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MOT fail rates

Mercedes-Benz S-Class MOT fail rate by age

How often the Mercedes-Benz S-Class fails its MOT at each age, compared with all cars of the same age, and what it fails on. From 107,268 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated

At 6 years, the most tested age

MOT fail rate at age 6 (n=10,214)11.0%
All cars at 6 years (n=10,382,720)17.8%
Median mileage at test55,426
All cars, median mileage44,951

33 of 340 model groups with enough tests fail less often at 6 years.

What stands out

  • At 3 years the Mercedes-Benz S-Class fails 8.0% of MOTs (4,741 tests), 4.1 points below the 12.1% for all cars that age. At 23 years it fails 30.2% (1,318 tests), 9.4 points below the 39.6% average.
  • The gap is widest at 18 years: 18.2 points below all cars.
  • Its most common structural or mechanical fail item at 6 years: Suspension ball joint worn, at 2.6 per 100 MOTs.

MOT fail rate by age

3 years 23 years 47.6%

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

Mercedes-Benz S-Class: 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 years8.0%4,74112.1%−4.1 pts31,556 miles
4 years7.7%6,75713.4%−5.6 pts42,632 miles
5 years9.3%8,35815.3%−6.0 pts51,355 miles
6 years11.0%10,21417.8%−6.9 pts55,426 miles
7 years11.7%9,77520.6%−8.9 pts60,010 miles
8 years13.3%9,07323.8%−10.4 pts67,042 miles
9 years14.7%7,64227.1%−12.4 pts75,348 miles
10 years16.3%6,20230.3%−14.0 pts84,407 miles
11 years18.1%4,90333.3%−15.2 pts93,003 miles
12 years21.0%4,19236.0%−15.0 pts99,861 miles
13 years22.0%4,06138.3%−16.3 pts101,947 miles
14 years24.2%3,92440.3%−16.1 pts106,056 miles
15 years25.9%4,36941.6%−15.7 pts109,015 miles
16 years25.8%4,55742.6%−16.7 pts108,858 miles
17 years26.3%4,00143.1%−16.8 pts111,841 miles
18 years25.1%3,66543.3%−18.2 pts113,399 miles
19 years25.8%3,10043.2%−17.4 pts114,077 miles
20 years27.1%2,47042.8%−15.7 pts115,002 miles
21 years26.4%2,17042.1%−15.6 pts109,872 miles
22 years28.9%1,77641.0%−12.0 pts105,250 miles
23 years30.2%1,31839.6%−9.4 pts99,463 miles

Most common fail items at 6 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
Suspension ball joint worn Major2.6
Road wheel condition: fractured Dangerous0.5
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Major0.4

Out of 10,214 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Wear and upkeep

Fail itemPer 100 MOTs
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm Dangerous2.8
Tyre condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Major1.3
Tyre with cords exposed Dangerous1.1
Tyre condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Dangerous0.7
Brake pads under 1.5 mm Dangerous0.5
Registration plates: does not conform to the specified requirements Major0.5
Washers: not working Major0.4

Out of 10,214 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Other models at 6 years

ModelMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars
Mercedes-Benz A-Class16.2%173,01017.8%
Mercedes-Benz C-Class15.6%133,03217.8%
Mercedes-Benz E-Class15.1%88,28017.8%

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
200618 years in 202423.4%1,03243.3%
200718 years in 202523.9%1,14243.3%
200815 years in 202326.1%1,08141.6%
201213 years in 202519.5%1,16238.3%
201310 years in 202321.1%1,05430.3%
201411 years in 202512.2%1,59233.3%
201510 years in 202513.0%2,14030.3%
20169 years in 202514.2%2,65527.1%
20178 years in 202512.8%2,28123.8%
20187 years in 20259.4%2,20220.6%
20196 years in 20259.4%2,32817.8%

More on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class

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 S-Class?

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