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1988 Mazda 121 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1988 perform at MOT as they age

38 years
Current Age
46.9%
Latest Pass Rate
353
Total Tests (All Years)
79,607 mi
Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Insufficient data for same-age comparison.

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1988 Mazda 121 as it ages.

21 yrs50.0%
22 yrs39.3%
23 yrs45.7%
24 yrs50.0%
25 yrs46.9%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 21 to 25 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
21 yrs50.0%122
22 yrs39.3%89
23 yrs45.7%70
24 yrs50.0%40
25 yrs46.9%32

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1988 Mazda 121 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows improving over 5 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2013 (25 yrs)46.9%32
2012 (24 yrs)50%40
2011 (23 yrs)45.7%70
2010 (22 yrs)39.3%89
2009 (21 yrs)50%122

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate
50.0%
Age (yrs) 21Tests 122Avg Mileage 78,208Top Failure Suspension — 38.5%
2010High Fail Rate
39.3%
Age (yrs) 22Tests 89Avg Mileage 80,907Top Failure Suspension — 48.3%
2011High Fail Rate
45.7%
Age (yrs) 23Tests 70Avg Mileage 76,332Top Failure Suspension — 37.1%
2012High Fail Rate
50.0%
Age (yrs) 24Tests 40Avg Mileage 78,169Top Failure Suspension — 42.5%
2013High Fail Rate
46.9%
Age (yrs) 25Tests 32Avg Mileage 79,607Top Failure Suspension — 106.3%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1988 Mazda 121, with age trends.

Suspension
54.5%
↑ Increases with age
Brakes
37.6%
↑ Increases with age
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
22.5%
↑ Increases with age
Seat Belts and Supplementary Restraint Systems
21.9%
— Consistent
Tyres
19.6%
↑ Increases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Suspension38.5% (21 yrs)106.3% (25 yrs)
+67.8%
🔴 ↑
Brakes25.4% (21 yrs)53.1% (25 yrs)
+27.7%
🔴 ↑
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment17.2% (21 yrs)31.3% (25 yrs)
+14.1%
🔴 ↑
Tyres18.9% (21 yrs)25.0% (25 yrs)
+6.1%
🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Mazda 121 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Mazda 121 cars manufactured in 1988 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2013, covering 353 tests. Pass rates naturally decline with age as components wear.

Based on DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2005–2024). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.

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