Does the Mazda MX-5 fail the MOT on vehicle identification more than it should?
The Mazda MX-5 records 0.47 vehicle identification failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 0.56 expected for a car of the same age mix: about as expected for its class and age (the difference is within its interval or under 0.5 items per 100 tests) (−0.09, 95% interval −0.11 to −0.07). It ranks 448 of 636 models on vehicle identification (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on vehicle identification · check a Mazda MX-5 by registration
What exactly fails on vehicle identification?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Mazda MX-5 is “Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements”, recorded 1,303 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements | 1,303 | 0.26 |
| Number plate missing or so insecure that it is likely to fall off | 575 | 0.12 |
| Number plate inscription missing or illegible | 390 | 0.08 |
| Number plate showing an incorrect registration | 81 | 0.02 |
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 vehicle identification advisory, how often does it fail next time?
2.4% of Mazda MX-5 MOTs with a vehicle identification advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 2,250 miles later (6,446 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 6,446 (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
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