Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 110,633 tests

Pass rate climbs 18.4 points across the cohorts — newer 6 examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 98,450

Pass

73.1%

Fail

21.6%

PRS

4.4%

Avg mileage at test

100,302 mi

2018–2020 cohort 12,065

Pass

88.9%

Fail

8.5%

PRS

2.4%

Avg mileage at test

44,067 mi

2021+ cohort 118

Pass

91.5%

Fail

6.8%

PRS

1.7%

Avg mileage at test

26,540 mi

Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.

Generations on file · 3

Mazda 6 · UK market

Photos: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA / CC BY / public domain.

The picture

Mazda 6: mixed MOT record across 82,496 tests

The Mazda 6 is a mid-size sedan produced by Mazda since 2002, replacing the long-produced Capella/626.

MOT data from 82,496 tests puts this car on a 74.8% first-time pass rate, below the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 90,281 miles. The most common fail item is suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated, followed by failed number plate light.

Honest John owner records point to engine oil consumption or timing chain issues as the recurring problems to check before buying used.

Buyers weighing up a used 6 should treat the failure breakdown as a pre-purchase checklist. The pass rate is reasonable, but the gap between first attempt and a clean sheet narrows with age and mileage.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 20–32

Above average — worth comparing quotes before buying. Lower groups cost less to insure; UK fleet average is around Group 22.

Source: ABI Group Rating Panel · administered by Thatcham Research · groups cover standard variants; performance trims may sit higher. Browse all insurance groups →

20–32

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

Hide wear items to see the model's real defects.

01

A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

3,753 occurrences · 3.4% of tests
02

A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources

3,699 occurrences · 3.3% of tests
03

Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective

2,968 occurrences · 2.7% of tests
04

A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

2,702 occurrences · 2.4% of tests
05

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

2,462 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
06

Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view

2,109 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
07

Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement

2,106 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
08

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

2,022 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
09

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

1,968 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
10

A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc

1,594 occurrences · 1.4% of tests

Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.

Worst-case fix budget · top 4 failures

£178–£515

If every one of this 6's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →

Try the calculator

Build your own retest budget.

Year-band analysis

Best year to buy. Worst to avoid.

First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 18.4-point gap between bands means the year you buy Mazda 6 has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

91.5%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 91.5% — a 18.4-point improvement. Tests in this band average 26,540 miles — roughly 74K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: blade defective, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.

Band to be cautious about

73.1%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 73.1% pass rate against a fleet average of 91.5% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated, inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, and lens slightly defective. Average mileage on test for this band is 100,302 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (91.5% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (73.1% pass). That's a 18.4-point spread across 98,450 older tests and 118 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.

Year-spread leaderboard →

Tools that pre-empt a retest.

Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.

Item 01 · Amazon UK

H7 / W21W bulb pack

A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.

Search Amazon UK

Item 02 · Amazon UK

Headlight restoration kit

Yellowed lenses fail the light-output test. A restoration kit lifts the haze in an afternoon for £20.

Search Amazon UK

Item 03 · Amazon UK

Brake pad measurement gauge

Testers fail pads under 1.5mm. A wear gauge tells you if you've got two months left or two weeks.

Search Amazon UK

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Draper

Draper Drain Plug Key, 3/8 Square x 3/8 Sq. Dr.

£15.39

View at My Motor World →

Hycote

Hycote Mazda Silver Stone Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Autotek

Autotek Mazda Arctic White 300ml

£14.29

View at My Motor World →

Autotek

Autotek Mazda Brilliant Black 300ml

£14.29

View at My Motor World →

Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Mobile mechanic · UK-wide

Book a mechanic at your door.

Fixed-price quotes upfront. No garage needed. Click Mechanic sends a vetted local mechanic to you — home, work, or roadside.

Get a quote →

Owner reports · Honest John

What owners actually report.

Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.

Where it falls short

Owner reports (15 entries) flag recurring problems with DPF, oil consumption, brake discs.

Recall history

17 UK recalls on record.

The 6 has 17 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a 6?

Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.

If you own a 6 and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.