2017 Mazda 3: MOT pass rate and reliability
79.1% of 2017 Mazda 3s pass the MOT first time, measured across 8,226 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 51,987 miles.
How the 2017 compares
- Against all Mazda 3s (73.9%, 108,163 tests): +5.2 points
- Against all 2017 cars (83.5%): -4.4 points
- National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%
Every Mazda 3 model year
Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2017 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Mazda 3:
| Year | Pass rate | Tests | Avg mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 57.4% | 754 | 97,593 |
| 2005 | 59.3% | 2,574 | 105,832 |
| 2006 | 60.3% | 3,739 | 105,935 |
| 2007 | 60.8% | 5,092 | 105,168 |
| 2008 | 60.4% | 6,153 | 100,752 |
| 2009 | 63% | 7,451 | 100,670 |
| 2010 | 66.6% | 8,268 | 100,555 |
| 2011 | 66.5% | 5,393 | 94,184 |
| 2012 | 72.1% | 4,904 | 90,671 |
| 2013 | 74.8% | 5,127 | 79,894 |
| 2014 | 75% | 8,422 | 75,940 |
| 2015 | 76.5% | 11,795 | 70,587 |
| 2016 | 77.4% | 10,635 | 61,537 |
| 2017 | 79.1% | 8,226 | 51,987 |
| 2018 | 85.8% | 7,056 | 42,946 |
| 2019 | 91.2% | 4,377 | 34,377 |
| 2020 | 92.6% | 4,095 | 28,382 |
| 2021 | 92.9% | 3,962 | 23,530 |
What this means if you are buying a 2017 3
The 2017 is one of the stronger years for this model, passing 5.2 points more often than the Mazda 3 average. That is a point in its favour, though condition and service history still matter more than the model year. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.
What a 9-year-old car fails on
A 2017 car is 9 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:
- Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
- Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
- Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
- Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
- Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
- Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested
That is around average, so condition and service history will tell you more than the odometer does. On a 2017 Mazda 3 the average at test was 51,987 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.
The strongest year for this model is 2021 at 92.9%, and the weakest in our data is 2004 at 57.4%. That 35.5 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2017 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 2014 Mazda 3 - 75%
- 2015 Mazda 3 - 76.5%
- 2016 Mazda 3 - 77.4%
- 2018 Mazda 3 - 85.8%
- 2019 Mazda 3 - 91.2%
- 2020 Mazda 3 - 92.6%