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MOT fail rates

Mercedes-Benz Cls MOT fail rate by age

How often the Mercedes-Benz Cls fails its MOT at each age, compared with all cars of the same age, and what it fails on. From 97,895 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated

At 9 years, the most tested age

MOT fail rate at age 9 (n=10,164)22.7%
All cars at 9 years (n=9,949,012)27.1%
Median mileage at test77,721
All cars, median mileage68,033

117 of 315 model groups with enough tests fail less often at 9 years.

What stands out

  • At 3 years the Mercedes-Benz Cls fails 16.7% of MOTs (1,840 tests), 4.6 points above the 12.1% for all cars that age. At 19 years it fails 30.1% (2,141 tests), 13.1 points below the 43.2% average.
  • The gap is widest at 19 years: 13.1 points below all cars.
  • Its most common structural or mechanical fail item at 9 years: Coil spring broken, at 5.1 per 100 MOTs.

MOT fail rate by age

3 years 19 years 47.6%

Solid line: this model. Dashed line: all cars at the same age.

Mercedes-Benz Cls: share of MOT tests that failed, by age, against all cars. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
AgeMOT fail rateTests (n)All carsDifferenceMedian mileage
3 years16.7%1,84012.1%+4.6 pts22,984 miles
4 years16.3%2,72713.4%+2.9 pts31,144 miles
5 years16.1%3,92515.3%+0.8 pts39,295 miles
6 years17.4%5,80517.8%−0.4 pts48,716 miles
7 years19.5%7,68220.6%−1.1 pts59,291 miles
8 years20.0%8,47723.8%−3.7 pts68,079 miles
9 years22.7%10,16427.1%−4.4 pts77,721 miles
10 years23.5%9,13130.3%−6.9 pts85,347 miles
11 years25.0%7,34533.3%−8.3 pts91,488 miles
12 years27.5%6,68936.0%−8.5 pts98,061 miles
13 years31.1%4,76438.3%−7.2 pts102,099 miles
14 years33.1%5,11840.3%−7.2 pts108,326 miles
15 years33.4%5,96441.6%−8.2 pts114,476 miles
16 years32.7%6,30342.6%−9.9 pts117,172 miles
17 years31.2%5,88243.1%−11.9 pts116,128 miles
18 years30.8%3,93843.3%−12.5 pts115,149 miles
19 years30.1%2,14143.2%−13.1 pts110,915 miles

Most common fail items at 9 years

Split into structural or mechanical items and wear items. Wear items (tyres, brake pads, wipers, bulbs) say more about upkeep than about the design.

Structural and mechanical

Fail itemPer 100 MOTs
Coil spring broken Major5.1
Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded Major2.9
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Major1.4
Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Major1.3

Out of 10,164 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Wear and upkeep

Fail itemPer 100 MOTs
Tyre with cords exposed Dangerous4.1
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm Dangerous3.3
Tyre condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Major2.7
Tyre condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Dangerous1.7
Tyre condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Dangerous1.6
Brake pads under 1.5 mm Dangerous1

Out of 10,164 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Other models at 9 years

ModelMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars
Mercedes-Benz C-Class21.7%124,54227.1%
Mercedes-Benz A-Class25.8%105,45327.1%
Mercedes-Benz E-Class21.8%83,15227.1%

MOT fail rate by first-use year

Each year has its own page: the fail rate for cars first used that year at each MOT from 2022 to 2025 with at least 1,000 tests, the most common faults at that age, and the car tax and ULEZ rules for that year.

First-use year data updated .

Latest MOT age with at least 1,000 tests for each first-use year.
First usedAge at testMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars
200518 years in 202328.0%1,07043.3%
200619 years in 202529.1%1,16243.2%
200718 years in 202532.0%1,45843.3%
200817 years in 202530.9%1,18243.1%
200915 years in 202436.3%1,12941.6%
201014 years in 202435.7%1,07840.3%
201114 years in 202525.5%1,11640.3%
201213 years in 202526.2%1,08138.3%
201312 years in 202527.6%2,99436.0%
201411 years in 202525.2%1,73933.3%
201510 years in 202521.2%2,88430.3%
20169 years in 202520.2%2,09927.1%
20178 years in 202520.0%1,47523.8%
20186 years in 202418.0%1,00017.8%
20196 years in 202517.1%1,08117.8%

More on the Mercedes-Benz Cls

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

Looking at one Mercedes-Benz Cls?

These are figures for the model, not for one car. The VetTheCar Buying Report looks at a single car: its MOT tests, defects, advisories and mileage readings.

See an example report Browse the car tools

Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 22 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources