Reliability Report · Multi-Source Data

Mazda MX-5 Reliability

The Mazda MX-5 (current generation) scores 85/100 on our composite reliability index — excellent territory — drawn from DVSA, NHTSA data.

Composite Score
85
/ 100
Excellent
Sources: DVSA · NHTSA · latest 2026
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Reliability by Source

Each independent organization measures reliability differently. TÜV reports inspection defect rates by age band. ADAC reports pan-European breakdowns per 1,000 vehicles. NHTSA aggregates US consumer complaints. DVSA MOT data is the UK fleet's annual safety inspection — every car 3+ years old. Lower variance across sources = higher confidence in the composite.

NHTSA (US Complaints)
Model years 2003–2020 · 2026 report · n=40
40 complaints across 3 sampled year(s); resolved model="MX-5"
View source ↗
83
/ 100
DVSA MOT (UK Inspections)
Model years 2004–2021 · 2024 report · n=102822
102,822 UK MOT tests · overall 18.3% fail rate vs UK fleet baseline
View source ↗
87
/ 100
DVSA MOT (UK Inspections)
Model years 2003–2020 · 2023 report · n=70632
70,632 UK MOT tests · overall 20.6% fail rate vs UK fleet baseline
View source ↗
84
/ 100

UK MOT Reliability Detail

Based on 102,822 MOT tests in the UK during the 2024reporting period. Score for each age band reflects this model's fail rate vs the UK-fleet baseline fail rate at the same age — a generation-aware metric.

Age 3–5 yrs
91
5.3% fail vs 10.9% fleet
7,557 tests
Age 6–9 yrs
93
8.0% fail vs 19.2% fleet
26,510 tests
Age 10–14 yrs
88
17.7% fail vs 32.1% fleet
25,474 tests
Age 15–20 yrs
82
27.3% fail vs 38.8% fleet
43,281 tests

Most Common MOT Failure Categories

#1
Ball joint dust cover
12,823
27.3%
#2
Catalyst emissions
11,179
23.8%
#3
Component mounting prescribed areas
7,962
16.9%
#4
Service brake performance
7,951
16.9%
#5
Headlamp
7,096
15.1%

Categories ranked across all MOT tests of this model in the UK during the 2024period. "Condition" covers cosmetic / wear issues; suspension and braking dominate the rest.

Compare Against Alternatives

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