2025 MOT results
Mazda 3 common problems
The most common reason a Mazda 3 fails its MOT is a broken coil spring, on 14.8% of its 32,755 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 3 faults stand out: a worn steering or suspension joint at 12.7% of failures against 5.5% expected; worn brake pads at 9.9% of failures against 6.2% expected; a broken coil spring at 14.8% of failures against 9.5% expected.
- Tests in 2025 104,836 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 31.2% 32,755 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 9.2% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 58.9% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Mazda 3 MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Mazda 3 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 |
|---|---|
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 14.8% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 12.8% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 12.7% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 9.9% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 7.7% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 7.6% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 6.0% |
| Linkage ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 5.0% |
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.0% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 4.8% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.6% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 4.5% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Broken coil spring
14.8% of failures 9.5% expected 1.6 times as 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
12.8% of failures 9.1% 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.
-
Worn steering or suspension joint
12.7% of failures 5.5% expected 2.3 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.
-
Worn brake pads
9.9% of failures 6.2% expected 1.6 times as often
Friction material worn under 1.5mm, thinner than the point most manufacturers call the limit.
Look through the wheel spokes at the pad against the disc; wear indicators squeal before they get this far.
-
Engine management light on
7.7% of failures 5.4% expected somewhat more often
The engine management light is on, or has been disconnected. Either fails the test.
A cheap code reader on the diagnostic socket will say what the car has stored before you pay for a test.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
7.6% of failures 8.1% expected about as expected
A tyre worn past the 1.6mm legal minimum across the middle three quarters of the tread.
A 20p coin in the main grooves: if the outer band of the coin is visible, the tyre is close to the limit.
Which parts of the car fail
Suspension is the area that most often fails a Mazda 3, on 46.2% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 34.6%.
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 | 46.2% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 34.0% |
| Brakes | 22.6% |
| Tyres | 20.5% |
| Visibility | 13.4% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 10.9% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 6.7% |
| Steering | 2.8% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
58.9% of Mazda 3 tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Mazda 3s, 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 | 17.8% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 11.8% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 10.9% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 10.5% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 9.4% |
| Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 6.4% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 6.0% |
| Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes | 5.3% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 4.1% |
| Linkage ball joint has slight play Suspension | 4.1% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 2.9% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint has slight play Suspension | 2.9% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Mazda 3 gets older
A 2022 Mazda 3 failed 8.0% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2006 one failed 49.0%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Mazda 3 8.0% failed, from 2,576 tests
- Headlamp aim set too high 20.3%
- Bulge in a tyre 16.9%
- Cut tyre 15.5%
- Washers that do not work 9.7%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 8.2%
- Headlamp aim set too low 7.7%
2006 Mazda 3 49.0% failed, from 2,902 tests
- Sidelight out 23.5%
- Engine management light on 16.2%
- Headlamp aim out of line 13.8%
- Worn steering or suspension joint 11.0%
- Worn suspension bushes 10.8%
- Brake light out 9.6%
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 3 problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Mazda 3?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Coil spring: fractured or broken” is the most common: it appears on 14.8% of failed Mazda 3 tests. Across categories, suspension is the area that most often fails one, on 46.2% of failed tests.
How often does a Mazda 3 fail its MOT?
31.2% of Mazda 3 tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 104,836 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 46 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Mazda 3 than on other cars?
Yes. “Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn” appears on 12.7% of its failures against 5.5% for cars of the same age, and “Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick” appears on 9.9% of its failures against 6.2% 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 3 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 | 104,836 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.