Does the Mazda CX-3 fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?

The Mazda CX-3 records 3.14 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 4.22 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−1.08, 95% interval −1.20 to −0.97). It ranks 402 of 712 models on brakes (1 = most failures above expected).

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on brakes · check a Mazda CX-3 by registration

What exactly fails on brakes?

The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Mazda CX-3 is “a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm”, recorded 1,788 times in 2019–2024.

Mazda CX-3: most frequent brakes defect wordings, 2019–2024 (30+ items each)
DVSA defect wording	Items	Per 100 tests
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm	1,788	1.55
Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn	346	0.30
Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded	306	0.26
Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution.	157	0.14
Brake lining or pad worn down to wear indicator	149	0.13

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 115,726 (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 CX-3 gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?

5.2% of Mazda CX-3 MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 6,655 miles later (13,441 advisories followed).

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 13,441 (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

Does the Mazda CX-3 fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?

What exactly fails on brakes?

If a Mazda CX-3 gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?

Related pages

Other pages for this model