1997 Mazda MX-5 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1997 perform at MOT as they age

29 years

Current Age

68.0%

Latest Pass Rate

47,480

Total Tests (All Years)

94,321 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 1997 Mazda MX-5 as it ages.

12 yrs58.5%

→ ↓1.3%

13 yrs57.2%

→ ↓0.8%

14 yrs56.4%

→ ↓0.3%

15 yrs56.1%

→ ↓2.1%

16 yrs54.0%

→ ↑0.2%

17 yrs54.2%

→ ↑1.4%

18 yrs55.6%

→ ↑2.5%

19 yrs58.1%

→ ↓0.1%

20 yrs58.0%

→ ↑3.7%

21 yrs61.7%

→ ↓0.6%

22 yrs61.1%

→ ↑3.0%

23 yrs64.1%

→ ↓0.5%

24 yrs63.6%

→ ↑1.8%

25 yrs65.4%

→ ↑1.1%

26 yrs66.5%

→ ↑1.5%

27 yrs68.0%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
12 yrs	58.5%	4,441
13 yrs	57.2%	4,220
14 yrs	56.4%	4,140
15 yrs	56.1%	3,944
16 yrs	54.0%	3,718
17 yrs	54.2%	3,472
18 yrs	55.6%	3,224
19 yrs	58.1%	2,951
20 yrs	58.0%	2,722
21 yrs	61.7%	1,821
22 yrs	61.1%	1,747
23 yrs	64.1%	1,486
24 yrs	63.6%	2,165
25 yrs	65.4%	1,737
26 yrs	66.5%	1,968
27 yrs	68.0%	3,724

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1997 Mazda MX-5 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2024 (27 yrs)	68%	3,724
2023 (26 yrs)	66.5%	1,968
2022 (25 yrs)	65.4%	1,737
2021 (24 yrs)	63.6%	2,165
2020 (23 yrs)	64.1%	1,486
2019 (22 yrs)	61.1%	1,747
2018 (21 yrs)	61.7%	1,821
2017 (20 yrs)	58%	2,722
2016 (19 yrs)	58.1%	2,951
2015 (18 yrs)	55.6%	3,224
2014 (17 yrs)	54.2%	3,472
2013 (16 yrs)	54%	3,718
2012 (15 yrs)	56.1%	3,944
2011 (14 yrs)	56.4%	4,140
2010 (13 yrs)	57.2%	4,220
2009 (12 yrs)	58.5%	4,441

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate

58.5%

Age (yrs) 12Tests 4,441Avg Mileage 76,816Top Failure Brakes — 23.7%

2010High Fail Rate

57.2%

Age (yrs) 13Tests 4,220Avg Mileage 80,895Top Failure Brakes — 23.9%

2011High Fail Rate

56.4%

Age (yrs) 14Tests 4,140Avg Mileage 84,168Top Failure Brakes — 25.0%

2012High Fail Rate

56.1%

Age (yrs) 15Tests 3,944Avg Mileage 86,795Top Failure Brakes — 25.7%

2013High Fail Rate

54.0%

Age (yrs) 16Tests 3,718Avg Mileage 88,099Top Failure Brakes — 69.6%

2014High Fail Rate

54.2%

Age (yrs) 17Tests 3,472Avg Mileage 89,620Top Failure Brakes — 65.2%

2015High Fail Rate

55.6%

Age (yrs) 18Tests 3,224Avg Mileage 91,026Top Failure Brakes — 62.6%

2016High Fail Rate

58.1%

Age (yrs) 19Tests 2,951Avg Mileage 92,737Top Failure Brakes — 55.6%

2017High Fail Rate

58.0%

Age (yrs) 20Tests 2,722Avg Mileage 93,636Top Failure Brakes — 54.6%

2018High Fail Rate

61.7%

Age (yrs) 21Tests 1,821Avg Mileage 94,047Top Failure Brakes — 51.7%

2019High Fail Rate

61.1%

Age (yrs) 22Tests 1,747Avg Mileage 94,181Top Failure Brakes — 51.5%

2020High Fail Rate

64.1%

Age (yrs) 23Tests 1,486Avg Mileage 95,079Top Failure Brakes — 49.3%

2021High Fail Rate

63.6%

Age (yrs) 24Tests 2,165Avg Mileage 99,740Top Failure Suspension — 53.3%

2022

65.4%

Age (yrs) 25Tests 1,737Avg Mileage 95,916Top Failure Suspension — 54.5%

2023

66.5%

Age (yrs) 26Tests 1,968Avg Mileage 95,926Top Failure Suspension — 46.9%

2024

68.0%

Age (yrs) 27Tests 3,724Avg Mileage 94,321Top Failure Suspension — 39.9%

MOT results for 1997 Mazda MX-5 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	12	58.5%	4,441	76,816	Brakes — 23.7%
2010	13	57.2%	4,220	80,895	Brakes — 23.9%
2011	14	56.4%	4,140	84,168	Brakes — 25.0%
2012	15	56.1%	3,944	86,795	Brakes — 25.7%
2013	16	54.0%	3,718	88,099	Brakes — 69.6%
2014	17	54.2%	3,472	89,620	Brakes — 65.2%
2015	18	55.6%	3,224	91,026	Brakes — 62.6%
2016	19	58.1%	2,951	92,737	Brakes — 55.6%
2017	20	58.0%	2,722	93,636	Brakes — 54.6%
2018	21	61.7%	1,821	94,047	Brakes — 51.7%
2019	22	61.1%	1,747	94,181	Brakes — 51.5%
2020	23	64.1%	1,486	95,079	Brakes — 49.3%
2021	24	63.6%	2,165	99,740	Suspension — 53.3%
2022	25	65.4%	1,737	95,916	Suspension — 54.5%
2023	26	66.5%	1,968	95,926	Suspension — 46.9%
2024	27	68.0%	3,724	94,321	Suspension — 39.9%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1997 Mazda MX-5, with age trends.

Brakes

46.2%

↑ Increases with age

Suspension

38.6%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

24.9%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

23.7%

↑ Increases with age

Noise, emissions and leaks

20.8%

↑ Increases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Suspension	12.4% (12 yrs)	39.9% (27 yrs)	+27.5%	🔴 ↑
Brakes	23.7% (12 yrs)	37.0% (27 yrs)	+13.3%	🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Mazda MX-5 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Mazda MX-5 cars manufactured in 1997 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2024, covering 47,480 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.