Does the Mazda MX-5 fail the MOT on tyres more than it should?

The Mazda MX-5 records 4.72 tyres failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 8.94 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−4.22, 95% interval −4.31 to −4.14). It ranks 663 of 751 models on tyres (1 = most failures above expected).

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on tyres · check a Mazda MX-5 by registration

What exactly fails on tyres?

The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Mazda MX-5 is “A tyre seriously damaged”, recorded 10,757 times in 2019–2024.

Mazda MX-5: most frequent tyres defect wordings, 2019–2024 (30+ items each)
DVSA defect wording	Items	Per 100 tests
A tyre seriously damaged	10,757	2.15
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements	6,264	1.25
A tyre cords visible or damaged	2,631	0.53
Tyre obviously under inflated	1,151	0.23
A tyre valve seriously damaged or misaligned likely to cause sudden deflation of the tyre	913	0.18

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 499,285 (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 MX-5 gets a tyres advisory, how often does it fail next time?

6.8% of Mazda MX-5 MOTs with a tyres advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 2,670 miles later (58,859 advisories followed).

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 58,859 (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 MX-5 fail the MOT on tyres more than it should?

What exactly fails on tyres?

If a Mazda MX-5 gets a tyres advisory, how often does it fail next time?

Related pages

Other pages for this model