driver looks through.
Look for split or hardened rubber, and lift each blade to see whether it still sits flat.
-
Worn steering or suspension joint
9.0% of failures 4.2% expected 2.1 times as often
Play in a steering or suspension joint, where a worn ball and socket lets the wheel move where it should not.
A knock at low speed over rough ground, or vague steering, is the usual warning.
-
Headlamp aim out of line
7.8% of failures 4.9% expected 1.6 times as often
The beam pattern points too high, too low, or in the wrong place, so it either dazzles others or lights too little road.
Nothing to do at the roadside, but a garage resets the aim in minutes; a sagging suspension corner or a heavy boot load can throw it out.
Which parts of the car fail
Suspension is the area that most often fails a Mazda 2, on 42.6% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 35.9%.
Failure categories
DVSA's own sections of the test. The marker is what cars of the same registration years record.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Suspension | 42.6% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 37.3% |
| Tyres | 20.0% |
| Visibility | 19.0% |
| Brakes | 14.9% |
| Steering | 11.6% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 7.1% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 5.8% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
53.8% of Mazda 2 tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Mazda 2s, these are the items to ask about on a car you are viewing, because they are what the last tester expected to go next.
Most common advisories
Share of all tests, passes included.
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 16.8% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 11.4% |
| Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes | 10.1% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 6.4% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 6.3% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 5.7% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 4.4% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 3.8% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint has slight play Suspension | 3.5% |
| Headlamp: product on the lens but not seriously reducing light output Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3.4% |
| Play in steering rack inner joint(s) Non-component advisories | 3.4% |
| Track rod end: ball joint has slight play Steering | 2.5% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Mazda 2 gets older
A 2022 Mazda 2 failed 7.2% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2007 one failed 42.4%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Mazda 2 7.2% failed, from 5,133 tests
- Headlamp aim set too high 18.2%
- Cut tyre 17.6%
- Worn brake pads 16.8%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 8.4%
- Washers that do not work 7.9%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 5.4%
2007 Mazda 2 42.4% failed, from 2,310 tests
- Sidelight out 19.5%
- Worn steering or suspension joint 12.2%
- Headlamp aim out of line 10.5%
- Leaking damper 10.2%
- Engine management light on 9.0%
- Corroded brake pipes 9.0%
Shares are of each year's failed tests. Every MOT a particular car has had, with the defects and advisories written at each test, is on GOV.UK's MOT history service from the registration, free.
Mazda 2 problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Mazda 2?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn” is the most common: it appears on 16.7% of failed Mazda 2 tests. Across categories, suspension is the area that most often fails one, on 42.6% of failed tests.
How often does a Mazda 2 fail its MOT?
30.3% of Mazda 2 tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 127,386 tests of cars aged three and over. Allowing for the age and mileage of the cars tested, that gives it a UK Motoring Reliability Score of 49 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Mazda 2 than on other cars?
Yes. “Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn” appears on 16.7% of its failures against 5.9% for cars of the same age, and “Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded” appears on 4.8% of its failures against 1.7% for cars of the same age. Where an item is missing from the national figures for a year, we use the smallest share those figures show, so the comparison never overstates the difference.
Are these the same as breakdowns or known faults?
No. These are the items a tester recorded at the MOT, which covers condition and safety: lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension, corrosion and emissions. A gearbox that is unpleasant, an infotainment screen that has died, or a car that will not start on a cold morning are not part of the test, so they are not in these figures.
Where do the figures come from?
Every normal MOT test of a Mazda 2 aged three and over in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT results. Retests are excluded, and the same fault on more than one wheel counts once.
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT defects and advisories | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 127,386 MOT tests | 19 September 2026 |
- Shares for defects are of failed tests; shares for advisories are of all tests. A test can carry several defects, so shares add to more than 100%.
- The expected share is what an average car of the same registration years records, weighted by where this model’s failures fall. Where an item is outside the national figures for a year, the smallest share those figures show is used in its place, which is an upper bound, so the comparison never overstates a model’s problems. No expectation is published where less than 80% of the model’s failures can be compared.
- Great Britain only: DVSA does not run MOT testing in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old are not tested.
- The descriptions of what each part does are general and the same on every model. Every figure comes from the MOT data.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.