Mazda Bongo MOT pass rate & common failures

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

We are not publishing a ranking for the Bongo. The examples tested do not cover a wide enough spread of ages and mileages to compare it fairly, and an unadjusted pass rate mostly sorts models by how recently they were bought rather than how well they were built. The failure and advisory patterns below come from the same 8,769 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Mazda Bongo tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1. 1.The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired47.4%

   1,682 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained

2. 2.Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced17.0%

   604 occurrencesCorrosion in a structural area explained

3. 3.An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning15.7%

   559 occurrencesLamp not working explained

4. 4.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen14.2%

   503 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained

5. 5.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements11.7%

   415 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained

6. 6.Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point11.0%

   390 occurrencesCorrosion in a structural area explained

7. 7.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc10.8%

   382 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained

8. 8.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning10.7%

   381 occurrencesLamp not working explained

9. 9.Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced9.1%

   324 occurrencesCorrosion in a structural area explained

10. 10.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc8.7%

    308 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Mazda Bongo tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1. 1.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users17.1%

   1,497 tests

2. 2.A tyre seriously damaged16.4%

   1,442 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

3. 3.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured16.3%

   1,432 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained

4. 4.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements11.9%

   1,040 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained

5. 5.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened10.0%

   880 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained

6. 6.Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced9.9%

   871 testsCorrosion in a structural area explained

7. 7.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm9.4%

   826 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained

8. 8.The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired9.0%

   793 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The Bongo fleet

Average mileage recorded at test

132,600

Across examples of every age, so this is a description of the fleet rather than an annual figure.

Fuel mix of tested cars

Petrol50.3%

Diesel48.7%

LPG0.9%

Compare within the range

Other Mazda models

• Mazda 2 — 69.8% adjusted
• Mazda 3 — 70.6% adjusted
• Mazda MX-5 — 77.2% adjusted
• Mazda CX-5 — 78.5% adjusted
• Mazda 6 — 73.3% adjusted
• Mazda CX-3 — 83.5% unadjusted
• All Mazda models →

Common questions

How reliable is the Mazda Bongo compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Mazda Bongo, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 54.1% across 8,769 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Mazda Bongo?

The item recorded most often is "The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired", which appears in 47.4% of failed Mazda Bongo tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.

What do testers most often warn about on a Mazda Bongo?

The most common advisory is "Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users", noted on 17.1% of all Mazda Bongo tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Mazda Bongo usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 132,600 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Does a Mazda Bongo get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 70.2% of Mazda Bongo tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 53.4%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Mazda Bongo models petrol or diesel?

Of the Mazda Bongo cars tested, 50% are petrol, 49% are diesel, 1% are lpg. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. No adjusted rate is shown because this model's tested examples do not cover enough of the national age and mileage range for standardisation to mean anything.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.

Further reading

Make sense of the numbers

• How to judge reliability from evidence rather than reputation
• What counts as high or low mileage for a car’s age
• The most common MOT failures and how to avoid them
• What to check before buying a used Mazda