At a glance
How 2,787 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 50 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 50 in every 1001,383 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 19 yearsabout 105,090 miles
- First tests counted
- 2,787
What failed most often
- Individual sidelight or tail light (front)22 in every 100 failed tests
- Petrol engine warning light16 in every 100 failed tests
- Suspension arm ball joint (front)11 in every 100 failed tests
How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.
These are patterns across 2006 Mazda 3 vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. A wear pattern follows age and use more than the way the car was built. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.
Suspension
Two faults. The strongest is the suspension arm pins and bushes (rear): 3.4 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 1,381 of 1,383 failed first attempts (99.9%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like.
We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.
Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)
What it means
Pins and bushes on suspension arms fail as Major when they are excessively worn. They are graded Dangerous when likely to become detached. DVSA uses the same wording for a suspension joint.
Suspension arm ball joint (front)
What it means
A suspension arm ball joint is failed under the general suspension pin, bush or joint wording. Excessively worn is Major, and likely to become detached is graded Dangerous.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Noise, emissions and leaks
One fault: petrol engine warning light, 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.
Petrol engine warning light
What it means
The malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) on a petrol engine is a Major failure when it is illuminated indicating a malfunction. The detail line DVSA gives for the same row also names an inoperative lamp. The test covers only certain petrol vehicles, depending on their age, size and fuel type.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Brakes
One wear pattern: brake pads (rear), 2.4 times as often as on similar cars.
Brake pads (rear)
What it means
A pad worn down to its wear indicator, or contaminated with oil or grease, is Major. A pad worn below the set thickness limit, missing or incorrectly mounted is Dangerous. The manual treats an illuminated brake wear indicator as no reason for failure, although DVSA also lists an illuminated indicator as a Major row.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 92 first tests, 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.
Lamps and electrical
One wear pattern: headlight aim not tested, 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.
Headlight aim not tested
What it means
Headlamp aim recorded as not tested, or unable to be tested, is a Major failure. These results must only be used where it becomes apparent during the test that the item cannot be tested, and this could not have been identified before starting. The reason must be included in the additional information box.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Body and structure
One fault: chassis condition (rear), 2.0 times as often as on similar cars.
Chassis condition (rear)
What it means
A main load-bearing structural member that is fractured, deformed, modified or inadequately repaired is Major when structural rigidity is significantly reduced, and Dangerous where steering or braking is likely to be adversely affected. Corrosion of the body, cab or chassis at a mounting point is Dangerous where overall security or stability is impaired.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 41 first tests, 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.
Advisories
Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.
An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (rear)
Suspension arm (rear)
Structural sub-frame condition (rear)
Suspension sub-frame (rear)
Vehicle structure condition (rear)
Vehicle structure condition (front)
Other suspension component (rear)
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
MOT pass rates
How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.
- Passed first time
- 50in every 100
- Passed on the first test.
- Fixed at the station
- 11in every 100
- Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
- Failed
- 39in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 50.4% of 2,787 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 60.9%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 11 fixed and the 39 not fixed make the 50 in every 100 that did not pass first time.
Same model, other years
Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.
Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 52 in every 100 | 527 |
| 2005 | 47 in every 100 | 1,851 |
| 2006 This car | 50 in every 100 | 2,787 |
| 2007 | 51 in every 100 | 4,012 |
| 2008 | 50 in every 100 | 5,080 |
| 2009 | 56 in every 100 | 6,367 |
| 2010 | 57 in every 100 | 7,309 |
| 2011 | 56 in every 100 | 4,922 |
| 2012 | 63 in every 100 | 4,536 |
| 2013 | 68 in every 100 | 4,879 |
| 2014 | 70 in every 100 | 7,914 |
| 2015 | 70 in every 100 | 11,187 |
| 2016 | 73 in every 100 | 10,120 |
| 2017 | 74 in every 100 | 7,934 |
| 2018 | 83 in every 100 | 6,846 |
| 2019 | 87 in every 100 | 4,329 |
| 2020 | 87 in every 100 | 4,157 |
| 2021 | 89 in every 100 | 3,964 |
| 2022 | 92 in every 100 | 2,415 |
If you are buying one
What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.
Mileage matters most on a 2006 Mazda 3.
Of 2006 Mazda 3 vehicles with under 76,000 miles, 65 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 135,000 miles or more, 40 in every 100 did.
What to check at your mileage
How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.
| Under 76,000 | 96,000–113,000 | 135,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual sidelight or tail light (front) | 4.9 | 9.8 | 14.2 |
| Petrol engine warning light | 5.1 | 7.5 | 11.2 |
| Suspension arm ball joint (front) | 1.9 | 6.7 | 7.1 |
| Headlight aim | 4.4 | 5.3 | 6.9 |
| Headlight | 2.8 | 4.1 | 6.2 |
Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.
When a car fails
of failed cars had one item to fix.
of failed cars had three or more items to fix.
of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).
Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.
FAQs
Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.
About this data
How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.
These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.
What we include
UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.
Same-day repairs
PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.
How we compare
We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.
What this does not cover
- MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
- Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
- Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
- If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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