Mazda E Series: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Mazda E Series fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 14.8 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 838 individual Mazda E Series tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 61.9% first-time pass rate means roughly 38 in every 100 Mazda E 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 E Series tested had covered 117,553 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. On a Mazda E 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 E 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 E Series actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Mazda E Series

1. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 7% of tests (19.34x 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, 12.1% of tests (14.56x the national rate for this defect)
3. Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 2.3% of tests (13.84x the national rate for this defect)
4. 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, 2.6% of tests (11.46x the national rate for this defect)
5. 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, 3.4% of tests (9.98x the national rate for this defect)
6. Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle., 2.1% of tests (5.16x 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, 2.4% of tests (4.37x the national rate for this defect)
8. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 5.6% of tests (4.19x the national rate for this defect)
9. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 3.2% of tests (4.15x the national rate for this defect)
10. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 2.8% of tests (3.64x the national rate for this defect)

From 1,365 DVSA-tracked Mazda E Series tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 2.98% of these flagged Mazda E Series defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

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

• Mercedes-Benz Clc - 62%
• Peugeot 106 - 62%
• Jeep Cherokee Limited Crd A - 62%
• Renault Laguna - 61.8%
• Vauxhall Astravan - 61.8%
• Isuzu Rodeo - 61.8%

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