Mazda MX-5 vs Porsche 911

On MOT-testable defects the Porsche 911 comes out ahead: 9.7% of its tests record a failure against 18.7% for the Mazda MX-5, a 9.1-point gap. The biggest single difference is suspension, where the MX-5 records failures noticeably more often.

18.7%
MX-5 fail rate
9.7%
911 fail rate
9.07pp
Difference

Side by side

MOT figures compared
MetricMazda MX-5Porsche 911
MOT tests analysed557,938252,686
Pass rate81.3%90.3%
Fail rate18.7%9.7%
Fail rate compared (lower is better) Mazda MX-5 18.7% Porsche 911 9.7%
Overall MOT fail rate across comparable model years.

Where they differ

Failure-area share, by category
CategoryMX-5911
Suspension8.1%1.6%
Brakes6.8%2.0%
Visibility3.5%0.0%
Tyres0.0%2.3%
Emissions & environmental4.1%1.9%
Lighting & signalling6.9%4.8%

Methodology & source. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.

See the full data