All generations and engines together · 25,301 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 51k
One of the best small SUVs for its age, though better than most per mile driven. Watch brakes and suspension. A solid used buy, provided its MOT history has no repeating brakes advisories.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press, with how well each report stands up. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
The air-con condenser, and sometimes the evaporator behind the dash, corrodes and starts leaking refrigerant. Owners usually notice it at the first or second annual service when the air-con stops blowing cold. It has been common enough that Mazda has gone through spells processing hundreds of replacement condensers a week, and some cars needed the part twice. Expect roughly £300-£650 depending on whether the evaporator is involved as well.
The Connectivity Master Unit behind the touchscreen can get stuck in a reboot loop, Mazda logo, black screen, repeat, especially in cold weather, or the screen registers phantom touches and starts changing menus or dialling numbers on its own. It's widely reported enough that Mazda ran a warranty extension (CSP13) covering the CMU on 2016-2021 CX-3s. Outside that cover, a replacement unit runs into four figures.
On the 1.5 diesel, owners report injector faults and DPF warning lights coming on even with a reasonable mix of driving, sometimes alongside a rising oil level on the dipstick, a sign diesel is getting past the injectors into the sump. Some injectors have been replaced under warranty. Worth checking the service history for DPF or injector work and asking if the light has come on before, since injector repairs run into four figures out of warranty.
A humming or droning noise that builds with road speed, most noticeable on a motorway run, is a recurring owner complaint and usually points to a worn front wheel bearing. It tends to turn up well into ownership rather than as an early fault, and replacing the hub/bearing is a moderate job, roughly £150-£350 a corner, not a disaster. It isn't manufacturer-acknowledged as a pattern fault, so treat it as something to check for rather than something guaranteed.
A failing mass airflow sensor or a bad ignition coil are the two most commonly reported causes of a check engine light, a misfire, or occasional stalling. Neither is expensive on its own, roughly £100-£200 for the sensor and similar for a coil, but they're worth chasing with a proper diagnostic read rather than clearing the light and hoping. Reported often enough to be typical wear rather than a one-off.
Ranked from this model’s own MOT record, then from what owners report.
Saveable checklistThe physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
Drawn from the reports above rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 19,787 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
Same segment (Small SUVs), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.