Mazda Bongo: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Mazda Bongo fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 18.6 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 9,494 individual Mazda Bongo tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 58.1% first-time pass rate means roughly 42 in every 100 Mazda Bongos 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 Bongo tested had covered 132,658 miles and was built around 2005.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Mazda Bongo 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 Bongo 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 Bongos actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Mazda Bongo

1. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 10% of tests (27.47x the national rate for this defect)
2. 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, 20.4% of tests (24.6x the national rate for this defect)
3. Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point, 3.5% of tests (17.22x the national rate for this defect)
4. 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, 4.6% of tests (13.73x the national rate for this defect)
5. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any seat belt anchorage (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 2.8% of tests (12.27x the national rate for this defect)
6. Emissions levels exceed default limits, 2.7% of tests (9.21x the national rate for this defect)
7. Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 3.5% of tests (6.41x the national rate for this defect)
8. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 7.5% of tests (5.58x the national rate for this defect)
9. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 3.5% of tests (4.52x the national rate for this defect)
10. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 3% of tests (3.94x the national rate for this defect)

From 14,797 DVSA-tracked Mazda Bongo tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.08% of these flagged Mazda Bongo defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Mazda Bongo 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 Bongo year:

• 1995 Mazda Bongo - 49% first-time pass, 469 tests
• 1996 Mazda Bongo - 55.1% first-time pass, 573 tests
• 1997 Mazda Bongo - 55% first-time pass, 533 tests
• 1998 Mazda Bongo - 56.6% first-time pass, 343 tests
• 1999 Mazda Bongo - 59.2% first-time pass, 475 tests
• 2000 Mazda Bongo - 57.9% first-time pass, 484 tests
• 2001 Mazda Bongo - 60.9% first-time pass, 476 tests
• 2002 Mazda Bongo - 63.5% first-time pass, 490 tests
• 2003 Mazda Bongo - 67% first-time pass, 315 tests
• 2004 Mazda Bongo - 61.6% first-time pass, 440 tests
• 2005 Mazda Bongo - 61.9% first-time pass, 582 tests
• 2006 Mazda Bongo - 58.8% first-time pass, 483 tests
• 2007 Mazda Bongo - 54.2% first-time pass, 498 tests
• 2008 Mazda Bongo - 56.8% first-time pass, 373 tests
• 2009 Mazda Bongo - 54.9% first-time pass, 284 tests
• 2010 Mazda Bongo - 56.6% first-time pass, 309 tests
• 2011 Mazda Bongo - 55.9% first-time pass, 254 tests
• 2012 Mazda Bongo - 61.3% first-time pass, 230 tests
• 2013 Mazda Bongo - 59.3% first-time pass, 268 tests
• 2014 Mazda Bongo - 58.5% first-time pass, 325 tests
• 2015 Mazda Bongo - 64.3% first-time pass, 305 tests
• 2016 Mazda Bongo - 65.4% first-time pass, 298 tests

Mazda Bongo by fuel type

Diesel and petrol versions of the same car fail on different things, so the fuel type moves the number:

• Diesel Mazda Bongo - 55.3% first-time pass, 4,756 tests
• Petrol Mazda Bongo - 63.2% first-time pass, 4,492 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 2 GT Sport Nav Mhev - 93.9%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Chevrolet Captiva - 58.3%
• Talbot Express - 58.3%
• Chrysler Voyager - 58.2%
• Vauxhall Tigra - 58.1%
• Hyundai Coupe - 58.1%
• Mitsubishi Carisma - 58.1%

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

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate