Ranked #261 car in the UK · Saloon · 6 units sold last year

Mazda 6

The Mazda 6 (2012-2023, heavily updated over its life) is the handsome, keen-driving alternative to the obvious rep saloons and estates - a car that always felt a class above its price. UK examples are Skyactiv petrols and the excellent 2.2 diesel. Sharp to drive, smartly styled inside and out, and now discontinued, it's a used bargain for buyers who want some flair with their family mileage.

Mazda 6
Photo: Vauxford via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Body
Saloon
Years
2018–2023
Fuel
Diesel / Mild Hybrid
Economy
48 mpg

combined

Insurance
Group 23

The short version

28/100

Forecourt score

Value 32 · Reliability 15 · Insurance 44

The Mazda 6 loses value faster than most cars and costs about average to run. Its MOT-based reliability is average, 63 out of 100, ahead of 15% of the cars we track. On three-year value retention it ranks better than 32% of models.

The Forecourt score blends how this car ranks against the catalogue on value retention, reliability and insurance cost (weighted 40/40/20). Higher is better; running cost is not yet folded in.

Pick your version

Estimates are tuned to the version you choose.

Fuel

Petrol · 1998cc

Power

145 ps

Drivetrain

FWD

Cam drive

Chain

Quoted MPG

42 mpg

The volume used Mazda 6 (2013-2024 UK). 2.0 naturally-aspirated petrol - smooth, refined, ~42 mpg. Chain-driven; Mazda's whole Skyactiv pitch is reliability.

Tell us about the one you're looking at

2023
20182023
33,135 mi
0Expected: 33,135180k
good
PoorFairGoodExcellent

Tidy and well looked-after for its age — the typical car.

Remembered as you browse other cars.

Optional — fills in the exact year and ULEZ status for your specific car. The registration isn’t stored.

Estimated market value

How we got this number — click for the breakdown, or to challenge it.

£17,150

Range £14,400£20,150

medium confidence

When new (2023)£31,500Age-based value£17,640Mileage adjustment+£0Condition & region-£5Market calibration+£665Forecourt price£18,300Private sale£16,000Part-exchange£14,100
Holdthis 3-year-old

Fair value — the 4-year mark is the sweet spot.

At 33,135 miles it’s below the ~42,346 typical for a 3-year-old — a well-kept reading.

Seen one for sale?

£

A data-led guide from the depreciation curve, UK parc trend and reliability — not financial advice.

The depreciation curve

How a 2023-registration Mazda 6 loses value over time.

What it costs to own

Over

Based on the 2023 car with 33,135 miles you entered above — worth about £17,150 today — here is the cost of owning it for the next 5 years, at roughly 11,045 miles a year.

5-year total

£21,501

Per year

£4,300

All-in per mile

£0.39

Fuel per mile

16.3p

Depreciation£4,020
Fuel / energy£9,021
Servicing£1,765
Road tax£975
Insurance£5,720

Best age to buy — around 4 years

A 4-year-old example loses roughly £1,900 a year — under half the £5,650 a one-year-old sheds. The steepest drop is behind it.

Uses current UK pump and home-charging prices (DESNZ weekly), typical-driver insurance and manufacturer service intervals. "Fuel per mile" is just the energy input — so an EV at ~9p and a diesel at ~22p make running-cost comparison direct. A guide; your own costs will vary.

How it compares

Where this car ranks against the 340 vehicles in our index — higher is better.

Holds its valuebetter than 32%
Reliabilitybetter than 15%
Fuel economybetter than 67%
Cheap to insurebetter than 44%

Percentile rank across our full index. A measure is shown only where the data spreads meaningfully across the index.

Petrol, diesel, hybrid or EV?

How the available versions compare on price, running cost, and the headaches each tends to develop.

Petrol

The default choice: lowest purchase price and easy upkeep, at the cost of higher fuel bills than a hybrid.

New price
£36,000
Annual fuel / energy
£1,646
3-yr depreciation
53%

Watch for

  • ·Carbon build-up on direct-injection engines
  • ·Ignition coils and spark plugs with age
  • ·Cam or wet-belt service where fitted

Diesel

Makes sense for high motorway mileage; less so for short urban hops, where the DPF struggles.

New price
£38,500
Annual fuel / energy
£1,626
3-yr depreciation
56%

Watch for

  • ·DPF clogging on mostly-short journeys
  • ·EGR valve and turbo wear with mileage
  • ·AdBlue system upkeep on newer engines

Fuel/energy costs based on this week’s UK averages (w/c 22/06/2026) · Petrol 153.3p/L, Diesel 172.5p/L, Electricity 27.0p/kWh · DESNZ

Estimated insurance

Group 24 of 50 (mid — around the UK average) · Comprehensive · 3 years NCB

Indicative annual comprehensive premiums for this car, by driver age band and risk profile. Pick the combination closest to your circumstances.

3 years
0 yearsBaseline: 3 years15+
Risk profile:

Estimated annual premium · typical, age 33-39

£1,144/ year

Roughly £95 per month

Typical

Average UK driver — 3 years NCB, average postcode, no recent claims.
Age bandLower riskTypicalHigher risk
Age 17-25£2,608£3,260£4,239
Age 26-32£1,361£1,602£1,954
Age 33-39Selected£1,007£1,144£1,350
Age 40-49£855£950£1,101
Age 50+£762£847£999

How we estimate this

Indicative annual comprehensive premium estimates. The 'Typical' figure represents an average UK driver in each age band; Lower and Higher risk show the realistic spread driven by factors UK insurers legitimately price on (postcode, occupation, claims history, NCB, voluntary excess, modifications). Based on 10,000 miles/yr, £250 voluntary excess, and the no-claims bonus selected above. Always get individual quotes before buying.

Expected annual costs

Adjust the annual mileage to match how you'll actually use the car. Insurance is what you selected above (age 33-39, typical risk, 3 yrs NCB).

11,045 mi/yr
2,000UK avg for this model: 11,04530,000

Routine service

£185

Annual main-dealer service

Major service

£210

Every 2 years, annualised

Road tax

£195

Standard rate, post year-one

Fuel

£1,781

48 mpg, £1.49/L

Insurance

£1,144

Age 33-39, group 23

Clean-air zones

Depends on variant

Based on London ULEZ standards — Birmingham, Bath, Bristol, Sheffield, Glasgow and other UK clean-air zones generally follow the same rules.

Total expected£3,515 / year

Excludes depreciation and unscheduled repairs (see next section).

Unexpected costs

What out-of-warranty repairs typically run, by mileage band. Your selected mileage is highlighted.

0-30k miles

£80

per year · low risk

30-60k miles

£240

per year · low risk

60-100k miles

£520

per year · medium risk

100k+ miles

£900

per year · high risk

Tyres

205/60 R16 · 225/50 R17 · 245/40 R18

What a full set of four will cost you (including fit and balance), and which brand each tier of buyer should pick. A typical set lasts about 24,000 miles.

Budget

£300

set of 4, fitted · £60 per tyre

Mid-range

£440

set of 4, fitted · £95 per tyre

Premium

£620

set of 4, fitted · £140 per tyre

What to fit

Optional extras worth paying for

Factory options ranked by how much of their original cost they recover at resale. Anything above 70% return tends to make money back; below 40% is paying for your own enjoyment.

OptionNew costAdded used valueReturn

Tow bar (factory-fit)

Niche, but the buyers who want one will pay for it.

£650£45069%

Parking sensors & reversing camera

Near-expected now — its absence costs more than its presence returns.

£500£30060%

Heated seats / cold-weather pack

£450£20044%

Metallic or premium paint

Almost universal — an unusual colour is the bigger resale risk.

£600£20033%

Panoramic / opening roof

£1,100£35032%

Larger alloy wheels

£700£20029%

Parts most likely to fail

Drawn from owner reports and warranty data. Filtered for relevance to 33,135 miles.

Watch now

Failure typically happens around your current mileage.

Upcoming

A known weak point — but you haven't reached its usual mileage yet.

Already due

Past its usual failure mileage. Either already fixed, or about to.

BrakesUpcoming

Typical at over 100k milesCost £150-£500medium severityParts high

Recorded in 11.3% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 1,927,703 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

Tyres & wheelsUpcoming

Typical at over 100k milesCost £80-£500medium severityParts high

Recorded in 6.9% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 1,927,703 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

SuspensionUpcoming

Typical at over 100k milesCost £150-£450medium severityParts high

Recorded in 10.0% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 1,927,703 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

Lighting & signallingUpcoming

Typical at over 100k milesCost £15-£120medium severityParts high

Recorded in 8.6% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 1,927,703 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

Driver's viewUpcoming

Typical at over 100k milesCost £60-£300low severityParts high

Recorded in 3.2% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 1,927,703 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

Identification & otherUpcoming

Typical at over 100k milesCost £20-£150low severityParts high

Recorded in 4.0% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 1,927,703 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

"Parts low/medium/high" indicates how easy the replacement part is to source — discontinued or specialist parts mean longer workshop time and bigger bills.

Safety rating

Euro NCAP's independent crash-test rating for the Mazda 6, from its 2018 assessment.

5/5
TEST YEAR2018
Rating expired (test protocol superseded)

The passenger compartment of the Mazda 6 remained stable in the frontal offset test.

Independent crash-test data from Euro NCAP. Star ratings reflect the test protocol of the year shown — newer protocols are stricter, so a 5-star from 2024 represents a higher bar than a 5-star from 2014.

MOT outlook

How this model fares at its MOT as it ages — from 1,940,350 real DVSA test records.

MOT pass rate by age

A 3-year-old 6 passes its MOT 85.8% of the time; by 24 years that has slipped to 75%. The y-axis is zoomed to this model’s range so the trend is readable.

Longevity

0%of 24-year-old examples are still taxed and on the road — a useful read on how well the model lasts.

From 6,189 vehicles registered in 2002.

Survival by registration year

25%50%75%100%20022023

Each point is one registration cohort. Older cars on the left, newer on the right. A flatter line means the model holds up over time; a steep drop means cohorts disappear from UK roads faster.

What’s on the road

The fuel-type split of every 6 currently MOT’d in the UK. From 167,045 vehicles.

  • Petrol 49.8%
  • Diesel 49.5%

Common MOT failures by mileage

The defect categories this 6 fails on most often, and how the failure rate climbs as the miles add up — from the same DVSA test records.

Category0-30k30-60k60-100k100k+
Brakes2%5%8%11%
Tyres & wheels3%4%5%7%
Suspension1%2%6%10%
Lighting & signalling1%2%5%9%
Driver's view1%2%3%3%
Identification & other1%2%4%

Share of MOT tests in each mileage band with at least one defect in that category. The peak band for each is highlighted.

Typical mileage by age

The average odometer reading for a 6 at MOT, by age — measured from the same DVSA records, not assumed. A useful yardstick for whether a given car has done more or fewer miles than its age suggests.

  • 0 yr15,312
  • 1 yr28,387
  • 2 yr42,935
  • 3 yr42,346
  • 4 yr52,316
  • 5 yr61,674
  • 6 yr70,867
  • 7 yr79,251
  • 8 yr87,147
  • 9 yr93,930
  • 10 yr99,889
  • 11 yr104,632

Mean recorded mileage at MOT by vehicle age, from DVSA test records (ages with at least 10 tests shown).

Reliability

63/ 100

Average

Composite of MOT pass rate, defect prevalence and cohort survival from 1,927,703 tests — high confidence.

MOT outlook · age 5 years

81%first-time pass rate

25th percentileBelow catalogue average

Based on 190,831 MOT tests · ranked against 248 catalogue models with comparable data

Where this car sits in the catalogue

0%50%90%

Pass-rate distribution across 248 catalogue models

Things owners say

  • 01The 2.2 Skyactiv-D diesel is strong and economical but needs regular motorway runs to keep the DPF healthy.
  • 02Avoid short-trip-only diesels; the petrols suit lower-mileage town and suburban use better.
  • 03Genuinely good to drive and well-built - one of the more satisfying used saloons and estates at the money.

Safety recalls

Manufacturers occasionally issue safety recalls to fix a fault free of charge. You can check whether the Mazda 6, or your exact vehicle, has any outstanding recalls on the official DVSA service.

Check on GOV.UK

Opens the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency recall checker. Choose the make, model and year of manufacture — no registration needed.

Theft risk

A general indicator from UK 2025 theft data and this car’s characteristics — not a prediction for any one vehicle.

Whole-car theft

Around average

Theft risk is around the UK average. Like most modern cars it has keyless entry, so relay theft is the method to guard against.

Parts theft

Higher

Hybrid versions are a catalytic-converter target — a hybrid cat is rich in precious metals and can be cut out in about a minute.

Worth doing

  • Keep keys in a Faraday pouch and away from the front door to block relay attacks.
  • A catalytic-converter guard or forensic marking makes a hybrid far less appealing to cut.

Clean-air zones

Whether driving a Mazda 6 into a UK clean-air zone will cost you anything. Rules use the same Euro standard across most zones — petrol from 2006 and diesel from 2015 onwards are exempt; pure electric is always exempt.

Charging zones for cars

CityAreaDaily chargeLikely outcome
LondonAll of Greater London (within the M25)£12.50
Likely exempt
Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
BirminghamInside the A4540 Middleway£8.00
Likely exempt
Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
BristolCity centre and part of the Portway£9.00
Likely exempt
Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
GlasgowCity centre
Likely exempt
Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
EdinburghCity centre
Likely exempt
Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
AberdeenCity centre
Likely exempt
Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
DundeeCity centre
Likely exempt
Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.

Zones that don't charge private cars

  • BathCity centre (Private cars and motorbikes are not charged).
  • BradfordOuter ring road and the Aire Valley (Private cars are not charged).
  • SheffieldInside the A61 inner ring road (Private cars are not charged).
  • Newcastle & GatesheadCity centres and the Tyne, Swing, High Level and Redheugh bridges (Private cars are not charged).
  • PortsmouthPart of the city centre (Applies to taxis, PHVs, buses, coaches and HGVs only).

Model-level guidance only. To check a specific registration, use the official gov.uk clean-air zone checker. Zone charges and boundaries are set by local councils and change over time.

Servicing & the dealer network

How well-supported Mazda is across the UK — a practical read on how easy servicing, parts and warranty work will be to find.

Franchised UK dealers

~120

Large network

Mass-market

Network size relative to the UK's largest (Mazda is 2.7% of all franchised outlets)

Servicing, parts and warranty work are easy to find UK-wide, and most independent garages know the brand well — which keeps maintenance competitive.

For context, the UK has roughly 4,500 franchised car-dealer outlets in total, plus about 15,500 independent garages.

Approximate figures, curated from public UK industry sources (NFDA, Car Dealer Magazine). Franchised networks shrink year on year — these indicate network size, not an exact count.

Dimensions & weight

Length

4,700 mm

Width

1,840 mm

Height

1,450 mm

Kerb weight

1,550 kg

Boot

460–480 L

Fuel tank

48 L

How many are still out there

Of every Mazda 6 ever registered in the UK, this is what's actively on the road, parked off the road on a SORN, or gone for good.

Total ever registered

113,337

Currently taxed & on road

53,165

47% of all registered

SORN (off road)

10,085

9% of all registered

Scrapped or exported

50,087

UK fleet trend — 2014 to 2025

-10% vs 2024
109,63453,165

Source: DfT VEH0124 vehicle licensing statistics (year-end 2025) · Updated 1 Jul 2026

Common questions

Mazda 6, answered

Is the Mazda 6 ULEZ compliant?
Whether a Mazda 6 is ULEZ compliant depends on its engine and registration date: petrol from 2006 and diesel from September 2015 generally qualify, and electric versions are always exempt.
What insurance group is the Mazda 6 in?
The Mazda 6 sits in insurance group 24 of 50. Your actual premium still depends on age, postcode, annual mileage and no-claims history.
Is the Mazda 6 reliable?
Our reliability score for the Mazda 6 is 63 out of 100 (about average), derived from DVSA MOT records, with a first-time MOT pass rate of about 81% at the reference age.
What economy does the Mazda 6 get?
Expect roughly around 48 mpg combined for a typical Mazda 6, based on official figures and our running-cost model. Real-world figures vary with driving style, load and conditions.
What are the common problems on the Mazda 6?
On the Mazda 6, the issues that come up most by mileage include Brakes, Tyres & wheels and Suspension. The section above breaks down each one with its typical mileage, repair cost and severity.
How many Mazda 6s are on UK roads?
About 53,165 Mazda 6s are currently taxed and on the road in the UK, from DfT vehicle-licensing data.

Common questions

Mazda 6, answered from the data

Is the Mazda 6 reliable?
The Mazda 6 scores 63/100 on Forecourt's MOT-based reliability measure, ahead of 25% of the cars we track. That is computed from 1,940,350 real DVSA MOT test results.
How much does a used Mazda 6 cost?
A 2023 Mazda 6 with around 33,135 miles is worth roughly £17,150 today (typical range £15,400–£18,900). Dealer forecourt prices sit higher and part-exchange offers lower; newer or lower-mileage examples cost more.
How quickly does the Mazda 6 depreciate?
A new Mazda 6 typically loses about 44% of its value over the first three years, then depreciates more slowly. Buying at three to five years old avoids the steepest part of the curve.
What insurance group is the Mazda 6?
The Mazda 6 sits in insurance group 24 of 50 — the middle of the scale. Exact premiums depend on the trim (some versions sit a few groups higher or lower), your age, postcode and no-claims history.
What goes wrong on a used Mazda 6?
The most common age-related issues we track for the Mazda 6 are: brakes (typically around over 100k miles, £150-£500 to put right); tyres & wheels (typically around over 100k miles, £80-£500 to put right); suspension (typically around over 100k miles, £150-£450 to put right). A full service history and a recent MOT with no advisories are the best protection.
What does the Mazda 6 cost to run?
Expect around 48 mpg combined, £195 a year in road tax, about £185 for a standard annual service. The full cost-of-ownership table above breaks this down per year and per mile for the exact year and mileage you choose.

Answers are generated from this car's Forecourt data — DVSA MOT records, DfT licensing statistics and our valuation model — and update with the weekly data refresh.

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