2008 Mazda Rx-8: MOT pass rate and reliability
69.8% of 2008 Mazda Rx-8s pass the MOT first time, measured across 397 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 66,641 miles.
How the 2008 compares
- Against all Mazda Rx-8s (71.8%, 2,924 tests): -2 points
- Against all 2008 cars (64.7%): +5.1 points
- National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%
Every Mazda Rx-8 model year
Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2008 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Mazda Rx-8:
| Year | Pass rate | Tests | Avg mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 69.7% | 492 | 66,460 |
| 2005 | 68.4% | 380 | 66,367 |
| 2006 | 71.3% | 557 | 66,477 |
| 2007 | 72.8% | 610 | 65,426 |
| 2008 | 69.8% | 397 | 66,641 |
| 2009 | 75% | 280 | 66,101 |
What this means if you are buying a 2008 Rx-8
The 2008 is a weaker year for this model, passing 2 points less often than the Mazda Rx-8 average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 2008 figure for all cars above rather than against newer examples. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.
What an 18-year-old car fails on
A 2008 car is 18 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:
- Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
- Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
- Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
- Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
- Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
- Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested
That is a shade above the middle of the range, still ordinary wear rather than a red flag, but worth checking against the service book for the car's age. On a 2008 Mazda Rx-8 the average at test was 66,641 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.
The strongest year for this model is 2009 at 75%, and the weakest in our data is 2005 at 68.4%. That 6.6 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2008 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 2005 Mazda Rx-8 - 68.4%
- 2006 Mazda Rx-8 - 71.3%
- 2007 Mazda Rx-8 - 72.8%
- 2009 Mazda Rx-8 - 75%