Mazda Cx-3: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Mazda Cx-3 passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 11.3 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 25,043 individual Mazda Cx-3 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

First-time pass rate88%
UK national average76.7%
Difference+11.3 points
Tests analysed25,043
Average mileage at test43,653 miles
Average year of manufacture2017
Reliability rank981 of 2,005 models

What this means if you are buying one

A 88% first-time pass rate means roughly 12 in every 100 Mazda Cx-3s presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is better than average, so a well-kept example is a reasonably safe used buy. The average Mazda Cx-3 tested had covered 43,653 miles and was built around 2017.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Mazda Cx-3 bought as a repairable salvage, the mechanical side is less likely to spring surprises, so your repair estimate should hold up reasonably well.

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 Cx-3 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 Cx-3s actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Mazda Cx-3

  1. Seat belt retractor not functioning as intended, 0.7% of tests (24.53x the national rate for this defect)
  2. Seat belt not functioning as intended or of an incorrect type, 0.3% of tests (5.88x the national rate for this defect)
  3. A tyre seriously damaged, 2.2% of tests
  4. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 1.5% of tests
  5. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 1.3% of tests
  6. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 1.1% of tests
  7. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 1% of tests
  8. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 0.6% of tests
  9. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 0.4% of tests
  10. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 0.4% of tests

From 36,922 DVSA-tracked Mazda Cx-3 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.4% of these flagged Mazda Cx-3 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Mazda Cx-3 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 Cx-3 year:

Mazda Cx-3 by fuel type

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

Other Mazda models

Models with a similar pass rate

If this car is a salvage or write-off

Embed this data

Run a site about the Mazda Cx-3? Embed the real DVSA pass-rate badge free, linked back to this page.

Mazda Cx-3 MOT pass rate badge: 88%

<a href="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/mot/mazda-cx-3"><img src="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/badge/mazda-cx-3.svg" width="340" height="92" alt="Mazda Cx-3 MOT Pass Rate: 88% - Salvage Prophet"></a>

All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate