Mercedes-Benz Citan MOT pass rate and common failures
In 2025, 60.3% of Mercedes-Benz Citan MOT tests were a first-time pass, across 19,902 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
69.2%
All cars: 86.1% (16.9 points worse). 3,466 tests.
At 6–10 years
59.4%
All cars: 76.1% (16.7 points worse). 14,248 tests.
At 11 years and over
52.5%
All cars: 61.3% (8.8 points worse). 2,188 tests.
Pass rate by age
Figures by age, with typical mileage
| Age (years) | Tests | First-time pass | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 672 | 70.1% | 87.8% | 58,750 miles |
| 4 | 1,235 | 70.6% | 86.4% | 66,250 miles |
| 5 | 1,559 | 67.8% | 84.5% | 81,250 miles |
| 6 | 2,898 | 63.6% | 81.9% | 88,750 miles |
| 7 | 3,303 | 61.0% | 79.3% | 93,750 miles |
| 8 | 3,231 | 58.6% | 76.3% | 103,750 miles |
| 9 | 2,794 | 57.5% | 73.1% | 111,250 miles |
| 10 | 2,022 | 54.4% | 70.0% | 116,250 miles |
| 11 | 1,564 | 53.1% | 66.9% | 126,250 miles |
| 12 | 624 | 51.0% | 64.4% | 128,750 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 Citan 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 | Citan | All cars |
|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 33.4% | 16.6% |
| Brakes | 17.6% | 10.2% |
| Tyres | 10.7% | 8.4% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 10.4% | 4.2% |
| Suspension | 10.1% | 13.7% |
| Visibility | 8.5% | 5.2% |
| Steering | 6.6% | 2.5% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 2.9% | 4.0% |
Most common reasons for failing
- Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt failed 8.3% of tests
- Stop lamp: not working failed 8.1% of tests · what this means
- Position lamp: not working failed 6.4% of tests · what this means
- Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm failed 5.7% of tests
- Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play failed 5.5% of tests · what this means
- Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps failed 5.5% of tests · what this means
- Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick failed 4.6% of tests · what this means
- Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded failed 4.2% of tests · what this means
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively failed 3.3% of tests · what this means
- Coil spring: fractured or broken failed 3.1% of tests · what this means
Checking a particular Citan?
See its own MOT history, mileage record and advisories in plain English. Free, no sign-up.
About these figures
- They cover every Citan 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 98.4%, petrol 1.6%, hybrid electric (clean) 0.0%.
- 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.