Mazda Bongo Friendee: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Mazda Bongo Friendee fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 4.4 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 754 individual Mazda Bongo Friendee tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 72.3% first-time pass rate means roughly 28 in every 100 Mazda Bongo Friendees 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 Friendee tested had covered 117,928 miles and was built around 2006.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Mazda Bongo Friendee sits 4.4 points below the national average, ranked 1,701 of 2,005 models. On one bought as 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 Friendee 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 recorded closing bids for damaged Mazda Bongo Friendees at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Mazda Bongo Friendee

1. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 7.4% of tests (17.91x the national rate for this defect)
2. Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point, 2.7% of tests (11.75x the national rate for this defect)
3. 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, 11% of tests (11.69x 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, 4.7% of tests (10.71x the national rate for this defect)
5. Emissions levels exceed default limits, 3.1% of tests (8.75x the national rate for this defect)
6. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 7.8% of tests (4.24x 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, 2.6% of tests (3.44x the national rate for this defect)
8. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 2.3% of tests (2.21x the national rate for this defect)
9. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 4% of tests (1.81x the national rate for this defect)
10. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 2.2% of tests (1.76x the national rate for this defect)

From 743 DVSA-tracked Mazda Bongo Friendee tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 2.86% of these flagged Mazda Bongo Friendee defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Mazda Bongo Friendee

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Mazda Bongo Friendee before it actually fails on it.

1. Power steering fluid leaking or system malfunctioning, 2.4% of tests (10.03x the national rate for this advisory)
2. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 10.2% of tests (8.22x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow, 5.1% of tests (4.62x the national rate for this advisory)
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, 6.7% of tests (4.43x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 4.6% of tests (2.29x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
6. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 12.4% of tests (2.23x the national rate for this advisory)
7. A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded, 2.7% of tests (2.11x the national rate for this advisory)
8. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 7% of tests (1.48x the national rate for this advisory)
9. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 4.2% of tests (1.47x the national rate for this advisory)
10. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 11.2% of tests (1.2x the national rate for this advisory)

From 743 DVSA-tracked Mazda Bongo Friendee tests, 2024.

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

• Toyota Hi-Ace - 72.3%
• Lexus Rx300 - 72.3%
• Smart Roadster 80 Auto(Rhd) - 72.3%
• Ford Mondeo - 72.2%
• Ford Ka - 72.2%
• Nissan Note - 72.1%

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
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

Embed this data

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate