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MOT fail rates

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter MOT fail rate by age

How often the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter fails its MOT at each age, compared with all cars of the same age, and what it fails on. From 91,862 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated

At 9 years, the most tested age

MOT fail rate at age 9 (n=5,613)24.3%
All cars at 9 years (n=9,949,012)27.1%
Median mileage at test114,076
All cars, median mileage68,033

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

What stands out

  • At 3 years the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter fails 14.8% of MOTs (3,620 tests), 2.7 points above the 12.1% for all cars that age. At 24 years it fails 37.3% (1,444 tests), about the same as the 37.8% average.
  • The gap is widest at 16 years: 9.1 points below all cars.
  • Its most common structural or mechanical fail item at 9 years: Handbrake too weak, at 5 per 100 MOTs.

MOT fail rate by age

3 years 24 years 47.6%

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

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter: 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 years14.8%3,62012.1%+2.7 pts44,440 miles
4 years15.1%4,05813.4%+1.7 pts57,396 miles
5 years15.1%4,69715.3%−0.3 pts72,651 miles
6 years16.5%4,98017.8%−1.3 pts85,038 miles
7 years19.8%5,37120.6%−0.8 pts92,359 miles
8 years22.8%5,61123.8%−1.0 pts106,298 miles
9 years24.3%5,61327.1%−2.8 pts114,076 miles
10 years27.2%5,57530.3%−3.1 pts119,740 miles
11 years29.4%5,10533.3%−3.8 pts125,483 miles
12 years31.1%4,74036.0%−4.9 pts132,212 miles
13 years31.9%4,29638.3%−6.4 pts134,052 miles
14 years33.2%4,26540.3%−7.0 pts134,352 miles
15 years34.2%4,24941.6%−7.4 pts136,550 miles
16 years33.5%4,06442.6%−9.1 pts137,482 miles
17 years36.5%4,14243.1%−6.6 pts135,931 miles
18 years37.7%4,11943.3%−5.6 pts134,342 miles
19 years39.6%3,89243.2%−3.6 pts130,809 miles
20 years40.0%3,74542.8%−2.8 pts127,349 miles
21 years39.7%3,42742.1%−2.3 pts131,048 miles
22 years38.4%2,77141.0%−2.6 pts133,152 miles
23 years38.8%2,07839.6%−0.8 pts134,605 miles
24 years37.3%1,44437.8%−0.5 pts137,464 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
Handbrake too weak Major5
Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded Major4.3
Rbt (sp): efficiency less than 50% of the required value Dangerous2
Parking brake performance: inoperative on one side Major1.4
Service brake performance: excessively binding Major1.4
Suspension ball joint worn Major1.4
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Major1.3

Out of 5,613 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Wear and upkeep

Fail itemPer 100 MOTs
Wipers not clearing screen Major2.5
Side/position light not working Major1.3
Headlamp aim: too low Major1.3

Out of 5,613 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Other models at 9 years

ModelMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars
Mercedes-Benz Vito32.6%21,66027.1%
Ford Transit35.3%127,92627.1%
Volkswagen Transporter26.7%69,15927.1%

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
200419 years in 202339.2%1,08643.2%
200718 years in 202535.2%1,03743.3%
200817 years in 202536.6%1,13843.1%
201015 years in 202530.9%1,08641.6%
201114 years in 202533.5%1,09440.3%
201213 years in 202533.2%1,23538.3%
201312 years in 202529.8%1,26636.0%
201411 years in 202529.9%1,50633.3%
201510 years in 202524.9%1,67730.3%
20169 years in 202524.1%1,30327.1%
20178 years in 202519.7%1,34723.8%
20187 years in 202518.5%1,29420.6%
20196 years in 202516.1%1,19417.8%
20205 years in 202514.6%1,05115.3%

More on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

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 Sprinter?

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