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Mazda 2 2008: MOT failure rate for its age

44.9% of 55,739 MOT tests of the Mazda 2 first registered in 2008 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 106.3 (95% CI 105.0–107.6; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 2008 Mazda 2 fails more often than other build years of the same model at the same age.

Mazda 2 built in 2008 at a glance
MeasureValueUnitCompared withYearsTests
Failed first time44.9%all ages tested2019–202455739
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 105.0–107.6)106.3index100 = normal for this model at that age2019–202455739
Rank among this model's 18 build years18of 181 = fails least for its age2019–202455739
Tested in 20247762testsmedian 94,275 miles20247762
line · Mazda 2 built 2008 · first-time MOT failure share by age · built 2008 41.7% vs model normal 41.5% at age 11 · 2019–2024
Built 2008 against Mazda 2 normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 11: 41.7% vs 41.5%; age 12: 42.6% vs 40.6%; age 13: 44.8% vs 42.4%; age 14: 45.7% vs 42.3%; age 15: 47.7% vs 44%; age 16: 48.4% vs 42.9%. Axis from 0% to 50%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · full dataset (v5).

How does the 2008 Mazda 2 fail at each age?

Cars built in 2008 were tested at ages 11 to 16 between 2019 and 2024. Each row compares their first-time failure share with what this model normally shows at that age, after allowing for the overall failure level of each test year.

Mazda 2 built 2008: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
AgeTestsFailed, %95% intervalNormal for this model at that age, %Index (100 = normal)
1110,72541.740.8–42.641.5100.4
129,86942.641.6–43.540.6104.8
139,60044.843.8–45.842.4105.5
149,17545.744.7–46.742.3107.9
158,60847.746.6–48.844108.3
167,76248.447.3–49.542.9112.8

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 55,739 (initial tests) · Method: normal rate = this model's first-time failure share at that age across its build years (cells of 400+ tests), adjusted for each test year's overall level; cells of 30+ tests, under 500 marked rough · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

What fails most on the 2008 Mazda 2?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2008 is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: 39.3 items per 100 first tests, against 15.8 across all build years of the Mazda 2. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2008 were tested at ages 11 to 16.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Mazda 2 built 2008 against the Mazda 2 in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure groupBuilt 2008, per 100All build years, per 100Items
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment39.315.821,930
Suspension30.317.516,909
Brakes13.87.97,698
Visibility12.897,142
Tyres11.58.46,415

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 55,739 (initial tests of this build year) · Method: failure items grouped by DVSA's top-level defect groups, per 100 initial tests; groups with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How does 2008 compare with the years around it?

Among the 18 published build years of the Mazda 2, 2008 ranks 18 (1 = fails least for its age). 2007: index 93.0. 2009: index 103.1.

Mazda 2 build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build yearIndex (100 = normal)95% intervalVerdictTests
200394.790.0–99.5better (rough estimate)3,617
200496.693.6–99.7better8,814
200596.093.1–98.8better10,194
200692.389.6–95.0better11,287
200793.091.0–95.1better20,552
2008106.3105.0–107.6worse55,739
2009103.1102.0–104.2worse81,240
2010104.5103.3–105.6worse79,098
2011103.0101.7–104.3worse65,941
2012100.999.4–102.4no different54,479
2013102.8101.2–104.5worse52,160
201496.094.3–97.8better51,132
2015100.698.8–102.4no different60,156
2016103.2101.2–105.1worse61,095
201782.980.5–85.2better39,956
201880.878.1–83.5better32,651
201977.374.1–80.4better25,533
202084.778.5–91.0better8,297

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 721,941 (initial tests) · Method: observed failures against those expected for the same model at the same ages, test-year level adjusted; verdict follows the printed one-decimal bound · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How to cite this page

MOT Risk Index (2026). Mazda 2 2008 MOT statistics (data release dvsa-2024-v2; full dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22975051), updated 30 September 2026. motriskindex.co.uk/cars/mazda-2/2008/

How every figure is calculated: methodology. Age, test year and build year are tied together (age = test year − build year), so the test-year level is taken as observed, not estimated.

Other pages for this model

Mazda 2 2003 · Mazda 2 2004 · Mazda 2 2005 · Mazda 2 2006 · Mazda 2 2007 · Mazda 2 2009 · Mazda 2 2010 · Mazda 2 2011 · Mazda 2 2012 · Mazda 2 2013 · Mazda 2 2014 · Mazda 2 2015 · Mazda 2 2016 · Mazda 2 2017 · Mazda 2 2018 · Mazda 2 2019 · Mazda 2 2020 · Mazda 2 in Norway · Mazda 2 in Finland · Mazda 2 in the Netherlands · Mazda 2 by postcode area · Mazda 2 body, chassis and structure failures · Mazda 2 brakes failures · Mazda 2 vehicle identification failures · Mazda 2 lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Mazda 2 noise, emissions and leaks failures · Mazda 2 road wheels failures · Mazda 2 seat belts and airbags failures · Mazda 2 steering failures · Mazda 2 suspension failures · Mazda 2 tyres failures · Mazda 2 visibility failures