MOT Risk Index.co.uk

Mazda 6 2018: MOT failure rate for its age

12.8% of 13,152 MOT tests of the Mazda 6 first registered in 2018 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 92.9 (95% CI 88.5–97.4; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 2018 Mazda 6 fails less often than other build years of the same model at the same age.

Mazda 6 built in 2018 at a glance
MeasureValueUnitCompared withYearsTests
Failed first time12.8%all ages tested2019–202413152
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 88.5–97.4)92.9index100 = normal for this model at that age2019–202413152
Rank among this model's 19 build years4of 191 = fails least for its age2019–202413152
Tested in 20243242testsmedian 50,696 miles20243242
line · Mazda 6 built 2018 · first-time MOT failure share by age · built 2018 8.9% vs model normal 9.1% at age 3 · 2019–2024
Built 2018 against Mazda 6 normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 3: 8.9% vs 9.1%; age 4: 11.9% vs 12.2%; age 5: 13.9% vs 15.9%; age 6: 16.4% vs 17.8%. Axis from 0% to 20%. 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 2018 Mazda 6 fail at each age?

Cars built in 2018 were tested at ages 3 to 6 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 6 built 2018: 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)
33,3398.98–9.99.197.5
43,30111.910.8–13.112.298
53,27013.912.7–15.115.987.3
63,24216.415.2–17.817.892.1

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 13,152 (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 2018 Mazda 6?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2018 is visibility: 6.2 items per 100 first tests, against 8 across all build years of the Mazda 6. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2018 were tested at ages 3 to 6.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Mazda 6 built 2018 against the Mazda 6 in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure groupBuilt 2018, per 100All build years, per 100Items
Visibility6.28820
Tyres58.2672
Brakes4.219.5554
Suspension1.719.5222
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment1.419.1187

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 13,309 (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 2018 compare with the years around it?

Among the 19 published build years of the Mazda 6, 2018 ranks 4 (1 = fails least for its age). 2017: index 97.2. 2019: index 85.2.

Mazda 6 build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build yearIndex (100 = normal)95% intervalVerdictTests
200298.689.9–107.4no different (rough estimate)969
2003103.198.1–108.2no different (rough estimate)3,083
2004106.9103.2–110.6worse5,975
2005107.0104.3–109.6worse12,306
2006100.298.0–102.4no different17,182
2007102.4100.5–104.2worse26,601
2008103.9102.2–105.6worse33,209
200994.693.0–96.2better34,372
201098.496.8–100.0no different40,357
2011105.7103.6–107.7worse29,849
2012104.7102.1–107.3worse19,855
201390.388.1–92.4better27,923
201495.293.2–97.1better40,446
201599.497.3–101.6no different42,116
2016102.6100.3–105.0worse42,697
201797.294.0–100.4no different24,851
201892.988.5–97.4better13,152
201985.280.8–89.6better13,531
202085.072.9–97.2better (rough estimate)2,105

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 430,579 (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 6 2018 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-6/2018/

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 6 2002 · Mazda 6 2003 · Mazda 6 2004 · Mazda 6 2005 · Mazda 6 2006 · Mazda 6 2007 · Mazda 6 2008 · Mazda 6 2009 · Mazda 6 2010 · Mazda 6 2011 · Mazda 6 2012 · Mazda 6 2013 · Mazda 6 2014 · Mazda 6 2015 · Mazda 6 2016 · Mazda 6 2017 · Mazda 6 2019 · Mazda 6 2020 · Mazda 6 in Norway · Mazda 6 in Finland · Mazda 6 in the Netherlands · Mazda 6 by postcode area · Mazda 6 body, chassis and structure failures · Mazda 6 brakes failures · Mazda 6 vehicle identification failures · Mazda 6 lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Mazda 6 noise, emissions and leaks failures · Mazda 6 road wheels failures · Mazda 6 seat belts and airbags failures · Mazda 6 steering failures · Mazda 6 suspension failures · Mazda 6 tyres failures · Mazda 6 visibility failures