Mercedes-Benz C-Class MOT pass rate and common failures
In 2025, 74.5% of Mercedes-Benz C-Class MOT tests were a first-time pass, across 355,206 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
86.3%
All cars: 86.1% (0.2 points better). 31,989 tests.
At 6–10 years
80.8%
All cars: 76.1% (4.7 points better). 162,620 tests.
At 11 years and over
65.8%
All cars: 61.3% (4.5 points better). 160,597 tests.
Pass rate by age
Figures by age, with typical mileage
| Age (years) | Tests | First-time pass | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 5,118 | 87.5% | 87.8% | 31,250 miles |
| 4 | 8,278 | 86.5% | 86.4% | 38,750 miles |
| 5 | 18,593 | 85.8% | 84.5% | 43,750 miles |
| 6 | 26,425 | 84.9% | 81.9% | 51,250 miles |
| 7 | 32,509 | 82.4% | 79.3% | 61,250 miles |
| 8 | 39,741 | 80.8% | 76.3% | 71,250 miles |
| 9 | 32,449 | 79.2% | 73.1% | 83,750 miles |
| 10 | 31,496 | 77.3% | 70.0% | 91,250 miles |
| 11 | 23,085 | 71.8% | 66.9% | 96,250 miles |
| 12 | 25,612 | 68.1% | 64.4% | 101,250 miles |
| 13 | 21,885 | 67.5% | 62.1% | 108,750 miles |
| 14 | 15,269 | 66.7% | 60.2% | 108,750 miles |
| 15 | 12,977 | 64.9% | 58.6% | 113,750 miles |
| 16 | 12,008 | 64.1% | 57.5% | 118,750 miles |
| 17 | 12,931 | 63.1% | 57.2% | 116,250 miles |
| 18 | 10,018 | 59.7% | 57.0% | 116,250 miles |
| 19 | 8,165 | 59.8% | 57.2% | 116,250 miles |
| 20+ | 18,647 | 61.7% | 61.4% | 106,250 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 C-Class 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 | C-Class | All cars |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 15.4% | 13.7% |
| Tyres | 10.5% | 8.4% |
| Brakes | 9.7% | 10.2% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 8.8% | 16.6% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 4.1% | 4.0% |
| Visibility | 3.0% | 5.2% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 1.2% | 4.2% |
| Road wheels | 1.1% | 0.5% |
Most common reasons for failing
- Ball joint excessively worn failed 5.4% of tests · what this means
- Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm failed 4.3% of tests
- Coil spring: fractured or broken failed 3.1% of tests · what this means
- Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction failed 2.8% of tests · what this means
- Condition: has ply or cords exposed failed 2.0% of tests
- Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords failed 1.7% of tests
- Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt failed 1.7% of tests · what this means
- Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded failed 1.7% of tests · what this means
- Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt failed 1.5% of tests · what this means
- Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick failed 1.5% of tests · what this means
Checking a particular C-Class?
See its own MOT history, mileage record and advisories in plain English. Free, no sign-up.
About these figures
- They cover every C-Class 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 60.1%, petrol 33.8%, hybrid electric (clean) 4.4%.
- 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.