Pass rate
75.7%
Around average — 3.1 pts ahead of the 72.6% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 333 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £42–£118
2003 Mazda Rx-8 MOT pass rate
- 2003
- typical 64,675 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Brakes
21.1% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Which year to buy
- Best 2011 82.6% pass
- Avoid 2006 75.4% pass
Across the 9 years on record, a spread of 7.2 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 70.3%
- Typical mileage
- 65k mi
The 2003 Mazda Rx-8 MOT pass rate is 75.7% of its MOT tests — 3.1 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 21.1% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Emissions & leaks: 2.7× the national share
Emissions & leaks make up 14.7% of everything recorded on the 2003 Mazda Rx-8, against 5.5% nationally — 9.2 points above. Brakes are still the single largest share at 21.1%, but at 20.9% nationally that one is ordinary. A smoky diesel or a leaking joint fails on emissions more often than on wear, so ask for a recent emissions printout.
- Beats its own age and mileage. Once you allow for how old and how far these cars have been driven, the expected pass rate is 72.6% and this one manages 75.7% — 3.1 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- Based on a small sample. 333 tests back this page. That is enough to publish and to index, not enough to treat the decimal places as precise — read the pattern, not the second digit.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a Mazda Rx-8? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2003 Mazda Rx-8 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.6%, so this figure is 3.1 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 70.3%. The median 2003 Mazda Rx-8 in this dataset had covered 64,675 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 75.3% of the time, April–September 76.0%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction", noted on 5.11% of tests.
- 333 recorded tests behind this page.
- 75.7% overall pass rate, 70.3% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Mazda Rx-8, the average is 76.7% — best year 2011 (82.6%), worst 2006 (75.4%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 333
- Typical mileage (median)
- 64,675 mi
- Make and model
- Mazda Rx-8
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Indicator Bulb
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Rx-8 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 60% so small gaps stay visible.
Where the Mazda Rx-8 is most common
Across all Rx-8 model years on record (2003–2011): 4,970 Mazda Rx-8 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 10,318 tests. Reading (RG) has the most, with 134 cars tested there. Cars are counted by the postcode area of the MOT station, so this is where they were tested, not necessarily where their owners live.
| # | Postcode area | Cars | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reading (RG) | 134 | 75.9% |
| 2 | Birmingham (B) | 128 | 84.2% |
| 3 | Bromley (BR) | 122 | 81.1% |
| 4 | Slough (SL) | 114 | 84.3% |
| 5 | Coventry (CV) | 108 | 78.1% |
| 6 | Peterborough (PE) | 89 | 80.9% |
| 7 | Chelmsford (CM) | 89 | 83.1% |
| 8 | Sheffield (S) | 86 | 74.1% |
| 9 | Leicester (LE) | 85 | 81.0% |
| 10 | Ashford (TN) | 85 | 78.3% |
| 11 | Guildford (GU) | 85 | 76.0% |
| 12 | Bristol (BS) | 78 | 65.7% |
| 13 | Southampton (SO) | 76 | 78.4% |
| 14 | High Wycombe (HP) | 76 | 78.7% |
| 15 | Northampton (NN) | 75 | 72.2% |
| 16 | Wakefield (WF) | 75 | 80.2% |
| 17 | Ipswich (IP) | 73 | 71.1% |
| 18 | Dartford (DA) | 68 | 87.1% |
| 19 | Oxford (OX) | 67 | 73.5% |
| 20 | Portsmouth (PO) | 66 | 68.5% |
The twenty areas with the most Mazda Rx-8 cars in the record, sorted by car count — sort the columns for a different question. Cars tested at a station whose postcode area could not be resolved are counted in the model's total but in no area, so the shares add up to slightly under 100% even across every area, and an area's cars are a subset of the model's. Pass rate is blank below 30 tests in an area, where a percentage is noise rather than a finding. How this model's pass rate varies by postcode →
Regional pass rates for the Rx-8
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 114 | 78.9% |
| South West | 61 | 75.4% |
| East of England | 34 | 76.5% |
| West Midlands | 31 | 80.6% |
| North West | 22 | 63.6% |
| East Midlands | 22 | 59.1% |
| London | 15 | 93.3% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2003 Rx-8
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2003 Rx-8
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the lights 5.1% of tests
“malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction”
Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.
-
Check corrosion 3.0% of tests
“component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength”
Look under the sills, around the jacking points and where the suspension mounts meet the body. Flaking, holed or crumbly metal fails; a brown stain on sound metal does not.
-
Check the exhaust and emissions 2.7% of tests
“catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits”
Listen for a blow at idle and have someone rev it gently. Then look at the tailpipe smoke: blue is oil, white when warm is coolant, black is over-fuelling. Any of those and the emissions test is the least of it.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2003 Rx-8 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £42–£118 — and 51% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £42–£118
- Cheapest common item: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: component mounting prescribed areas…
- £180–£450
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 51%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 333 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the Rx-8, side by side
9 model years on record, from 2003 to 2011. Across them the pass rate runs from 75.4% to 82.6% — a spread of 7.2 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2003 75.7%malfunction indicator lamp…
- 2004 76.7% malfunction indicator lamp…
- 2005 75.4% malfunction indicator lamp…
- 2006 75.4% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2007 77.0% catalyst emissions carbon…
- 2008 76.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2009 79.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2010 81.0% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2011 82.6% windscreen damaged but not…
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2003 Mazda Rx-8 with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2003 cars with a similar record
- Land Rover Defender 75.7%
- Rover 25 75.7%
- SEAT Leon 75.8%
- Toyota Avensis 75.6%
- BMW 316 75.6%
- Mercedes-Benz Clk 75.5%
Closest pass rates among 2003 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2003 Mazda Rx-8 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 796 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 171 | 21.10% | 20.89% | +0.21 |
| Suspension | 163 | 20.10% | 20.98% | −0.88 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 119 | 14.70% | 5.52% | +9.18 |
| Tyres | 115 | 14.20% | 19.76% | −5.56 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 84 | 10.40% | 12.21% | −1.81 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 81 | 10.00% | 5.57% | +4.43 |
| Visibility | 24 | 3.00% | 4.97% | −1.97 |
| Steering | 16 | 2.00% | 2.57% | −0.57 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 12 | 1.50% | 0.82% | +0.68 |
| Non-component advisories | 11 | 1.40% | 4.18% | −2.78 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 5.1% | £3–12 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 4.5% | £5–25 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 3.3% | £5–20 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | Major | 3.0% | £180–450 |
| Catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 2.7% | £60–250 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 2.4% | £18–45 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.4% | £5–25 |
| Service brake performance excessively binding Brakes | Major | 2.4% | £60–150 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 2.4% | £80–200 |
| Battery(ies) insecure but not likely to fall from carrier Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 2.1% | £60–140 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 13.5% | £200–700 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 13.2% | £45–95 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 12.3% | £45–95 |
| Sub-frame corroded and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 10.5% | £180–450 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 9.9% | £45–110 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 9.6% | £18–45 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 34 | 88.2% | 23,603 mi |
| 30-60k | 103 | 76.7% | 47,767 mi |
| 60-90k | 125 | 74.4% | 73,655 mi |
| 90-120k | 55 | 70.9% | 101,763 mi |
| 120k+ | 16 | 68.8% | 128,515 mi |
Source: 333 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2003 Rx-8 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2003 Mazda Rx-8?
75.7% of the 333 2003 Mazda Rx-8 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.6% for cars first used in 2003. First-attempt pass rate: 70.3%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2003 Mazda Rx-8?
The three most recorded items are malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction (5.11%), headlamp lens slightly defective (4.50%), registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (3.30%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2003 Mazda Rx-8 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 88.2% of the time, falling to 68.8% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2003 Mazda Rx-8 in this dataset had covered 64,675 mi.
Does the season affect the 2003 Mazda Rx-8 MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 75.3% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 76.0%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.