Mercedes Benz V Class MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Mercedes Benz V Class took 10,687 MOT tests in Britain and passed 82% of them first time, above 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
- 10,687
- First-time pass rate
- 82%
- All cars
- 71%
What the V Class fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Tyres6.9% (all cars 6.4%)
- Suspension5.0% (all cars 9.0%)
- Brakes4.6% (all cars 6.8%)
- Visibility3.2% (all cars 4.8%)
- Lights and electrics2.4% (all cars 11.3%)
- Exhaust and emissions1.5% (all cars 3.1%)
- Body and structure1.5% (all cars 3.5%)
- Seat belts and airbags0.5% (all cars 1.0%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Coil spring: fractured or broken 2.5%
- Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 2.3%
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 2.2%
- Tyres, condition: has ply or cords exposed 2.1%
- Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick 1.6%
- Tyres, condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords 1.3%
- Suspension arms, ball joint: ball joint excessively worn 1.3%
- Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction 1.2%
Most common advisories
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 17.3%
- Brake pads: wearing thin 6.1%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 5.2%
- Brake discs: worn, but not excessively 4.3%
- Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil 2.3%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 1.6%
- Suspension arms, ball joint: ball joint has slight play 1.5%
- Tyres, condition: has a cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords 1.4%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 928 | 80% |
| 2016 | 1,528 | 81% |
| 2017 | 2,251 | 82% |
| 2018 | 2,470 | 82% |
| 2019 | 2,533 | 86% |
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 |
|---|---|
| 3 years | 41,682 miles |
| 4 years | 65,114 miles |
| 5 years | 76,762 miles |
| 6 years | 97,979 miles |
| 7 years | 111,840 miles |
| 8 years | 127,801 miles |
Check a particular V 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
- Mercedes Benz C Class
- Mercedes Benz A Class
- Mercedes Benz E Class
- Mercedes Benz Vito
- Mercedes Benz GLA
- Mercedes Benz GLC
- Mercedes Benz B Class
- Mercedes Benz SLK
- Mercedes Benz CLA
- Mercedes Benz ML
- Mercedes Benz CLK
- Mercedes Benz S Class
- Mercedes Benz GLE
- Mercedes Benz CLS
- Mercedes Benz Sprinter
- Mercedes Benz SL
- Mercedes Benz Citan
- Mercedes Benz CLC
- Mercedes Benz SLC
- Mercedes Benz Viano
- Mercedes Benz GL
- Mercedes Benz X Class
- Mercedes Benz CL
- Mercedes Benz 190
- Mercedes Benz 300
- Mercedes Benz GLS
- Mercedes Benz R Class
- Mercedes Benz A 200
- Mercedes Benz G Class
- Mercedes Benz C 320
- Mercedes Benz GT
- Mercedes Benz 500
- Mercedes Benz 280
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.