Mazda 6 MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 27 model years and 402,150 tests, the Mazda 6 passes its MOT 79.7% of the time. That is effectively the same as large family cars of a similar age (20.0% fail rate), so the MOT record here is unremarkable in either direction. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, brakes and suspension.
Best and worst 6 years
Ranked across 6 years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
The strongest year on this record is 2020 (93.3% pass rate); the weakest is 2005 (66.9%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (8.8%) and brakes (8.5%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are position lamp, headlamp aim and brake pads — position lamp alone was recorded 17,931 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 7.2% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 27.7% once past 150k — 3.8× the risk.
Fuel type barely separates them — diesel fails 19.9% of the time against 20.9% for petrol.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: brakes was flagged on 28.2% of tests without failing them.
How it compares
By model year
Every 6 model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 734 | 66.5% | 33.5% | Suspension |
| 2003 | 1,942 | 68.0% | 32.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 3,660 | 67.0% | 33.0% | Suspension |
| 2005 | 7,689 | 66.9% | 33.1% | Suspension |
| 2006 | 11,778 | 69.6% | 30.4% | Suspension |
| 2007 | 20,110 | 70.3% | 29.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 27,379 | 72.2% | 27.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 29,487 | 75.0% | 24.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 36,956 | 75.2% | 24.8% | Brakes |
| 2011 | 28,204 | 75.6% | 24.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 19,176 | 77.5% | 22.5% | Brakes |
| 2013 | 26,665 | 80.1% | 19.9% | Suspension |
| 2014 | 38,679 | 81.6% | 18.4% | Suspension |
| 2015 | 40,129 | 83.2% | 16.8% | Suspension |
| 2016 | 40,574 | 84.8% | 15.2% | Suspension |
| 2017 | 26,873 | 87.5% | 12.5% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 18,016 | 90.2% | 9.8% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 19,529 | 92.0% | 8.0% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 3,381 | 93.3% | 6.7% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 729 | 93.5% | 6.5% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 448 | 94.6% | 5.4% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 8.8% | 35,456 |
| 2 | Brakes | 8.5% | 34,160 |
| 3 | Suspension | 8.2% | 32,803 |
| 4 | Tyres | 4.9% | 19,669 |
| 5 | Visibility | 3.6% | 14,521 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 2.5% | 10,095 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 1.7% | 6,625 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 0.9% | 3,821 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Position lamp | 17,931 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 14,555 |
| 3 | Brake pads | 12,515 |
| 4 | Rbt (sp) | 11,583 |
| 5 | Service brake performance | 11,188 |
| 6 | Wipers | 10,952 |
| 7 | Tread depth | 10,778 |
| 8 | Ball joint | 9,429 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brakes | 28.2% | 113,478 |
| 2 | Tyres | 26.0% | 104,447 |
| 3 | Suspension | 22.5% | 90,586 |
| 4 | Other defects | 9.2% | 36,863 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 8.6% | 34,590 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 5.4% | 21,639 |
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 | 26,034 | 7.2% |
| 30-60k | 75,531 | 13.3% |
| 60-90k | 105,772 | 19.2% |
| 90-120k | 100,861 | 24.1% |
| 120-150k | 60,255 | 26.5% |
| 150k+ | 33,638 | 27.7% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 217,451 | 19.9% |
| Petrol | 184,683 | 20.9% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 89,238 | 20.0% |
| 2022 | 87,276 | 19.6% |
| 2023 | 81,920 | 20.3% |
| 2024 | 75,247 | 20.8% |
| 2025 | 68,469 | 21.4% |
What to check before buying a Mazda 6
- Lighting & signalling (8.8% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (8.5% of tests): Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair: £100–£350 per axle.
- Suspension (8.2% of tests): Worn drop links, bushes, springs or shocks — listen for knocks over bumps and check for uneven tyre wear. Typical repair: £150–£450 per corner.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Mazda 6?
79.7% of the 402,150 Mazda 6 MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 20.3% fail rate, across model years 1997–2023.
What does the Mazda 6 most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 8.8% of tests, then brakes (8.5%).
Which 6 years are best and worst for MOT results?
2020 has the best pass rate at 93.3% and 2005 the weakest at 66.9%, from 3,381 and 7,689 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect 6 MOT results?
Fail rates run at 7.2% for cars in the 0-30k band and 27.7% for 150k+, a 20.4-point difference.
Is the diesel or petrol 6 more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the diesel fails 19.9% of the time against 20.9% for the petrol. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 402,150 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.