2003 Mazda MX-5 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 2003 perform at MOT as they age

23 years

Current Age

65.4%

Latest Pass Rate

106,418

Total Tests (All Years)

83,063 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 2003 Mazda MX-5 as it ages.

6 yrs79.0%

→ ↓2.3%

7 yrs76.7%

→ ↓4.1%

8 yrs72.6%

→ ↓2.2%

9 yrs70.4%

→ ↓4.7%

10 yrs65.7%

→ ↓2.3%

11 yrs63.4%

→ ↓1.6%

12 yrs61.8%

→ ↓1.5%

13 yrs60.3%

→ ↓2.7%

14 yrs57.6%

→ ↓0.3%

15 yrs57.3%

→ ↑1.7%

16 yrs59.0%

→ ↑1.1%

17 yrs60.1%

→ ↓1.3%

18 yrs58.8%

→ ↑2.8%

19 yrs61.6%

→ ↑0.7%

20 yrs62.3%

→ ↑3.1%

21 yrs65.4%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
6 yrs	79.0%	8,536
7 yrs	76.7%	8,301
8 yrs	72.6%	8,408
9 yrs	70.4%	8,264
10 yrs	65.7%	8,209
11 yrs	63.4%	8,039
12 yrs	61.8%	7,908
13 yrs	60.3%	7,686
14 yrs	57.6%	7,483
15 yrs	57.3%	4,994
16 yrs	59.0%	4,800
17 yrs	60.1%	4,058
18 yrs	58.8%	5,660
19 yrs	61.6%	4,359
20 yrs	62.3%	4,654
21 yrs	65.4%	5,059

Pass Rate Trend

How the 2003 Mazda MX-5 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2024 (21 yrs)	65.4%	5,059
2023 (20 yrs)	62.3%	4,654
2022 (19 yrs)	61.6%	4,359
2021 (18 yrs)	58.8%	5,660
2020 (17 yrs)	60.1%	4,058
2019 (16 yrs)	59%	4,800
2018 (15 yrs)	57.3%	4,994
2017 (14 yrs)	57.6%	7,483
2016 (13 yrs)	60.3%	7,686
2015 (12 yrs)	61.8%	7,908
2014 (11 yrs)	63.4%	8,039
2013 (10 yrs)	65.7%	8,209
2012 (9 yrs)	70.4%	8,264
2011 (8 yrs)	72.6%	8,408
2010 (7 yrs)	76.7%	8,301
2009 (6 yrs)	79%	8,536

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009

79.0%

Age (yrs) 6Tests 8,536Avg Mileage 39,995Top Failure Brakes — 10.5%

2010

76.7%

Age (yrs) 7Tests 8,301Avg Mileage 45,209Top Failure Brakes — 12.3%

2011

72.6%

Age (yrs) 8Tests 8,408Avg Mileage 50,112Top Failure Brakes — 12.3%

2012

70.4%

Age (yrs) 9Tests 8,264Avg Mileage 54,500Top Failure Brakes — 15.6%

2013

65.7%

Age (yrs) 10Tests 8,209Avg Mileage 58,586Top Failure Brakes — 44.2%

2014High Fail Rate

63.4%

Age (yrs) 11Tests 8,039Avg Mileage 62,338Top Failure Brakes — 49.5%

2015High Fail Rate

61.8%

Age (yrs) 12Tests 7,908Avg Mileage 65,891Top Failure Brakes — 49.5%

2016High Fail Rate

60.3%

Age (yrs) 13Tests 7,686Avg Mileage 69,340Top Failure Brakes — 52.0%

2017High Fail Rate

57.6%

Age (yrs) 14Tests 7,483Avg Mileage 71,664Top Failure Brakes — 56.8%

2018High Fail Rate

57.3%

Age (yrs) 15Tests 4,994Avg Mileage 73,145Top Failure Suspension — 60.3%

2019High Fail Rate

59.0%

Age (yrs) 16Tests 4,800Avg Mileage 73,851Top Failure Suspension — 63.2%

2020High Fail Rate

60.1%

Age (yrs) 17Tests 4,058Avg Mileage 74,429Top Failure Suspension — 61.3%

2021High Fail Rate

58.8%

Age (yrs) 18Tests 5,660Avg Mileage 83,423Top Failure Suspension — 71.2%

2022High Fail Rate

61.6%

Age (yrs) 19Tests 4,359Avg Mileage 80,227Top Failure Suspension — 65.9%

2023High Fail Rate

62.3%

Age (yrs) 20Tests 4,654Avg Mileage 81,143Top Failure Suspension — 63.1%

2024

65.4%

Age (yrs) 21Tests 5,059Avg Mileage 83,063Top Failure Suspension — 52.4%

MOT results for 2003 Mazda MX-5 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	6	79.0%	8,536	39,995	Brakes — 10.5%
2010	7	76.7%	8,301	45,209	Brakes — 12.3%
2011	8	72.6%	8,408	50,112	Brakes — 12.3%
2012	9	70.4%	8,264	54,500	Brakes — 15.6%
2013	10	65.7%	8,209	58,586	Brakes — 44.2%
2014	11	63.4%	8,039	62,338	Brakes — 49.5%
2015	12	61.8%	7,908	65,891	Brakes — 49.5%
2016	13	60.3%	7,686	69,340	Brakes — 52.0%
2017	14	57.6%	7,483	71,664	Brakes — 56.8%
2018	15	57.3%	4,994	73,145	Suspension — 60.3%
2019	16	59.0%	4,800	73,851	Suspension — 63.2%
2020	17	60.1%	4,058	74,429	Suspension — 61.3%
2021	18	58.8%	5,660	83,423	Suspension — 71.2%
2022	19	61.6%	4,359	80,227	Suspension — 65.9%
2023	20	62.3%	4,654	81,143	Suspension — 63.1%
2024	21	65.4%	5,059	83,063	Suspension — 52.4%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 2003 Mazda MX-5, with age trends.

Brakes

42.3%

↑ Increases with age

Suspension

39.8%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

23.4%

↑ Increases with age

Body, chassis, structure

21.3%

↑ Increases with age

Noise, emissions and leaks

18.0%

↓ Decreases 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	2.5% (6 yrs)	52.4% (21 yrs)	+49.9%	🔴 ↑
Brakes	10.5% (6 yrs)	39.2% (21 yrs)	+28.7%	🔴 ↑

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 2003 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2024, covering 106,418 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.