2021 Mazda 3: MOT pass rate and reliability
92.9% of 2021 Mazda 3s pass the MOT first time, measured across 3,962 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 23,530 miles.
How the 2021 compares
- Against all Mazda 3s (73.9%, 108,163 tests): +19 points
- Against all 2021 cars (90%): +2.9 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 2021 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 2021 3
The 2021 is one of the stronger years for this model, passing 19 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 5-year-old car fails on
A 2021 car is 5 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 low mileage, which usually means light urban use. Short journeys are harder on batteries, brakes and exhausts than motorway miles, so do not assume low miles means low wear. On a 2021 Mazda 3 the average at test was 23,530 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.
2021 is the strongest year on record for this model at 92.9%, ahead of every other year we hold data for.
Nearby model years
- 2018 Mazda 3 - 85.8%
- 2019 Mazda 3 - 91.2%
- 2020 Mazda 3 - 92.6%