1998 Mazda MX-5 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1998 perform at MOT as they age

28 years

Current Age

68.2%

Latest Pass Rate

70,772

Total Tests (All Years)

95,960 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 1998 Mazda MX-5 as it ages.

11 yrs65.3%

→ ↓3.1%

12 yrs62.2%

→ ↓1.3%

13 yrs60.9%

→ ↓1.6%

14 yrs59.3%

→ ↓1.1%

15 yrs58.2%

→ ↓0.5%

16 yrs57.7%

→ ↓1.2%

17 yrs56.5%

→ ↑2.1%

18 yrs58.6%

→ ↑0.4%

19 yrs59.0%

→ ↑2.7%

20 yrs61.7%

→ ↑0.8%

21 yrs62.5%

→ ↑2.1%

22 yrs64.6%

→ ↑0.5%

23 yrs65.1%

→ ↑0.8%

24 yrs65.9%

→ ↑0.1%

25 yrs66.0%

→ ↑2.2%

26 yrs68.2%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
11 yrs	65.3%	6,587
12 yrs	62.2%	6,226
13 yrs	60.9%	6,177
14 yrs	59.3%	5,935
15 yrs	58.2%	5,674
16 yrs	57.7%	5,333
17 yrs	56.5%	5,043
18 yrs	58.6%	4,735
19 yrs	59.0%	4,216
20 yrs	61.7%	2,716
21 yrs	62.5%	2,645
22 yrs	64.6%	2,170
23 yrs	65.1%	3,205
24 yrs	65.9%	2,522
25 yrs	66.0%	2,793
26 yrs	68.2%	4,795

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1998 Mazda MX-5 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2024 (26 yrs)	68.2%	4,795
2023 (25 yrs)	66%	2,793
2022 (24 yrs)	65.9%	2,522
2021 (23 yrs)	65.1%	3,205
2020 (22 yrs)	64.6%	2,170
2019 (21 yrs)	62.5%	2,645
2018 (20 yrs)	61.7%	2,716
2017 (19 yrs)	59%	4,216
2016 (18 yrs)	58.6%	4,735
2015 (17 yrs)	56.5%	5,043
2014 (16 yrs)	57.7%	5,333
2013 (15 yrs)	58.2%	5,674
2012 (14 yrs)	59.3%	5,935
2011 (13 yrs)	60.9%	6,177
2010 (12 yrs)	62.2%	6,226
2009 (11 yrs)	65.3%	6,587

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009

65.3%

Age (yrs) 11Tests 6,587Avg Mileage 72,357Top Failure Brakes — 20.0%

2010High Fail Rate

62.2%

Age (yrs) 12Tests 6,226Avg Mileage 76,682Top Failure Brakes — 21.1%

2011High Fail Rate

60.9%

Age (yrs) 13Tests 6,177Avg Mileage 79,603Top Failure Brakes — 21.7%

2012High Fail Rate

59.3%

Age (yrs) 14Tests 5,935Avg Mileage 83,014Top Failure Brakes — 24.1%

2013High Fail Rate

58.2%

Age (yrs) 15Tests 5,674Avg Mileage 85,702Top Failure Brakes — 58.9%

2014High Fail Rate

57.7%

Age (yrs) 16Tests 5,333Avg Mileage 87,689Top Failure Brakes — 61.3%

2015High Fail Rate

56.5%

Age (yrs) 17Tests 5,043Avg Mileage 89,658Top Failure Brakes — 59.7%

2016High Fail Rate

58.6%

Age (yrs) 18Tests 4,735Avg Mileage 91,472Top Failure Brakes — 53.1%

2017High Fail Rate

59.0%

Age (yrs) 19Tests 4,216Avg Mileage 91,716Top Failure Brakes — 55.9%

2018High Fail Rate

61.7%

Age (yrs) 20Tests 2,716Avg Mileage 91,957Top Failure Brakes — 49.4%

2019High Fail Rate

62.5%

Age (yrs) 21Tests 2,645Avg Mileage 92,446Top Failure Brakes — 52.1%

2020High Fail Rate

64.6%

Age (yrs) 22Tests 2,170Avg Mileage 91,213Top Failure Brakes — 48.7%

2021

65.1%

Age (yrs) 23Tests 3,205Avg Mileage 105,093Top Failure Suspension — 49.6%

2022

65.9%

Age (yrs) 24Tests 2,522Avg Mileage 95,134Top Failure Brakes — 48.0%

2023

66.0%

Age (yrs) 25Tests 2,793Avg Mileage 96,272Top Failure Suspension — 54.6%

2024

68.2%

Age (yrs) 26Tests 4,795Avg Mileage 95,960Top Failure Suspension — 43.2%

MOT results for 1998 Mazda MX-5 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	11	65.3%	6,587	72,357	Brakes — 20.0%
2010	12	62.2%	6,226	76,682	Brakes — 21.1%
2011	13	60.9%	6,177	79,603	Brakes — 21.7%
2012	14	59.3%	5,935	83,014	Brakes — 24.1%
2013	15	58.2%	5,674	85,702	Brakes — 58.9%
2014	16	57.7%	5,333	87,689	Brakes — 61.3%
2015	17	56.5%	5,043	89,658	Brakes — 59.7%
2016	18	58.6%	4,735	91,472	Brakes — 53.1%
2017	19	59.0%	4,216	91,716	Brakes — 55.9%
2018	20	61.7%	2,716	91,957	Brakes — 49.4%
2019	21	62.5%	2,645	92,446	Brakes — 52.1%
2020	22	64.6%	2,170	91,213	Brakes — 48.7%
2021	23	65.1%	3,205	105,093	Suspension — 49.6%
2022	24	65.9%	2,522	95,134	Brakes — 48.0%
2023	25	66.0%	2,793	96,272	Suspension — 54.6%
2024	26	68.2%	4,795	95,960	Suspension — 43.2%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1998 Mazda MX-5, with age trends.

Brakes

44.0%

↑ Increases with age

Suspension

34.4%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

29.1%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

26.0%

— Consistent

Noise, emissions and leaks

19.8%

— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Suspension	7.0% (11 yrs)	43.2% (26 yrs)	+36.2%	🔴 ↑
Brakes	20.0% (11 yrs)	36.2% (26 yrs)	+16.2%	🔴 ↑

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 1998 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2024, covering 70,772 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.