722 cars · 1,131 MOT tests · 2024 and 2025
Mazda RX-7 MOT statistics
What every MOT test on a Mazda RX-7 in Great Britain in 2024 and 2025 found: how often they fail, what testers flag, which faults owners leave, and how many never came back after failing.
All three generations, imported or sold new in the UK.
14%
failed their first MOT test
57% lower than the UK average for their age
26.5 yrs
median age at the MOT
All cars: 9.7 years
28%
of tests had at least one advisory
All cars: 52%
7.9%
of tests mention corrosion
All cars: 12%
Failure rate by age
Share of initial tests that failed, by the car’s age at the test, against all UK cars of the same age.
- 5–9 years65 tests11%vs 22%
- 10–14 years34 tests5.9%vs 35%
- 15–19 years173 tests10%vs 43%
- 20–24 years216 tests10%vs 42%
- 25–29 years201 tests12%vs 35%
- 30+ years428 tests20%vs 26%
Most common advisories on a Mazda RX-7
Things the tester noticed that weren’t bad enough to fail. Share of initial tests, against all UK cars.
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive7.5%vs 4.9%
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge3.9%vs 16%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened3.5%vs 8.9%
- Exhaust system: noisy2.7%
- Pins and bushes (suspension arms): pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement2.6%vs 5.3%
- Condition: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing2.6%vs 8.8%
- Wheel bearings: has slight play2.5%
- Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases2.3%vs 2.0%
- Linkage pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement2.3%
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material2.2%vs 3.8%
Most common MOT failures on a Mazda RX-7
Share of initial tests that failed on each item, including faults fixed during the test.
- Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits1.6%
- Rear fog lamp: not working1.5%
- Headlamp aim: too low1.5%vs 1.1%
- Position lamp: not working1.5%vs 2.5%
- Non catalyst emissions: emissions carbon monoxide content excessive1.4%
- Non catalyst emissions: emissions hydrocarbon content excessive1.1%
- Catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds default limits1.1%
- Rbt (sp) (parking brake efficiency (sp)): efficiency below requirements1.1%
- Catalyst emissions: hydrocarbon content after 2nd fast idle exceeds default limits1.0%
- Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength0.9%
By part of the car
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment7.9%vs 11%
- Noise, emissions and leaks4.6%vs 3.1%
- Brakes3.1%vs 6.5%
- Suspension2.2%vs 8.8%
- Visibility2.0%vs 4.5%
- Body, chassis, structure1.2%vs 3.4%
- Identification of the vehicle0.9%vs 0.3%
Advisories left unfixed
Of 170 advisories on a Mazda RX-7 that we could follow to the next annual MOT, 28% were flagged again and 1.2% had turned into a failure (all cars: 29% and 5.1%).
Not enough advisories of any one kind to rank them yet.
Cars that disappeared from the MOT record
Of the 515 cars tested before October 2024, 32.8% had no MOT for over a year after their last one (imports overall: 10.4%; all cars: 7.2%). 4 of them (0.8%) had failed that last test. MOT records don’t say why: most of these cars were scrapped, but some were exported, laid up or declared off the road.
- Mazda RX-7515 cars33%
- Japanese imports72,369 cars10%
- All cars (sample)1,360,703 cars7.2%
Most popular colours
Share of cars, against all UK cars.
- Black26%vs 19%
- Red22%vs 10%
- White16%vs 19%
- Blue14%vs 16%
- Silver11%vs 14%
- Yellow3.3%
Checking a Mazda RX-7?
Our free check reads its full MOT history and flags mileage that doesn’t add up, advisories that keep coming back, and recalls filed in Japan.
Buying guide: Mazda RX-7 FD (FD3S), Mazda RX-7 FC (FC3S)
Questions
- How often does a Mazda RX-7 fail its MOT?
- 14% of first MOT tests on a Mazda RX-7 failed in 2024 and 2025, from 1,131 tests. That’s 57% lower than the UK average for cars of the same age.
- What is the most common MOT advisory on a Mazda RX-7?
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive, on 7.5% of tests.
- What does a Mazda RX-7 most often fail its MOT on?
- Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits, on 1.6% of tests.
More MOT statistics
How we worked these out
- Every car MOT in Great Britain in 2024 and 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT tests and results. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The analysis and any errors are ours, not DVSA’s.
- MOT records give the make, model name and engine size, not the chassis code, so models are grouped by name. A model page says when that grouping is looser than its title.
- Failure rates count initial tests only, and include faults fixed during the test (DVSA’s definition). Advisories are counted once per test.
- Ages run from the first-use date on the MOT record. For many imports that’s the date the car was first registered in the UK, not in Japan, so imports can look younger than they are, and the age comparison flatters them less than it should.
- An advisory counts as unfixed if the same part of the car is flagged again, or fails, at the next annual MOT (300 to 500 days later).
- A car “disappeared” if it had no MOT between 31 October 2024 and 30 December 2025, over a year after its last test. It’s an estimate of cars scrapped or taken off the road: some were exported, laid up, or made exempt at 40 years old.
- The figures for all cars and all Japanese-brand cars come from a random one-in-20 sample of vehicles; the model figures use every car.