Mercedes-Benz E-Class MOT pass rate and common failures
In 2025, 77.3% of Mercedes-Benz E-Class MOT tests were a first-time pass, across 228,286 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
86.6%
All cars: 86.1% (0.5 points better). 30,150 tests.
At 6–10 years
81.2%
All cars: 76.1% (5.1 points better). 102,401 tests.
At 11 years and over
70.1%
All cars: 61.3% (8.8 points better). 95,735 tests.
Pass rate by age
Figures by age, with typical mileage
| Age (years) | Tests | First-time pass | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 4,841 | 87.9% | 87.8% | 36,250 miles |
| 4 | 9,465 | 86.8% | 86.4% | 43,750 miles |
| 5 | 15,844 | 86.0% | 84.5% | 53,750 miles |
| 6 | 20,866 | 84.5% | 81.9% | 61,250 miles |
| 7 | 20,408 | 83.4% | 79.3% | 71,250 miles |
| 8 | 20,657 | 82.5% | 76.3% | 81,250 miles |
| 9 | 20,831 | 79.2% | 73.1% | 86,250 miles |
| 10 | 19,639 | 76.3% | 70.0% | 91,250 miles |
| 11 | 18,647 | 73.1% | 66.9% | 96,250 miles |
| 12 | 15,562 | 69.7% | 64.4% | 103,750 miles |
| 13 | 13,366 | 69.3% | 62.1% | 106,250 miles |
| 14 | 11,562 | 69.6% | 60.2% | 108,750 miles |
| 15 | 8,340 | 68.5% | 58.6% | 116,250 miles |
| 16 | 4,325 | 70.2% | 57.5% | 126,250 miles |
| 17 | 4,410 | 70.8% | 57.2% | 131,250 miles |
| 18 | 3,928 | 70.4% | 57.0% | 133,750 miles |
| 19 | 3,415 | 67.1% | 57.2% | 133,750 miles |
| 20+ | 12,180 | 69.2% | 61.4% | 123,750 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 E-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 | E-Class | All cars |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 11.3% | 13.7% |
| Tyres | 11.2% | 8.4% |
| Brakes | 8.6% | 10.2% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.7% | 16.6% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 3.1% | 4.0% |
| Visibility | 1.9% | 5.2% |
| Road wheels | 1.6% | 0.5% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 1.1% | 4.2% |
Most common reasons for failing
- Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm failed 3.4% of tests
- Ball joint excessively worn failed 3.2% of tests · what this means
- Condition: has ply or cords exposed failed 2.6% of tests
- Coil spring: fractured or broken failed 2.4% of tests · what this means
- Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction failed 2.1% of tests · what this means
- Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords failed 2.0% of tests
- Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded failed 1.9% of tests · what this means
- Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt failed 1.3% of tests · what this means
- Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt failed 1.2% of tests · what this means
- Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick failed 1.2% of tests · what this means
Checking a particular E-Class?
See its own MOT history, mileage record and advisories in plain English. Free, no sign-up.
About these figures
- They cover every E-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 83.9%, petrol 11.2%, electric diesel 2.9%.
- 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.