Mazda Cx-5: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Mazda Cx-5 passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 6.4 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 58,650 individual Mazda Cx-5 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 83.1% first-time pass rate means roughly 17 in every 100 Mazda Cx-5s 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-5 tested had covered 64,214 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. The Mazda Cx-5 sits 6.4 points above the national average, ranked 1,332 of 2,005 models. On one bought as 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-5 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 the median recorded closing bid for a damaged Mazda Cx-5: £1,000 at UK salvage auction, from 15 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Mazda Cx-5

1. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 2.4% of tests (1.81x the national rate for this defect)
2. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 3% of tests (1.4x the national rate for this defect)
3. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 2.9% of tests
4. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 2.1% of tests
5. A tyre seriously damaged, 2.1% of tests
6. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 1.9% of tests
7. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 1.8% of tests
8. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 1.1% of tests
9. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 0.8% of tests
10. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 0.7% of tests

From 58,605 DVSA-tracked Mazda Cx-5 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.21% of these flagged Mazda Cx-5 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Mazda Cx-5

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 Cx-5 before it actually fails on it.

1. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 14.8% of tests (1.58x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 25.2% of tests, also fails
3. A tyre seriously damaged, 17.1% of tests, also fails
4. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 14% of tests
5. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 11.9% of tests, also fails
6. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 5.7% of tests
7. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 5.7% of tests, also fails
8. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 3.3% of tests
9. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 1.6% of tests
10. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 1.5% of tests, also fails

From 58,605 DVSA-tracked Mazda Cx-5 tests, 2024.

Mazda Cx-5 pass rate by model year

From its 2012 to its 2020 model year, the Mazda Cx-5's first-time pass rate has risen 20.9 points, from 70.9% to 91.8%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Mazda Cx-5 year:

• 2012 Mazda Cx-5 - 70.9% first-time pass, 1,435 tests
• 2013 Mazda Cx-5 - 70.2% first-time pass, 5,128 tests
• 2014 Mazda Cx-5 - 76% first-time pass, 6,779 tests
• 2015 Mazda Cx-5 - 79.8% first-time pass, 7,038 tests
• 2016 Mazda Cx-5 - 82% first-time pass, 7,095 tests
• 2017 Mazda Cx-5 - 87% first-time pass, 7,234 tests
• 2018 Mazda Cx-5 - 88.8% first-time pass, 10,093 tests
• 2019 Mazda Cx-5 - 90.1% first-time pass, 10,156 tests
• 2020 Mazda Cx-5 - 91.8% first-time pass, 3,346 tests

Mazda Cx-5 by fuel type

The Mazda Cx-5's two most-tested fuel types split by 6.9 points: diesel passes first time 81% of the time (36,943 tests) against 87.9% for petrol (21,421 tests).

• Diesel Mazda Cx-5 - 81% first-time pass, 36,943 tests
• Petrol Mazda Cx-5 - 87.9% first-time pass, 21,421 tests

Other Mazda models

• Mazda 2 - 73.4%
• Mazda 3 - 73.4%
• Mazda Mx-5 - 77.2%
• Mazda 6 - 74%
• Mazda Cx-3 - 88%
• Mazda 5 - 59%
• Mazda Bongo - 58.1%
• Mazda 2 GT Sport Nav Mhev - 93.9%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Audi Q7 - 83.2%
• Ford Transit Custom 280leader Eblue - 83.2%
• Vauxhall Corsa E Se Nav - 83.2%
• Nissan Leaf - 83.1%
• BMW 640 - 83.1%
• BMW 216 - 83.1%

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?

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate