Mercedes Benz R Class MOT failures and reliability

In 2023 the Mercedes Benz R Class took 2,447 MOT tests in Britain and passed 70% 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: 2,447
First-time pass rate: 70%
All cars: 71%

What the R Class fails on

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

Lights and electrics12.8% (all cars 11.3%)
Brakes10.8% (all cars 6.8%)
Exhaust and emissions5.4% (all cars 3.1%)
Body and structure5.1% (all cars 3.5%)
Suspension4.8% (all cars 9.0%)
Tyres4.7% (all cars 6.4%)
Visibility2.4% (all cars 4.8%)
Seat belts and airbags1.8% (all cars 1.0%)

Most common failure items

Share of tests on which each item was recorded.

Position lamp: not working 4.0%
Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt 3.9%
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction 2.7%
Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements 2.3%
Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded 2.2%
Stop lamp: not working 2.0%
Headlamp aim: too low 1.8%
Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak 1.6%

Most common advisories

Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 21.1%
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 19.9%
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 16.6%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 7.6%
Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil 6.3%
Brake pads: wearing thin 5.4%
Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 5.2%
Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 4.4%

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
2006	381	69%
2007	420	63%
2008	339	70%
2011	389	68%

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
10 years	97,008 miles
11 years	103,149 miles
12 years	113,344 miles
13 years	120,198 miles
14 years	121,262 miles
15 years	124,010 miles
16 years	128,822 miles
17 years	126,767 miles

Check a particular R Class

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.