Is the Mazda 323 reliable?

The Mazda 323 has an average MOT pass rate of 72% across 14 years, based on 3,117 tests in 2024. That's 10 points below the national average of 82%. The most reliable year is 1995 with a 87% pass rate.

Which year Mazda 323 is best?

The 1995 Mazda 323 has the highest MOT pass rate at 87%, while the 1993 model has the lowest at 54%. There's a 33 percentage point spread between the best and worst years.

Mazda 323 Running Costs, MOT Pass Rates & Reliability

Mazda 323

Reliability, running costs, and MOT data across 14 years from 3,117 real MOT tests.

Avg Pass Rate

72%

Total Tests

3,117

Best Year

1995 (87%)

Years Covered

How reliable is the Mazda 323?

vs national average-10% (82% avg)

vs Mazda brand average-9% (81% avg)

Best to worst year spread33 percentage points

Reliability trendDeclining over years

Mazda 323 by Year

Year	Pass Rate	Tests	Avg Mileage
2003	68%	412	71,605 mi
2002	64%	329	79,077 mi
2001	68%	233	81,970 mi
2000	68%	241	82,611 mi
1999	71%	432	80,508 mi
1998	71%	445	91,617 mi
1997	75%	419	93,660 mi
1996	76%	144	99,541 mi
1995	87%	90	79,459 mi
1994	78%	76	74,502 mi
1993	54%	92	98,919 mi
1992	77%	61	111,862 mi
1991	70%	93	95,373 mi
1990	80%	50	80,330 mi

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About the Mazda 323

The Mazda 323 has been tested 3,117 times in 2024 MOT data across 14 model years (1990 to 2003), with an average pass rate of 72%. That's 10 points below the national average of 82%, so check the year-by-year data carefully before buying. Available as petrol.

Best and Worst Years

The 1995 model is the most reliable with a 87% pass rate from 90 tests. The 1993 model has the lowest at 54%. With a 33 point spread, choosing the right year makes a big difference to reliability.

Reliability Trend

Older MAZDA 323s tend to have better MOT pass rates than newer ones, with an average decline of 5 percentage points across model years.

Mileage Across Years

The oldest model in our data (1990) averages 80,330 miles, while the newest (2003) averages 71,605 miles.

Compared to the Mazda brand average of 81%, the 323 is 9 points lower, placing it among the less reliable Mazda models.

Click any year in the table above to see detailed running costs, individual reliability data, and comparisons with similar cars.