2019 Mazda 3 — MOT failures & pass rate
The 2019 Mazda 3 passed 93.0% of its 18,863 recorded MOT tests. That is 2.6 percentage points better than small family cars of a similar age, which fail at 9.7%. Failures cluster in tyres, visibility and lighting & signalling.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — tyres (3.9%) and visibility (2.8%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are wipers, headlamp aim and brake pads — wipers alone was recorded 447 times.
A 90-120k example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 13.6% versus 5.2%.
The petrol cars hold up better: 6.8% fail against 10.4% for diesel, a 3.7-point gap across 18,843 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 23.2% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 6.7% of tests failed in 2021 against 8.6% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 3.9% | 742 |
| 2 | Visibility | 2.8% | 525 |
| 3 | Lighting & signalling | 1.5% | 290 |
| 4 | Brakes | 1.5% | 283 |
| 5 | Suspension | 0.5% | 91 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 0.5% | 89 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wipers | 447 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 346 |
| 3 | Brake pads | 251 |
| 4 | Washers | 174 |
| 5 | Tread depth | 168 |
| 6 | Malfunction indicator lamp | 78 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 23.2% | 4,378 |
| 2 | Brakes | 18.0% | 3,394 |
| 3 | Other defects | 4.7% | 879 |
| 4 | Visibility | 2.6% | 486 |
| 5 | Road wheels | 1.7% | 311 |
| 6 | Suspension | 1.1% | 206 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 10,486 | 5.2% |
| 30-60k | 7,168 | 8.9% |
| 60-90k | 1,043 | 11.7% |
| 90-120k | 147 | 13.6% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 17,532 | 6.8% |
| Diesel | 1,311 | 10.4% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 105 | 6.7% |
| 2022 | 4,576 | 4.7% |
| 2023 | 4,688 | 6.5% |
| 2024 | 4,698 | 8.2% |
| 2025 | 4,796 | 8.6% |
What to check before buying a 2019 3
The failure pattern for this year is specific enough to inspect against: tyres accounted for 3.9% of tests. Start there.
- Tyres (3.9% of tests): Usually a quick, known-cost fix, but check tread, age and uneven wear (which can hint at alignment or suspension issues). Typical repair: £50–£120 per tyre.
- Visibility (2.8% of tests): Wipers, washers, mirrors and screen damage — usually inexpensive, but check for chips in the driver's line of sight. Typical repair: £15–£150.
- Lighting & signalling (1.5% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
How many 2019 Mazda 3s pass their MOT?
93.0% of the 18,863 2019 Mazda 3 MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 7.0% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2019 Mazda 3?
Tyres, recorded in 3.9% of tests, followed by visibility (2.8%).
Does the 2019 3 get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 5.2% in the 0-30k band to 13.6% in the 90-120k band.
Methodology & source. Based on 18,863 MOT tests. 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.