Mazda Rx-8 MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Mazda Rx-8 MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Mazda Rx-8 passed on its first attempt in 72.6%, and its overall record sits −4.3 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Mazda Rx-8 in the 2023–2025 data: 10,321 tests across 9 model years (2003–2011). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Mazda Rx-8 MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Mazda Rx-8, the Noise, emissions and leaks section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the Mazda Rx-8's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Mazda Rx-8 DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Mazda Rx-8, each with how many of the model's 10,321 tests it was noted on.

• "Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction" (Major) — noted on about 355 Mazda Rx-8 tests, 3.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp lens slightly defective" (Minor) — noted on about 323 Mazda Rx-8 tests, 3.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits" (Major) — noted on about 299 Mazda Rx-8 tests, 2.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 298 Mazda Rx-8 tests, 2.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits" (Major) — noted on about 274 Mazda Rx-8 tests, 2.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Service brake performance excessively binding" (Major) — noted on about 267 Mazda Rx-8 tests, 2.6% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Mazda Rx-8 Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Mazda Rx-8 model year on record is 2011 (82.6% across 69 tests), and the weakest is 2005 (75.4%). The gap between them is 7.2 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Mazda Rx-8 reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.5 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Mazda Rx-8 Owners

These checks follow this Mazda Rx-8's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Mazda Rx-8.

• the lights — “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.

• the exhaust and emissions — “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.

• the coil springs — “coil spring fractured or broken”

  Look up inside each wheel arch with a torch, all the way round the spring. A snapped spring usually breaks at the very bottom coil, where a quick glance will not reach.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Mazda Rx-8. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the Mazda Rx-8 is most common

Across every Rx-8 model year 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.

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 →

Frequently Asked Questions: Mazda Rx-8 MOT & Reliability