Common problems

Mercedes-Benz X-Class common problems

What MOT testers find on the Mercedes-Benz X-Class: the parts that fail or get advisories most often at each age, against all cars of the same age. From 14,314 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 5 years, the most tested age

Brakes fails per 100 MOTs (n=3,845)6.4

All cars at 5 years (n=9,425,360)2.8

Brakes advisories and minor defects per 100 MOTs (n=3,845)14.8

All cars, same age (n=9,425,360)15.1

What stands out

Brakes fails show up on 6.4 of every 100 MOTs of a Mercedes-Benz X-Class at 5 years old (n=3,845), against 2.8 for all cars of that age (n=9,425,360).
The fail item testers record most often at 5 years: malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction, on 3.2 per 100 MOTs (all cars 0.4).
The most common advisory or minor defect: tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge, on 11.7 per 100 MOTs.

Problems by part at 5 years

How many of every 100 MOTs found a fail, or an advisory or minor defect, in each area. A test with faults in two areas counts in both.

Mercedes-Benz X-Class at 5 years (n=3,845) against all cars at 5 years (n=9,425,360). Per 100 MOTs.
Area	Fails	All cars	Advisories	All cars
Brakes	6.4	2.8	14.8	15.1
Exhaust, emissions and leaks	4.5	1.0	2.5	0.8
Lights and electrics	4.2	3.7	4.6	1.3
Tyres	4.2	5.1	14.7	23.3
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	3.4	3.4	5.2	3.0
Seat belts and airbags	2.7	0.3	0.3	0.2
Body and structure	1.2	0.5	1.3	0.8
Suspension	1.0	1.6	3.8	4.2
Number plates and VIN	0.8	0.2	0.4	0.8
Steering	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.5
Road wheels	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.5

What testers fail most on the X-Class at 5 years

Fail items on the Mercedes-Benz X-Class at 5 years (n=3,845), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=9,425,360).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	Typical repair (estimate)
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction	Exhaust, emissions and leaks	3.2	0.4	diagnosis from £39 (rough guide)
Brake pads under 1.5 mm	Brakes	3.0	1.7	£72 to £174 per axle (rough guide)
Airbag (SRS) warning light on	Seat belts and airbags	2.4	0.1	diagnosis from £39 (rough guide)
Wipers not clearing screen	Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	2.3	2.1	£15 to £30 per blade
Handbrake too weak	Brakes	1.7	0.1
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm	Tyres	1.6	1.7	£88 to £145 per tyre
Tyre pressure monitoring system: malfunctioning or obviously inoperative	Tyres	1.3	0.4	£53 to £125 per wheel (rough guide)
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction	Exhaust, emissions and leaks	1.1	0.3	diagnosis from £39 (rough guide)
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps	Lights and electrics	0.9	0.3	£10 to £47 per lamp
Tyre condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords	Tyres	0.8	1.4	£88 to £145 per tyre

Early warnings: advisories and minor defects at 5 years

Advisories and minor defects are recorded, but the car still passes. Across all cars, a part with an advisory or minor defect failed at the next MOT 5.5 times in 100 (n=88,666,940 pairs of consecutive MOTs), against 0.3 times in 100 when the same part had none (n=12,936,860,350).

Advisories and minor defects on the Mercedes-Benz X-Class at 5 years (n=3,845), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=9,425,360).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	If it needs replacing (estimate)
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge	Tyres	11.7	13.5	£88 to £145 per tyre
Brake pads: wearing thin	Brakes	8.7	8.8	£72 to £174 per axle (rough guide)
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	Brakes	4.4	6.4	£148 to £376 per axle (rough guide)
Brake discs: worn, but not excessively	Brakes	3.9	2.2	£148 to £376 per axle (rough guide)
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources	Lights and electrics	3.7	0.7
Windscreen: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view	Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	3.4	1.6
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive	Exhaust, emissions and leaks	2.0	0.6
Wipers: blade defective	Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	1.7	1.2
Nail in tyre	Other	1.6	2.1
Anti-roll bar pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement	Suspension	1.6	0.1	£92 to £237 per arm (rough guide)

Repair estimates are a guide for an independent garage: labour at the national median local garage rate (median £78 an hour from 65 garages, ONS price quotes) times estimated labour hours, plus a parts band. Labour hours and most parts bands are estimates, not quotes, and prices vary by model, engine and region. A warning light fault shows the cost of the diagnosis only.

How problems change with age

Fails per 100 MOTs in the three most common areas at 5 years. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Age	Tests (n)	Brakes	Exhaust, emissions and leaks	Lights and electrics
3 years	2,352	7.4	2.7	3.5
4 years	3,573	7.0	3.0	3.6
5 years	3,845	6.4	4.5	4.2
6 years	3,131	4.9	5.0	5.5
7 years	1,413	5.9	5.2	5.3

Mileage

At 5 years, Mercedes-Benz X-Class cars showing 30,000 to 60,000 miles failed 18.3% of MOTs (n=1,821); the band that failed most, 60,000 to 90,000 miles, failed 21.6% (n=1,050). For pass and fail rates by age, see MOT fail rates by model.

What to check on a viewing

On the Mercedes-Benz X-Class, testers most often record malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction; brake pads under 1.5 mm; airbag (SRS) warning light on. Look at these first, then the areas below.

Brakes

On the test drive the car should stop in a straight line without pulling, juddering or grinding.
Look at the discs through the wheels for a deep lip, heavy rust or scoring.
Check that the handbrake or electronic parking brake holds the car on a slope.
Ask when the pads, discs and brake fluid were last changed, and for the receipts.

Exhaust, emissions and leaks

Start the engine from cold if you can and watch the exhaust for blue or black smoke.
Check that the engine warning light goes out after starting and stays out on the test drive.
Look under the car and around the engine for oil or fluid leaks, and listen for a blowing exhaust.

Lights and electrics

With someone outside, try every light: dipped and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and number plate lamps.
Check that the warning lights come on with the ignition and go out once the engine runs.
Look for misted, cracked or yellowed headlamp lenses.

Ask for the car's MOT history and service record: advisories that repeat from one year to the next show what has been left. GOV.UK MOT history.

Questions

What are the most common problems on the Mercedes-Benz X-Class?

At 5 years, the age with the most MOT tests (3,845), the fail items testers record most often on the Mercedes-Benz X-Class are malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction (3.2 per 100 MOTs), brake pads under 1.5 mm (3.0 per 100 MOTs), airbag (SRS) warning light on (2.4 per 100 MOTs). The most common advisories or minor defects are tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (11.7) and brake pads: wearing thin (8.7).

Which parts of the Mercedes-Benz X-Class fail more often than on other cars?

At 5 years: brakes (6.4 per 100 MOTs against 2.8 for all cars); exhaust, emissions and leaks (4.5 per 100 MOTs against 1.0 for all cars); seat belts and airbags (2.7 per 100 MOTs against 0.3 for all cars). Compared with 9,425,360 MOTs of all cars the same age.

Mercedes-Benz X-Class problems by area

Other Mercedes-Benz models

All Mercedes-Benz models · Common problems by make

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.

The all cars figures cover all class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans) tested at the same age.

Looking at a Mercedes-Benz X-Class?

These figures describe the model, not the car in front of you. Found one you might buy? See what the VetTheCar Buying Report covers, or use the tools that work without a registration.

See a sample report Car tools · MOT fail rates by model · Compare models by MOT record

Repair estimates: ONS consumer price quotes for local garage labour (09/2025 to 08/2026), the MOT inspection manual for defect wording, and estimated labour hours and parts bands. Not affiliated with or endorsed by ONS.

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 28 September 2026.

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