Mazda CX-3 2018: MOT failure rate for its age

9.6% of 22,725 MOT tests of the Mazda CX-3 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 93.5 (95% CI 89.6–97.4; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 2018 Mazda CX-3 fails less often than other build years of the same model at the same age.

Mazda CX-3 built in 2018 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	9.6	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	22725
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 89.6–97.4)	93.5	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	22725
Rank among this model's 5 build years	2	of 5	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	22725
Tested in 2024	5650	tests	median 37,261 miles	2024	5650

Built 2018 against Mazda CX-3 normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 3: 6.6% vs 6.9%; age 4: 9.1% vs 9.1%; age 5: 10.8% vs 11.8%; age 6: 11.9% vs 13.4%. Axis from 0% to 20%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 2018 Mazda CX-3 by registration · All Mazda CX-3 MOT statistics · Download the build-year table (CSV)

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

How does the 2018 Mazda CX-3 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 CX-3 built 2018: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
Age	Tests	Failed, %	95% interval	Normal for this model at that age, %	Index (100 = normal)
3	5,745	6.6	6–7.3	6.9	96.1
4	5,675	9.1	8.4–9.9	9.1	100.2
5	5,655	10.8	10–11.7	11.8	91.8
6	5,650	11.9	11.1–12.8	13.4	89

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 22,725 (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 CX-3?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2018 is visibility: 5.6 items per 100 first tests, against 5.7 across all build years of the Mazda CX-3. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2018 were tested at ages 3 to 6.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Mazda CX-3 built 2018 against the Mazda CX-3 in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 2018, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Visibility	5.6	5.7	1,293
Tyres	4.3	4.6	986
Brakes	2.6	3.1	587
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	1.6	2	370
Suspension	0.7	2.2	169

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 22,916 (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 5 published build years of the Mazda CX-3, 2018 ranks 2 (1 = fails least for its age). 2017: index 92.1. 2019: index 100.1.

Mazda CX-3 build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
2015	106.5	102.2–110.8	worse	14,269
2016	113.0	109.7–116.4	worse	29,618
2017	92.1	88.6–95.6	better	25,347
2018	93.5	89.6–97.4	better	22,725
2019	100.1	95.8–104.3	no different	22,988

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 114,947 (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 CX-3 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-cx-3/2018/

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.

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