Mercedes-Benz 220 MOT pass rate and common failures
In 2025, 73.4% of Mercedes-Benz 220 MOT tests were a first-time pass, across 763 tests in Great Britain. For all cars it was 71.5%.
Compared with cars of the same age
Older cars fail more often, so a model that’s mostly a few years old will look better than one that’s mostly 12. These figures compare like with like.
At 3–5 years
–
Too few tests at this age to say.
At 6–10 years
82.5%
All cars: 76.1% (6.4 points better). 183 tests.
At 11 years and over
77.6%
All cars: 61.3% (16.3 points better). 156 tests.
Pass rate by age
Figures by age, with typical mileage
| Age (years) | Tests | First-time pass | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 55 | 90.9% | 76.3% | 86,250 miles |
| 9 | 75 | 74.7% | 73.1% | 93,750 miles |
| 10 | 53 | 84.9% | 70.0% | 96,250 miles |
| 20+ | 156 | 77.6% | 61.4% | 108,750 miles |
Typical mileage is the median reading at the test, to the nearest 2,500 miles.
What fails most often
The share of Mercedes-Benz 220 MOT tests that failed on at least one item in each area, against all cars. A test can fail on several areas at once.
| Area | 220 | All cars |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 18.3% | 13.7% |
| Brakes | 16.9% | 10.2% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 13.5% | 16.6% |
| Tyres | 8.1% | 8.4% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 5.1% | 4.0% |
| Visibility | 2.8% | 5.2% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 1.8% | 1.1% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 1.7% | 4.2% |
Most common reasons for failing
- Ball joint excessively worn failed 5.8% of tests · what this means
- Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded failed 3.5% of tests · what this means
- Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction failed 3.3% of tests · what this means
- Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm failed 3.1% of tests
- Position lamp: not working failed 3.1% of tests · what this means
- Coil spring: fractured or broken failed 3.0% of tests · what this means
- Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn failed 2.6% of tests · what this means
- Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements failed 2.1% of tests
- Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick failed 1.8% of tests · what this means
- Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt failed 1.8% of tests · what this means
Checking a particular 220?
See its own MOT history, mileage record and advisories in plain English. Free, no sign-up.
About these figures
- They cover every 220 version DVSA records under this name (engines, trims and generations together), on its first MOT test of each visit. A “pass with rectification” (fixed within an hour) counts as a fail, as in DVSA’s own statistics.
- Cars under three years old are left out, because the few tested that young are mostly taxis.
- Fuel mix of the cars tested: diesel 81.7%, petrol 18.1%, liquefied petrolum gas (lpg) 0.1%.
- A pass rate describes the model, not any one car. How a car has been looked after matters more.
Download these figures (CSV) · Other Mercedes-Benz models · All makes
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data for 2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Our own analysis; not produced or endorsed by DVSA.