Mazda 3 MOT pass rates & common failures

Every completed first-attempt MOT on a Mazda 3 in Great Britain in 2025 — 104,881 tests. Figures cover every 3 first-tested in 2025, all trims grouped. How the 3 ages, what it fails on, and what mileage is normal, computed directly from the official DVSA record of every test.

Pass rate 2025
68.8%
3.5 points below the class-4 average (72.3%); unadjusted for age — the age-matched comparison is below
Tests analysed
104,881
first tests, 2025
Arrived with a dangerous fault
9.2%
of 3 first tests; national 7.3%
Typical mileage at 10 years
73,750
middle half: 56,250–93,750 miles (2,500-mile-band midpoints)

How many Mazda 3 cars are still on the road?

At the end of 2025, DVLA's register held 115,275 Mazda 3 cars that were taxed or on SORN: 109,397 taxed and 5,878 on SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification — kept, but declared off the road by the keeper). The MOT figures above count tests; these count cars, across the whole United Kingdom, cars only. Mazda 3 vans, where they exist, are counted by DVLA as goods vehicles and are not in these figures.

Still taxed, end of 2025
109,397
94.9% of the 115,275 3 cars taxed or on SORN; 103 model variants grouped
On SORN, end of 2025
5,878
declared off the road by their keepers — 5.1% of that total

How the numbers are moving

The number of taxed 3 cars peaked at 126,634 at the end of 2018 and has since fallen by 17,237 (13.6%) to 109,397 at the end of 2025. Cars on SORN went from 665 at the end of 2014 to 5,878 at the end of 2025, up 783.9%. A car leaves the taxed count when it is scrapped, exported or declared off the road; the year-end counts do not say which.

Taxed 3 cars, year by year

Cars of this model taxed and on the road at the end of each year, 2014–2025.

050k100k150k2014201620182020202220242025Year (count at the end of the year)Taxed 3 cars, year 2014: 104kTaxed 3 cars, year 2015: 114kTaxed 3 cars, year 2016: 122kTaxed 3 cars, year 2017: 126kTaxed 3 cars, year 2018: 127kTaxed 3 cars, year 2019: 125kTaxed 3 cars, year 2020: 122kTaxed 3 cars, year 2021: 121kTaxed 3 cars, year 2022: 118kTaxed 3 cars, year 2023: 115kTaxed 3 cars, year 2024: 112kTaxed 3 cars, year 2025: 109k109k
View this chart as a table
YearTaxed 3 cars
2014103,765
2015113,926
2016121,665
2017125,574
2018126,634
2019124,741
2020122,352
2021120,659
2022117,919
2023115,220
2024111,726
2025109,397

3 cars on SORN, year by year

Cars of this model declared off the road at the end of each year, 2014–2025. Its own scale — SORN counts are a fraction of the taxed count.

02k4k6k2014201620182020202220242025Year (count at the end of the year)3 cars on SORN, year 2014: 6653 cars on SORN, year 2015: 9943 cars on SORN, year 2016: 2k3 cars on SORN, year 2017: 2k3 cars on SORN, year 2018: 3k3 cars on SORN, year 2019: 3k3 cars on SORN, year 2020: 4k3 cars on SORN, year 2021: 4k3 cars on SORN, year 2022: 4k3 cars on SORN, year 2023: 5k3 cars on SORN, year 2024: 5k3 cars on SORN, year 2025: 6k6k
View this chart as a table
Year3 cars on SORN
2014665
2015994
20161,701
20172,223
20182,767
20193,344
20204,172
20214,234
20224,436
20234,846
20245,409
20255,878

Which model years survive

Taxed 3 cars at the end of 2025 by year of manufacture, and each year's share of the 109,397 taxed in all. Every build year holding at least 1% has its own row; the rest share one. A build year's count depends on how many were sold that year as well as how many have lasted.

Year of manufacture Taxed, end of 2025Share of taxed 3 cars
20253,6103.3%
20242,5312.3%
20233,0712.8%
20222,4072.2%
20213,9703.6%
20204,1943.8%
20194,3604.0%
20186,9846.4%
20178,0947.4%
201610,3019.4%
201511,28210.3%
20148,0307.3%
20134,9274.5%
20124,5944.2%
20114,8974.5%
20107,1476.5%
20096,1345.6%
20084,7014.3%
20073,6153.3%
20062,4702.3%
20051,6201.5%
All other build years (five years, each under 1%)4580.4%

Population source: Department for Transport / DVLA vehicle licensing statistics, table VEH0124, updated 15 July 2026; counts of the cars on DVLA's register that were taxed or on SORN at the end of each year shown, United Kingdom, cars only, excluding cars recorded with no model name. SortedCars groups DVLA's model name 3 under this model. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. SortedCars is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, DVLA or the Department for Transport.

How the 3 ages

First-time pass rate by vehicle age, 3 vs all cars, 2025.

Mazda 3All cars
40%50%60%70%80%90%100%3579111315171920Vehicle age (years)Mazda 3, vehicle age 3: 92%Mazda 3, vehicle age 4: 89.2%Mazda 3, vehicle age 5: 87.2%Mazda 3, vehicle age 6: 87.5%Mazda 3, vehicle age 7: 82.7%Mazda 3, vehicle age 8: 74%Mazda 3, vehicle age 9: 73%Mazda 3, vehicle age 10: 70.1%Mazda 3, vehicle age 11: 70.3%Mazda 3, vehicle age 12: 68.3%Mazda 3, vehicle age 13: 63.1%Mazda 3, vehicle age 14: 56.4%Mazda 3, vehicle age 15: 57.8%Mazda 3, vehicle age 16: 56.4%Mazda 3, vehicle age 17: 50.7%Mazda 3, vehicle age 18: 51.9%Mazda 3, vehicle age 19: 51%Mazda 3, vehicle age 20: 48%All cars, vehicle age 3: 88.5%All cars, vehicle age 4: 87.2%All cars, vehicle age 5: 86%All cars, vehicle age 6: 83.5%All cars, vehicle age 7: 80.9%All cars, vehicle age 8: 78.2%All cars, vehicle age 9: 74.9%All cars, vehicle age 10: 71.9%All cars, vehicle age 11: 68.6%All cars, vehicle age 12: 65.8%All cars, vehicle age 13: 63.5%All cars, vehicle age 14: 61.2%All cars, vehicle age 15: 59.3%All cars, vehicle age 16: 58.3%All cars, vehicle age 17: 57.2%All cars, vehicle age 18: 57.4%All cars, vehicle age 19: 57%All cars, vehicle age 20: 57.6%All cars 57.6%Mazda 3 48%
View this chart as a table
Age (years)3 tests3 pass rateAll cars
32,58092.0%88.5%
44,09489.2%87.2%
54,31287.2%86.0%
64,45187.5%83.5%
77,05282.7%80.9%
88,18974.0%78.2%
910,48273.0%74.9%
1011,62170.1%71.9%
118,17670.3%68.6%
125,01268.3%65.8%
134,68063.1%63.5%
145,07356.4%61.2%
157,55357.8%59.3%
166,61656.4%58.3%
175,29850.7%57.2%
184,16051.9%57.4%
192,90251.0%57.0%
201,93548.0%57.6%

Better or worse than the average car?

The 3's pass rate minus the all-cars pass rate at each age, in percentage points. Bars above zero: the 3 beats the average car of that age. Below zero: it trails.

3 ahead3 behind
-10-5+0+5+10Age 3: +3.5 points vs the average car3Age 4: +2.0 points vs the average carAge 5: +1.2 points vs the average car5Age 6: +4.0 points vs the average carAge 7: +1.8 points vs the average car7Age 8: -4.2 points vs the average carAge 9: -1.9 points vs the average car9Age 10: -1.8 points vs the average carAge 11: +1.7 points vs the average car11Age 12: +2.5 points vs the average carAge 13: -0.4 points vs the average car13Age 14: -4.8 points vs the average carAge 15: -1.5 points vs the average car15Age 16: -1.9 points vs the average carAge 17: -6.5 points vs the average car17Age 18: -5.5 points vs the average carAge 19: -6.0 points vs the average car19Age 20: -9.6 points vs the average car20Vehicle age (years)
View this chart as a table
Age (years)Gap (points)
3+3.5
4+2.0
5+1.2
6+4.0
7+1.8
8-4.2
9-1.9
10-1.8
11+1.7
12+2.5
13-0.4
14-4.8
15-1.5
16-1.9
17-6.5
18-5.5
19-6.0
20-9.6

The 3 fleet on the road, by age

How many took a first MOT in 2025 at each age — the shape of the 3 fleet still in use.

05k10k15k20kAge 3: 2k3Age 4: 4kAge 5: 4k5Age 6: 4kAge 7: 7k7Age 8: 8kAge 9: 10k9Age 10: 11kAge 11: 8k11Age 12: 5kAge 13: 4k13Age 14: 5kAge 15: 7k15Age 16: 6kAge 17: 5k17Age 18: 4kAge 19: 2k19Age 20: 1k20Vehicle age (years)
View this chart as a table
Age (years)First tests
32,580
44,094
54,312
64,451
77,052
88,189
910,482
1011,621
118,176
125,012
134,680
145,073
157,553
166,616
175,298
184,160
192,902
201,935

What a 3 fails on

Where the failure items land when a 3 fails or needs a fix at test, 2025. Use it as a pre-purchase checklist: these are the areas to look at first.

Suspension28.8%
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment23.9%
Brakes15.5%
Tyres11.9%
Visibility6.9%
Noise, emissions and leaks5.3%
Body, chassis, structure3.9%
Steering1.4%

Share of all failure items, 2025 — the 8 biggest categories shown (97.6% of the items); smaller categories are not listed.

The advisories to watch

Where testers most often write "keep an eye on this" for a 3, 2025 — the faults in the post.

Suspension: 31.9% of advisories31.9%Brakes: 27.3% of advisories27.3%Tyres: 24.9% of advisories24.9%Body, chassis, structure: 4.2% of advisoriesNon-component advisories: 3.6% of advisoriesNoise, emissions and leaks: 2.6% of advisories
SuspensionBrakesTyresBody, chassis, structureNon-component advisoriesNoise, emissions and leaks
View this chart as a table
CategoryShare of advisories
Suspension31.9%
Brakes27.3%
Tyres24.9%
Body, chassis, structure4.2%
Non-component advisories3.6%
Noise, emissions and leaks2.6%

Petrol, diesel or hybrid 3?

First-time pass rate for the two most-tested 3 fuel types, 2025, against the all-cars average. Fleet ages differ by fuel — newer fleets help the electrified bars.

50%60%70%80%90%100%all cars 72.3%Petrol: 69.3% of 91,284 tests69.3%Petrol91,284 testsDiesel: 65.1% of 13,542 tests65.1%Diesel13,542 tests
View this chart as a table
FuelTestsPass rate
Petrol91,28469.3%
Diesel13,54265.1%

What mileage is normal for a 3?

Mileage recorded at test by vehicle age, 2025. The line is the typical (median) 3; the shaded band holds the middle half. A car far outside the band, in either direction, is worth questions the recorded history can answer.

Typical 3 (median)
0k25k50k75k100k125k150k3579111315171920Vehicle age (years)Age 3: typical 23,750 miles (middle half 16,250–31,250)Age 4: typical 28,750 miles (middle half 21,250–38,750)Age 5: typical 33,750 miles (middle half 23,750–43,750)Age 6: typical 38,750 miles (middle half 28,750–51,250)Age 7: typical 46,250 miles (middle half 33,750–61,250)Age 8: typical 56,250 miles (middle half 41,250–73,750)Age 9: typical 66,250 miles (middle half 48,750–83,750)Age 10: typical 73,750 miles (middle half 56,250–93,750)Age 11: typical 78,750 miles (middle half 58,750–101,250)Age 12: typical 81,250 miles (middle half 61,250–103,750)Age 13: typical 91,250 miles (middle half 71,250–113,750)Age 14: typical 96,250 miles (middle half 73,750–116,250)Age 15: typical 101,250 miles (middle half 81,250–123,750)Age 16: typical 101,250 miles (middle half 78,750–126,250)Age 17: typical 101,250 miles (middle half 78,750–123,750)Age 18: typical 103,750 miles (middle half 81,250–128,750)Age 19: typical 106,250 miles (middle half 81,250–128,750)Age 20: typical 103,750 miles (middle half 81,250–128,750)103k mi

Mileage values are midpoints of 2,500-mile bands.

View this chart as a table
Age (years)Lower quarterTypical (median)Upper quarter
316,25023,75031,250
421,25028,75038,750
523,75033,75043,750
628,75038,75051,250
733,75046,25061,250
841,25056,25073,750
948,75066,25083,750
1056,25073,75093,750
1158,75078,750101,250
1261,25081,250103,750
1371,25091,250113,750
1473,75096,250116,250
1581,250101,250123,750
1678,750101,250126,250
1778,750101,250123,750
1881,250103,750128,750
1981,250106,250128,750
2081,250103,750128,750

What fails at each age

The 3's failure mix by age band, 2025 — each band's top categories at their true share of that band's failure items; the pale remainder is everything else. How the mix shifts with age is the point of the chart.

TyresVisibilityBrakesSuspensionLamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentNoise, emissions and leaksEverything else
View this chart as a table
Age bandCategoryShare of the band's failure items
3-5 yrsTyres45.4%
3-5 yrsVisibility17.9%
3-5 yrsBrakes17.7%
3-5 yrsSuspension5.2%
3-5 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment4.9%
3-5 yrsEverything else8.9%
6-9 yrsSuspension34.4%
6-9 yrsBrakes27.0%
6-9 yrsTyres19.8%
6-9 yrsVisibility7.1%
6-9 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment6.3%
6-9 yrsEverything else5.4%
10-13 yrsSuspension37.7%
10-13 yrsBrakes22.0%
10-13 yrsTyres14.3%
10-13 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment11.3%
10-13 yrsVisibility5.7%
10-13 yrsEverything else9.0%
14+ yrsSuspension29.9%
14+ yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment26.7%
14+ yrsBrakes12.3%
14+ yrsTyres9.3%
14+ yrsNoise, emissions and leaks6.8%
14+ yrsEverything else15.0%

More vehicles we've checked

How these figures are computed. Every number on this page is calculated by SortedCars from the DVSA anonymised MOT results dataset (every MOT test in Great Britain — 2025 for single-year figures; trend figures state their span, currently 2023–2025). Where a figure comes from a sample or uses banded values (mileage is banded to 2,500 miles), the page says so beside the figure. Test class 4 only, first tests only — retests are excluded. Class 4 is the car MOT class and also covers car-derived vans, pickups and motorhomes tested to the same standard; where this page says "cars" it means class 4. Pass rate = passes ÷ (passes + failures + pass-after-rectification): a vehicle that failed and was fixed during the visit counts as a fail. Pass rates describe fleets, not individual machines: they reflect how cars were driven, maintained and used as well as how they were built, and beyond recorded mileage none of that is in the data. A well-kept example of a model with a weak average can still pass; a neglected example of a strong one can still fail. No figure is shown for any group with fewer than 500 tests. Alias spellings of a make in the DVSA file are counted under one make name, and all trims and variants of a model are grouped under one model name, using SortedCars' grouping tables. The taxed and SORN counts on this page are the one exception: they are not computed from MOT records but taken from the Department for Transport's vehicle licensing statistics (DfT/DVLA table VEH0124, updated 15 July 2026, Open Government Licence v3.0), which count the cars on DVLA's register that were taxed or on SORN at the end of each year shown, UK-wide, cars only. They describe a model as a whole, grouped under SortedCars' model names, and say nothing about any one car. “Dangerous” is DVSA's statutory defect category (in force since May 2018): a defect posing an immediate risk to road safety — driving the vehicle before repair is an offence. What these figures are for. These statistics are general information about groups of vehicles. They are not advice, a valuation or a recommendation to buy, avoid or price any particular vehicle, and no decision about one car should rest on them alone — check the car itself and its own records. We take care over the calculations, but we cannot guarantee they are complete, current or free of error, and we accept no liability for loss arising from reliance on them. This does not limit any liability that cannot lawfully be limited — see our Terms & Conditions. If you believe any figure on this page is inaccurate, contact us. SortedCars is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the DVSA or DVLA. DVSA publishes the raw test records; the statistics on this page are SortedCars' own calculations from them. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.