2025 MOT results
Mazda CX-5 common problems
The most common reason a Mazda CX-5 fails its MOT is worn brake pads, on 13.4% of its 14,197 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 4 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: a worn steering or suspension joint at 12.2% of failures against 2.8% expected; a split joint boot at 3.2% of failures against 1.6% expected; worn brake pads at 13.4% of failures against 8.0% expected.
- Tests in 2025 72,553 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 19.6% 14,197 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 5.6% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 45.7% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Mazda CX-5 MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Mazda CX-5 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 |
|---|---|
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 13.4% |
| Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play Steering | 12.2% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 11.5% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 9.5% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 7.6% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 7.0% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 6.9% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 5.1% |
| Headlamp aim: too high Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.0% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.1% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 3.3% |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension | 3.2% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Worn brake pads
13.4% of failures 8.0% expected 1.7 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.
-
Worn steering or suspension joint
12.2% of failures 2.8% expected 4.4 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
11.5% of failures 8.1% 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.
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
9.5% of failures 7.7% expected somewhat more 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.
-
Cut tyre
7.6% of failures 7.3% expected about as expected
A cut in the tyre deep or long enough to reach the structure underneath, usually from a kerb or debris.
Run a hand round the inner and outer walls of each tyre, which is where kerbing shows.
-
Worn steering or suspension joint
7.0% of failures 4.4% expected 1.6 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.
Which parts of the car fail
Suspension is the area that most often fails a Mazda CX-5, on 32.9% of failed tests. The widest gap against cars of the same registration years is steering, on 15.7% against 5.5% expected.
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 | 32.9% |
| Brakes | 22.1% |
| Tyres | 20.0% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 18.5% |
| Steering | 15.7% |
| Visibility | 14.6% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 9.0% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 2.0% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
45.7% of Mazda CX-5 tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Mazda CX-5s, 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 | 14.6% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 12.1% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 9.3% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 8.2% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 5.8% |
| Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | 3.6% |
| Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes | 2.9% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 2.6% |
| Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 2.6% |
| Nail in tyre Non-component advisories | 2.4% |
| Tyres: cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 1.8% |
| Track rod end: ball joint has slight play Steering | 1.6% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Mazda CX-5 gets older
A 2022 Mazda CX-5 failed 9.7% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2013 one failed 34.7%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Mazda CX-5 9.7% failed, from 7,164 tests
- Headlamp aim set too high 29.8%
- Cut tyre 19.6%
- Worn brake pads 17.9%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 10.8%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 4.6%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 4.3%
2013 Mazda CX-5 34.7% failed, from 4,798 tests
- Worn steering or suspension joint 24.4%
- Broken coil spring 11.0%
- Worn brake pads 8.9%
- Sidelight out 7.6%
- Worn suspension bushes 7.1%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 7.1%
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 CX-5 problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Mazda CX-5?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick” is the most common: it appears on 13.4% of failed Mazda CX-5 tests. Across categories, suspension is the area that most often fails one, on 32.9% of failed tests.
How often does a Mazda CX-5 fail its MOT?
19.6% of Mazda CX-5 tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 72,553 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 55 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Mazda CX-5 than on other cars?
Yes. “Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play” appears on 12.2% of its failures against 2.8% for cars of the same age, and “Linkage ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt” appears on 3.2% of its failures against 1.6% 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 CX-5 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 | 72,553 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.