Car statistics by year

2012 Mazda 6

Mazda 6 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 6. “2012” is the year of first registration.

Last updated
Records analysed
2,556 MOT tests of 2012 Mazda 6 cars
Methodology
View methodology
  • MOT first-time pass rate, 2025 60.5% All 2012 cars 63.6%
  • Typical mileage at the MOT 104,700 miles; all 2012 cars 90,800
  • Left at the end of 2025 2,589 65.3% of the 3,963 at the end of 2014
  • Tests finding a dangerous defect 13.1% All 2012 cars 9.2%
  • Tests with an advisory 68.5% All 2012 cars 62.0%
  • MOT tests in 2025 2,556 normal tests in Great Britain

How do 2012 Mazda 6s do at their MOT?

In 2025, at about 13 years old, 60.5% of 2012 Mazda 6 MOT tests were passed first time, against 63.6% for all cars first registered in 2012. 2012 Mazda 6s did worse than average for their age, by 3.1 points. A year earlier the same cars passed 60.9% of the time (all 2012 cars 64.5%).

MOT pass rate by year of first registration: Mazda 6 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 6 bar with the all-cars bar beside it.

MOT first-time pass rate in 2025 by year of first registration, Mazda 6 compared with all cars
First registered Mazda 6All cars
’06 55.3%56.9%
’07 52.6%57.3%
’08 53.5%57.0%
’09 58.7%58.2%
’10 58.4%59.3%
’11 58.9%61.5%
’12 60.5%63.6%
’13 65.9%66.0%
’14 68.3%69.1%
’15 70.9%72.6%
’16 73.8%75.6%
’17 77.4%79.1%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Most common MOT failures on the 2012 Mazda 6

Position lamp: not working was the most common single reason a 2012 Mazda 6 failed, on 18.6% of about 1,000 failed tests. By area of the car, brakes failed most often (42.2% of failed tests; all 2012 cars 21.7%). 13.1% 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 6 tests, 2025
Defect Share of failed tests
Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 18.6%
Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes 15.3%
Suspension arms: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension 11.4%
Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes 9.7%
Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 7.5%
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 7.2%
Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn Suspension 6.7%
Service brake performance: excessively binding Brakes 6.5%
Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres 5.5%
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility 5.3%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Failure categories: Mazda 6 vs all 2012 cars

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

Share of failed 2012 Mazda 6 MOT tests with a defect in each category, with all 2012 cars for comparison
Category Share of failed tests
Brakes 42.2%
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 41.5%
Suspension 32.9%
Tyres 15.3%
Visibility 11.2%
Noise, emissions and leaks 7.8%
Steering 5.8%
Body, chassis, structure 5.0%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Most common MOT advisories on the 2012 Mazda 6

An advisory is something the tester noticed that did not fail the test but may need work soon. 68.5% of 2012 Mazda 6 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 6 tests, 2025
Advisory Share of tests
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres 21.9%
Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension 18.2%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes 15.8%
Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension 15.4%
Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes 10.2%
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes 9.9%
Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres 7.7%
Service brake performance: binding but not excessively Brakes 5.9%
Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension 5.3%
Headlamp: product on the lens but not seriously reducing light output Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 5.0%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

What mileage is normal for a 2012 Mazda 6?

Half of the 2012 Mazda 6s tested in 2025 had covered fewer than 104,700 miles. A quarter had covered fewer than 82,700 and a quarter more than 129,300. For all cars first registered in 2012, the middle figure was 90,800 miles, so 2012 Mazda 6s have been driven 15.3% further 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 6 and all 2012 cars, by percentile
10% 25% Median 75% 90% Cars
2012 Mazda 6 62,900 82,700 104,700 129,300 153,800 2,450
All 2012 cars 47,100 66,700 90,800 117,400 145,000 1,483,042
miles

Half of the 2012 Mazda 6s tested in 2025 had covered fewer than 104,700 miles.

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

How many 2012 Mazda 6s are left?

At the end of 2014, 3,963 2012 Mazda 6s were on the DVLA record in the United Kingdom (these counts start in 2014). By the end of 2025, 2,589 were: 2,370 licensed and 219 declared off the road (SORN). That is 65.3% 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 6s 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 6All 2012 cars
2014 100.0%100.0%
2015 98.2%97.0%
2016 97.0%98.2%
2017 96.5%97.4%
2018 95.5%96.3%
2019 93.5%95.2%
2020 91.5%93.9%
2021 88.8%93.0%
2022 84.5%91.4%
2023 79.3%89.2%
2024 72.3%86.5%
2025 65.3%83.1%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2025 Updated

Recalls that may affect cars built around 2012

7 of the Mazda 6’s 29 recalls in DVSA’s records cover cars built during 2012. 3 have no build dates, so could apply to any year.

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 6 recalls whose build dates include 2012
Launched Concern Built Vehicles
25 Jul 2019 Soot may accumulate around the intake shutter valve on the inlet side of the engine 26 Jan 2012 to 30 Jun 2018 70,435 (all models)
17 Sept 2018 Injector mounting nuts tightening force may be insufficient 26 Jan 2012 to 21 Jan 2016 11,021 (all models)
17 Sept 2018 Fuel injector software does not control the electric current correctly 26 Jan 2012 to 21 Jan 2016 48,875 (all models)
17 Sept 2018 Vacuum pump may wear prematurely. 26 Jan 2012 to 21 Jan 2016 11,498 (all models)
14 Dec 2017 Corrosion may form around the parking brake actuating shaft and cause reduced handbrake performance 31 Jul 2012 to 18 Nov 2014 12,989
31 May 2017 Tailgate may drop down without warning 2 Oct 2007 to 25 Dec 2015 121,812 (all models)
26 Mar 2013 Fire may occur 31 Jul 2012 to 9 Mar 2013 1,974

Every Mazda 6 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 6

18 years of the Mazda 6, 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 2019 cars did best at their 2025 MOT (86.8% passed first time) and the 2005 cars worst (52.2%).

Mazda 6s by year of first registration
Year Registered Left Pass rate All cars
2005 1,392 52.2% 57.7%
2006 1,864 55.3% 56.9%
2007 2,432 52.6% 57.3%
2008 3,043 53.5% 57.0%
2009 3,560 58.7% 58.2%
2010 4,520 58.4% 59.3%
2011 3,496 58.9% 61.5%
2012 2,589 60.5% 63.6%
2013 3,937 65.9% 66.0%
2014 7,963 5,836 68.3% 69.1%
2015 7,923 6,371 70.9% 72.6%
2016 7,677 6,685 73.8% 75.6%
2017 4,983 4,680 77.4% 79.1%
2018 3,387 3,267 82.2% 81.8%
2019 4,480 4,413 86.8% 84.4%
2020 1,041 1,033 88.9% 86.9%
2021 653 640 90.1% 88.4%
2022 718 698 91.1% 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 2,556 MOT tests of 2012 Mazda 6 cars 15 September 2026
Cars on the record Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of 2025 2,589 cars still on the record (licensed or SORN) 15 September 2026
  • MOT figures cover normal tests in Great Britain in 2025 of Mazda 6 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.