MOT cost .

Mazda

Bongo Friendee

913 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where Bongo Friendees pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.

That's 3.9 points below the UK fleet average across our 1,988 tracked models — buyers should expect more first-time fails than the typical UK car.

Pass

71.8%

Pass-after-fix

3.9%

Fail

23.4%

Avg miles

121,275

Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%

The picture

Bongo Friendee: middle-of-the-pack on first-time pass

Across 913 MOT tests, the Bongo Friendee returns 71.8% first-time pass — below the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is the strength or continuity of the load bearing. A defective headlamp lens and structural corrosion round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 121,275, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.

Top ten reasons for rejection.

  1. 01

    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

    80 occurrences · 8.8% of tests

  2. 02

    Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective

    65 occurrences · 7.1% of tests

  3. 03

    Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced

    50 occurrences · 5.5% of tests

  4. 04

    Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated

    41 occurrences · 4.5% of tests

  5. 05

    A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources

    34 occurrences · 3.7% of tests

  6. 06

    The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements

    31 occurrences · 3.4% of tests

  7. 07

    A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

    30 occurrences · 3.3% of tests

  8. 08

    A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc

    26 occurrences · 2.8% of tests

  9. 09

    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 functioning

    25 occurrences · 2.7% of tests

  10. 10

    Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

    24 occurrences · 2.6% of tests

Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.

Worst-case fix budget · top 3 failures

£98–£355

If every one of this Bongo Friendee's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →

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Build your own retest budget.

Tools that pre-empt a retest.

Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.

Item 01 · Amazon UK

Headlight restoration kit

Yellowed lenses fail the light-output test. A restoration kit lifts the haze in an afternoon for £20.

Search Amazon UK

Item 02 · Amazon UK

H7 / W21W bulb pack

A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.

Search Amazon UK

Buying or keeping a Bongo Friendee?

Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.

If you own a Bongo Friendee and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.