2025 MOT results
Mazda MX-5 common problems
The most common reason a Mazda MX-5 fails its MOT is a broken coil spring, on 11.1% of its 22,859 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 5 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: a weak or uneven footbrake at 8.6% of failures against 3.5% expected; a faulty seat belt at 4.8% of failures against 2.0% expected; emissions above the limit at 4.3% of failures against 2.2% expected.
- Tests in 2025 90,887 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 25.2% 22,859 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 5.0% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 48.1% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Mazda MX-5 MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Mazda MX-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 |
|---|---|
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 11.1% |
| Service brake performance: excessively binding Brakes | 8.6% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 8.4% |
| Component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | 8.3% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 7.9% |
| Catalyst emissions: lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | 7.4% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 5.5% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 5.3% |
| Seat belts: prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 4.8% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.4% |
| Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes | 4.3% |
| Catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | 4.3% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Broken coil spring
11.1% of failures 7.3% expected 1.5 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.
-
Weak or uneven footbrake
8.6% of failures 3.5% expected 2.5 times as often
The footbrake is either weak overall or pulls unevenly across an axle, which the rolling road measures.
A pull to one side under firm braking, or a long pedal, is the sign to get it looked at before a test.
-
Sidelight out
8.4% of failures 10.8% expected somewhat less 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.
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Structural corrosion
8.3% of failures 5.0% expected 1.7 times as often
Corrosion in a structural area near a suspension, steering or seat belt mounting, which is a serious failure.
Look at the inner sills, rear spring seats and subframe mounts on cars over about 12 years old.
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
7.9% of failures 6.6% 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.
-
Emissions above the limit
7.4% of failures 4.0% expected 1.9 times as often
The exhaust gases are outside the limits for the car, which can be the catalytic converter, a sensor, or simply a poor state of tune.
A long run before the test helps a catalyst get hot; a persistent failure usually needs a diagnosis.
Which parts of the car fail
Suspension is the area that most often fails a Mazda MX-5, on 35.8% of failed tests. The widest gap against cars of the same registration years is noise, emissions and leaks, on 18.8% against 15.9% 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 | 35.8% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 32.0% |
| Brakes | 28.8% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 18.8% |
| Visibility | 15.5% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 12.2% |
| Tyres | 11.9% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 6.6% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
48.1% of Mazda MX-5 tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Mazda MX-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 |
|---|---|
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 9.8% |
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 8.7% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 8.5% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 6.9% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 6.7% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 4.7% |
| Service brake performance: binding but not excessively Brakes | 4.7% |
| Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 4.0% |
| Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes | 3.8% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 3.4% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 2.7% |
| Linkage ball joint has slight play Suspension | 2.3% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Mazda MX-5 gets older
A 2019 Mazda MX-5 failed 8.6% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 1998 one failed 31.9%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2019 Mazda MX-5 8.6% failed, from 4,009 tests
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 22.1%
- Worn brake pads 12.8%
- Cut tyre 9.9%
- Washers that do not work 9.3%
- Headlamp aim set too high 7.6%
- Headlamp aim set too low 6.4%
1998 Mazda MX-5 31.9% failed, from 2,301 tests
- Emissions above the limit 12.8%
- Weak handbrake 10.5%
- Faulty seat belt 8.0%
- Sidelight out 7.8%
- Structural corrosion 7.0%
- Rear fog lamp out 6.5%
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 MX-5 problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Mazda MX-5?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Coil spring: fractured or broken” is the most common: it appears on 11.1% of failed Mazda MX-5 tests. Across categories, suspension is the area that most often fails one, on 35.8% of failed tests.
How often does a Mazda MX-5 fail its MOT?
25.2% of Mazda MX-5 tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 90,887 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 62 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Mazda MX-5 than on other cars?
Yes. “Service brake performance: excessively binding” appears on 8.6% of its failures against 3.5% for cars of the same age, and “Seat belts: prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced” appears on 4.8% of its failures against 2.0% 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 MX-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 | 90,887 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.