MOT data by first-use year
2018 Mercedes-Benz X-Class: MOT fail rate and common problems
DVSA MOT tests 2022–2025 · 5,246 MOT tests · Updated
20.0% of 2018 Mercedes-Benz X-Class pickups failed their MOT at 7 years; measured against vehicles the same age and test year, about the same as the 2019 pickups (3,980 MOT tests) [1].
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- +4.7 to +1.0 points: the gap to all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year, from 4 to 7 years, 5,246 MOT tests
- At 7 years (tested 2025): 20.0% failed, against 19.0% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 7 years in 2025, 1,266 MOT tests
- At 6 years (tested 2024): 22.9% failed, against 17.4% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 6 years in 2024, 1,335 MOT tests
Engine, fuel and mileage decide where one vehicle sits within these figures. Check the reg first.
Figures are for 2018 Mercedes-Benz X-Class pickups as a group, not for one pickup.
- Fail rate at 7 years (2025)
- 20.0%
- vs 19.0% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 7 years in 2025
- 1,266 MOT tests
- Gap to all class 4, same age and year
- +4.6 pts
- over ages 4–7: +1.0 to +6.9 pts
- 5,246 MOT tests
- Against the 2019 pickups
- +1.5 pts
- 95% range −1.4 to +4.5 pts, same ages, each against its own test year
- 3,980 MOT tests
- MOT tests of 2018 pickups
- 5,246
- tested 2022–2025, 4 ages with 1,000+ tests
- 5,246 MOT tests
About the same as the 2019 pickups: +1.5 points at the same ages (4–6), each year against all class 4 vehicles the same age tested in its own year; 95% range −1.4 to +4.5, from 3,980 MOT tests of 2018 pickups and 4,911 of the 2019 pickups. Not adjusted for mileage.
Every Mercedes-Benz X-Class year against all class 4 vehicles the same age
2018 Mercedes-Benz X-Class fail rate at each MOT
From 2022 to 2025, as these pickups went from 4 to 7 years old, the fail rate went from 18.4% to 20.0%, and the gap to all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year from +4.7 to +1.0 points. The widest gap was at 5 years (+6.9 points, 1,303 MOT tests).
| Test year | Age | Fail rate | 95% range | MOT tests | All class 4, same age and year | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 4 years | 18.4% | 16.4%–20.6% | 1,342 | 13.7% | +4.7 pts |
| 2023 | 5 years | 22.6% | 20.5%–25.0% | 1,303 | 15.7% | +6.9 pts |
| 2024 | 6 years | 22.9% | 20.7%–25.3% | 1,335 | 17.4% | +5.5 pts |
| 2025 | 7 years | 20.0% | 17.9%–22.3% | 1,266 | 19.0% | +1.0 pts |
All class 4: every class 4 vehicle (cars and light vans) tested at that age in the same test year.
2018 against the 2019 pickups, age by age
| Age | 2018 | Years either side |
|---|---|---|
| 4 years | 18.4% 1,342 MOT tests, tested 2022 | 2019: 19.2% (1,559, tested 2023) |
| 5 years | 22.6% 1,303 MOT tests, tested 2023 | 2019: 19.4% (1,713, tested 2024) |
| 6 years | 22.9% 1,335 MOT tests, tested 2024 | 2019: 19.2% (1,639, tested 2025) |
Each year was tested in a different calendar year; the verdict compares each against all class 4 vehicles the same age tested in its own year.
What fails on a Mercedes-Benz X-Class at 7 years
All Mercedes-Benz X-Class MOTs at 7 years, pickups first used 2017–2018 (1,413 MOT tests; DVSA item counts are not split by first-use year). The most common fail items: engine warning lamp at the diesel emissions check: not working or showing a fault (4.0 per 100 MOT tests), airbag (SRS) warning light on (2.8 per 100 MOT tests) and brake pads under 1.5 mm (2.1 per 100 MOT tests, a wear item).
Item rates are not compared with all class 4 vehicles here: most of those are cars, and pickups wear differently.
Vehicle tax and ULEZ for a 2018 pickup
A vehicle first registered in the UK in 2018 was issued a 67 (January–February), 18 (March–August) or 68 (September–December) plate, unless it was registered in Northern Ireland (no age identifier) or has since moved to a private plate. An imported one is plated when first registered here, so its plate can be newer than its first-use year. 18 plates
A pickup with a payload of 1 tonne or more is taxed as a light goods vehicle; with a smaller payload it is taxed as a car. The tax class on the V5C logbook decides. [2] Car tax calculator for a 2018 diesel pickup
For the London ULEZ, a diesel pickup needs Euro 6 (usually registered from September 2016, from September 2015 for the smallest vans) and a petrol one Euro 4 (usually from 2006 or 2007). The Euro standard decides, not the year alone. [3] ULEZ checker
Buying a Mercedes-Benz X-Class? Check that exact car before the viewing.
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- Model risks for this year and fuel
- What similar cars did at their next MOT
- Repairs ahead
- Viewing checklist
Questions people ask
What is the MOT fail rate of a 2018 Mercedes-Benz X-Class?
20.0% at 7 years (tested 2025), from 1,266 MOT tests, against 19.0% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 7 years in 2025.
Does the 2018 Mercedes-Benz X-Class fail more MOTs than the 2019?
1.5 percentage points apart at the same ages (4–6), each against all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year, from 3,980 MOT tests (95% range −1.4 to +4.5), so about the same.
At what ages were 2018 Mercedes-Benz X-Class pickups MOT tested in the data?
4 ages with at least 1,000 MOT tests: 4–7 years, tested 2022–2025, 5,246 MOT tests in all.
What fails most on a Mercedes-Benz X-Class at 7 years?
4.0 in 100 MOT tests failed on engine warning lamp at the diesel emissions check: not working or showing a fault, the most common fail item. From 1,413 MOT tests of Mercedes-Benz X-Class pickups first used 2017–2018, not only 2018.
Sources
- Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2022 to 2025. DVSA MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0, 5,246 MOT tests. Accessed 7 Oct 2026.
- GOV.UK, Vehicle tax rates. Rules, not drawn from the MOT data.
- Transport for London, Ultra Low Emission Zone. Rules, not drawn from the MOT data.
Pickups tested at 7 years are compared with every class 4 vehicle tested at 7 years in the same test year. These rates are not adjusted for mileage. Breakdowns and non-MOT faults are not in this data. How we compare