Mazda B Series: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Mazda B Series fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 11.2 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 1,649 individual Mazda B Series tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 65.5% first-time pass rate means roughly 35 in every 100 Mazda B Series presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is worse than average, so budget for remedial work and treat a fresh 12-month MOT as a genuine selling point rather than a given. The average Mazda B Series tested had covered 119,210 miles and was built around 2002.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Mazda B Series bought as a repairable salvage, assume the mechanical side needs more than the visible accident damage, and pad your repair estimate accordingly.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Mazda B Series rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see what damaged Mazda B Series actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Mazda B Series

1. Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point, 7.1% of tests (35.27x the national rate for this defect)
2. An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 6.7% of tests (19.76x the national rate for this defect)
3. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 5.5% of tests (15.01x the national rate for this defect)
4. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 6% of tests (7.25x the national rate for this defect)
5. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 5.4% of tests (6.56x the national rate for this defect)
6. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 6.5% of tests (5.81x the national rate for this defect)
7. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 2.6% of tests (3.38x the national rate for this defect)
8. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 2.3% of tests (2.98x the national rate for this defect)
9. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 2.2% of tests (2.48x the national rate for this defect)
10. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 4.3% of tests (2.46x the national rate for this defect)

From 2,474 DVSA-tracked Mazda B Series tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.31% of these flagged Mazda B Series defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Mazda B Series pass rate by model year

Pass rates fall steadily as cars age, so the model year matters as much as the model. First-time pass rate for each Mazda B Series year:

• 2002 Mazda B Series - 62.6% first-time pass, 230 tests
• 2003 Mazda B Series - 66.1% first-time pass, 248 tests
• 2005 Mazda B Series - 65.6% first-time pass, 340 tests

Other Mazda models

• Mazda 2 - 73.4%
• Mazda 3 - 73.4%
• Mazda Mx-5 - 77.2%
• Mazda 6 - 74%
• Mazda Cx-5 - 83.1%
• Mazda Cx-3 - 88%
• Mazda 5 - 59%
• Mazda Bongo - 58.1%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Citroen Ds5 - 65.7%
• Volkswagen Bora - 65.6%
• Hyundai Veloster - 65.6%
• SEAT Altea Xl - 65.5%
• Chrysler Grand Voyager - 65.4%
• Fiat 500 C - 65.3%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences

Embed this data

Run a site about the Mazda B Series? Embed the real DVSA pass-rate badge free, linked back to this page.

<a href="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/mot/mazda-b-series"><img src="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/badge/mazda-b-series.svg" width="340" height="92" alt="Mazda B Series MOT Pass Rate: 65.5% - Salvage Prophet"></a>

All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate