Mercedes Benz A 200 MOT failures and reliability

In 2023 the Mercedes Benz A 200 took 2,371 MOT tests in Britain and passed 71% of them first time, close to the national average of 71% for all cars. The figures below come from the DVSA's record of every test, so they show what testers actually found on these cars rather than what owners report.

MOT tests in 2023: 2,371
First-time pass rate: 71%
All cars: 71%

What the A 200 fails on

Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.

Suspension10.5% (all cars 9.0%)
Tyres8.9% (all cars 6.4%)
Lights and electrics8.6% (all cars 11.3%)
Brakes4.3% (all cars 6.8%)
Visibility4.0% (all cars 4.8%)
Exhaust and emissions3.4% (all cars 3.1%)
Seat belts and airbags2.8% (all cars 1.0%)
Body and structure2.3% (all cars 3.5%)

Most common failure items

Share of tests on which each item was recorded.

Coil spring: fractured or broken 4.3%
Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt 3.6%
Stop lamp: not working 2.5%
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction 2.5%
Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 2.5%
SRS malfunction indicator lamp: warning lamp indicates a fault 2.5%
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid 2.1%
Tyres, condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords 2.0%

Most common advisories

Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 19.5%
Brake pads: wearing thin 9.1%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 8.7%
Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 7.2%
Brake discs: worn, but not excessively 4.1%
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 3.5%
Coil spring: corroded 2.6%
Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread 2.2%

Pass rate by year of registration

Older cars fail more often whatever the model, so compare a car with others of the same age.

First registered	Tests	Pass rate
2013	1,181	70%
2014	471	71%

Typical mileage by age

Average odometer reading at the MOT, by the car's age in years at the test.

Age at test	Average mileage
9 years	81,595 miles
10 years	87,561 miles
17 years	89,258 miles
18 years	86,013 miles

Check a particular A 200

Model figures tell you what to look out for. To see one car's own MOT history, mileage and tax, enter its registration.

Other Mercedes Benz models

Source: Department for Transport, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023, cars and light vans, normal tests only. Pass rates are first-time passes; a pass after repair at the test station counts as a fail. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.