Mazda 6 (2013-2023) Reliability & Common Problems

Is the Mazda 6 reliable?

In What Car? Reliability survery the Mazda 6 finished in sixth place out of 24 cars in the executive car category, with an impressive overall score of 93.3%. Overall, the Mazda 6 is solid, but the diesels appear to suffer from more problems than the petrols (see below).

There are. plenty of dealers and independent specialists around so souring parts and servicing shouldn't be an issue.

Engine: Diesel particulate filters (DPFs) can get blocked if the car is turned off during a regeneration cycle. This can lead to oil dilution, reducing lubrication in the engine and causing rapid timing chain wear or even failure.

Oil pump failure or a blocked oil pick-up can lead to high oil pressure. Check the car’s history to see if the pump has been replaced.

Inlet manifolds and EGR valves are known for clogging up with carbon, which can restrict airflow and reduce fuel efficiency. These will need to be chemically cleaned or walnut blasted (no, really, it’s a thing).

Water pumps can also fail and cause the engine to overheat or coolant to leak out. This will need to be replaced and should cost around £60-£80.

Turbocharger: The twin-turbocharger set-up in the diesel can also fail, costing anywhere between £500 and £1000 to replace. If you feel a loss of power or see blue smoke on your test drive, look elsewhere.

Body: The paint finish is quite thin, so inspect the bodywork, particularly the bumpers and bonnet, for scrapes and scuffs.

An owner’s view

Steve Garner: “I bought my 2019 6 GT Tourer in February 2023 because I wanted something that was both versatile and capable. Mine has the 2.5 petrol with an automatic gearbox and great kit like adaptive cruise control, which is handy, because I do around 25,000 miles a year, mostly on motorways.

"It’s serviced with Mazda every 12,500 miles, and the only bills on top of that have been for new brake discs and pads. Overall, It has been utterly reliable. It might look like a dull generic estate, but it’s really a lovely car to own and drive.”

Sam Phillips

Title: Staff Writer

Sam joined the Autocar team in summer 2024 and has been a contributor since 2021. He is tasked with writing used reviews and first drives as well as updating top 10s and evergreen content on the Autocar website.

He previously led sister-title Move Electric, which covers the entire spectrum of electric vehicles, from cars to boats – and even trucks. He is an expert in new car news, used cars, electric cars, microbility, classic cars and motorsport.

Sam graduated from Nottingham Trent University in 2021 with a BA in Journalism. In his final year he produced an in-depth feature on the automotive industry’s transition to electric cars and interviewed a number of leading experts to assess our readiness for the impending ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars.

Matt Saunders

Title: Road test editor

As Autocar’s chief car tester and reviewer, it’s Matt’s job to ensure the quality, objectivity, relevance and rigour of the entirety of Autocar’s reviews output, as well contributing a great many detailed road tests, group tests and drive reviews himself.

Matt has been an Autocar staffer since the autumn of 2003, and has been lucky enough to work alongside some of the magazine’s best-known writers and contributors over that time. He served as staff writer, features editor, assistant editor and digital editor, before joining the road test desk in 2011.

Since then he’s driven, measured, lap-timed, figured, and reported on cars as varied as the Bugatti Veyron, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Tesla Roadster, Ariel Hipercar, Tata Nano, McLaren Senna, Renault Twizy and Toyota Mirai. Among his wider personal highlights of the job have been covering Sebastien Loeb’s record-breaking run at Pikes Peak in 2013; doing 190mph on derestricted German autobahn in a Brabus Rocket; and driving McLaren’s legendary ‘XP5’ F1 prototype. His own car is a trusty Mazda CX-5.