MOT cost .

Mazda

CX 3

41,060 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where CX 3s pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.

That's 9.7 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.

Pass

87.2%

Pass-after-fix

2.6%

Fail

9.9%

Avg miles

44,539

Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%

ULEZ compliant

Petrol cars first registered from January 2006 meet Euro 4 — compliant in London ULEZ, Birmingham CAZ, Bristol CAZ, and Glasgow LEZ.

UK ULEZ & CAZ guide →

Performance by cohort

2 year bands · 41,050 tests

Pass rate climbs 3.8 points across the cohorts — newer CX 3 examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 24,812

Pass

85.7%

Fail

11.5%

PRS

2.5%

Avg mileage at test

51,732 mi

2018–2020 cohort 16,238

Pass

89.5%

Fail

7.4%

PRS

2.8%

Avg mileage at test

33,567 mi

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

The picture

Mazda CX 3: solid MOT record across 27,456 tests

The Mazda CX 3 is a petrol-powered car sold in the UK market across multiple generations, covering a broad date range in the test population.

MOT data from 27,456 tests puts this car on an 87.7% first-time pass rate, well above the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 37,826 miles. The most common fail item is defective wiper blade, followed by cracked or discoloured windscreen.

For used buyers, the CX 3's pass rate suggests it clears the MOT with fewer surprises than most — but the top failure items above are still worth a pre-purchase inspection, particularly on higher-mileage examples.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 14–22

Below the fleet average — generally reasonable to insure. 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 →

14–22

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

  1. 01

    Wiper blade defective

    658 occurrences · 1.6% of tests

  2. 02

    A tyre seriously damaged

    550 occurrences · 1.3% of tests

  3. 03

    a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

    544 occurrences · 1.3% of tests

  4. 04

    A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

    532 occurrences · 1.3% of tests

  5. 05

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

    517 occurrences · 1.3% of tests

  6. 06

    Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

    449 occurrences · 1.1% of tests

  7. 07

    Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

    416 occurrences · 1.0% of tests

  8. 08

    A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened

    371 occurrences · 0.9% of tests

  9. 09

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

    299 occurrences · 0.7% of tests

  10. 10

    Seat belt retractor not functioning as intended

    252 occurrences · 0.6% 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 3 failures

£180£445

If every one of this CX 3'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 3.8-point gap between bands means the year you buy Mazda CX 3 has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

89.5%

2018–2020 registration

the 2018–2020 band climbs to 89.5% — a 3.8-point improvement. Tests in this band average 33,567 miles — roughly 18K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: blade defective, has a cut in excess of the… — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. The stricter post-2018 MOT test rules meant manufacturers had to tighten up emissions and electrical checks, but this band still shows far fewer major failures on suspension and bodywork than the older fleet.

Band to be cautious about

85.7%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 85.7% pass rate against a fleet average of 89.5% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated, fractured or broken, and less than 1.5 mm thick. Average mileage on test for this band is 51,732 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (89.5% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (85.7% pass). That's a 3.8-point spread across 24,812 older tests and 16,238 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.

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

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

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.

Recent owner-reported faults

  1. 17 Jul 2017

    Failure of a/c on new Ma

Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 1 reports indexed

Recall history

5 UK recalls on record.

The CX 3 has 5 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a CX 3?

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 CX 3 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.