Mazda MX-5 1998: MOT failure rate for its age

35.4% of 3,549 MOT tests of the Mazda MX-5 first registered in 1998 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 94.6 (95% CI 89.3–99.8; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 1998 Mazda MX-5 fails less often than other build years of the same model at the same age. This is a rough estimate from a smaller sample.

Mazda MX-5 built in 1998 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	35.4	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	3549
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 89.3–99.8)	94.6	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	3549
Rank among this model's 23 build years	3	of 23	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	3549
Tested in 2024	812	tests	median 107,409 miles	2024	812

Built 1998 against Mazda MX-5 normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 21: 34.3% vs 39.5%; age 22: 35.8% vs 36.7%. Axis from 0% to 40%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 1998 Mazda MX-5 by registration · All Mazda MX-5 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 1998 Mazda MX-5 fail at each age?

Cars built in 1998 were tested at ages 21 to 22 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 MX-5 built 1998: 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)
21	943	34.3	31.3–37.3	39.5	86.8
22	2,606	35.8	34–37.7	36.7	97.6

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 3,549 (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 1998 Mazda MX-5?

The most common failure group on cars built in 1998 is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: 27.4 items per 100 first tests, against 13.5 across all build years of the Mazda MX-5. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 1998 were tested at ages 21 to 22.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Mazda MX-5 built 1998 against the Mazda MX-5 in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 1998, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	27.4	13.5	3,647
Brakes	22.4	14	2,982
Suspension	21.9	21.6	2,910
Noise, emissions and leaks	14.2	6.5	1,889
Visibility	8.9	7.1	1,187

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 13,316 (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 1998 compare with the years around it?

Among the 23 published build years of the Mazda MX-5, 1998 ranks 3 (1 = fails least for its age). 1999: index 101.2.

Mazda MX-5 build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
1998	94.6	89.3–99.8	better (rough estimate)	3,549
1999	101.2	97.4–105.0	no different	7,358
2000	107.2	103.9–110.4	worse	10,673
2001	98.0	94.9–101.1	no different	10,613
2002	100.1	97.9–102.3	no different	21,480
2003	106.9	104.9–109.0	worse	27,060
2004	107.4	105.1–109.8	worse	20,585
2005	105.7	103.3–108.2	worse	19,536
2006	102.8	101.0–104.7	worse	33,940
2007	95.9	94.2–97.7	better	39,398
2008	99.9	97.7–102.1	no different	27,306
2009	98.0	95.4–100.6	no different	21,221
2010	99.1	96.5–101.7	no different	23,531
2011	103.0	99.7–106.3	no different	17,036
2012	97.4	93.9–101.0	no different	15,506
2013	102.8	98.9–106.7	no different	15,496
2014	103.1	98.9–107.3	no different	16,133
2015	99.7	95.4–104.0	no different	17,761
2016	100.6	96.6–104.6	no different	24,625
2017	91.2	87.1–95.3	better	23,909
2018	102.5	97.2–107.8	no different	17,141
2019	96.7	90.3–103.2	no different	12,210
2020	83.2	68.2–98.1	better (rough estimate)	2,160

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 428,227 (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 MX-5 1998 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-mx-5/1998/

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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