Does the Mazda 3 fail the MOT on noise, emissions and leaks more than it should?
The Mazda 3 records 3.29 noise, emissions and leaks failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 3.71 expected for a car of the same age mix: about as expected for its class and age (the difference is within its interval or under 0.5 items per 100 tests) (−0.42, 95% interval −0.47 to −0.38). It ranks 353 of 678 models on noise, emissions and leaks (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on noise, emissions and leaks · check a Mazda 3 by registration
What exactly fails on noise, emissions and leaks?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Mazda 3 is “Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction”, recorded 13,136 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction | 13,136 | 1.99 |
| Emissions test unable to be completed | 2,103 | 0.32 |
| Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer | 1,651 | 0.25 |
| Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users | 960 | 0.15 |
| Emissions levels exceed default limits | 865 | 0.13 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 660,043 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
If a Mazda 3 gets a noise, emissions and leaks advisory, how often does it fail next time?
9.2% of Mazda 3 MOTs with a noise, emissions and leaks advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 5,881 miles later (16,042 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 16,042 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
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