216,064 tests in 2025
Mercedes-Benz E-Class reliability and MOT pass rate
80.1% passed first time. The 19.9% fail rate is 2.7 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 10 years old with 88,620 miles.
MOT pass rates / Mercedes-Benz
Pass rate
80.1%
22.6% of all cars failed; 19.9% of these did.
Fixed on the day
2.8%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
88,620 mi
10 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 18,593 | 11.7% |
| 6-9 years | 77,827 | 14.3% |
| 10-13 years | 67,284 | 23.6% |
| 14+ years | 51,736 | 26.5% |
What the E-Class fails on
Share of failed tests with at least one fail item in each DVSA inspection section. A test can fail in several sections at once.
- Suspension1,064 dangerous39.4%
- Tyres18,047 dangerous39.1%
- Brakes4,647 dangerous26.6%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment30 dangerous13.5%
- Noise, emissions and leaks89 dangerous11.5%
- Road Wheels2,557 dangerous6.2%
- Visibility18 dangerous5.8%
- Body, chassis, structure172 dangerous4.3%
Is the E-Class getting worse?
The fail rate rose 1.7 points to 20.3% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 247,166 | 8 | 18.6% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 243,306 | — | 19.5% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 204,829 | — | 20.4% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 205,285 | — | 20.3% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical E-Class at its test that year, and it is the number to watch: across the whole fleet each extra year of age adds roughly 1.9 points to the fail rate, so a model whose age and fail rate rise together is simply getting older.
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a E-Class in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn5,610 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm5,094 tests
- 3Condition: has ply or cords exposed4,566 tests
- 4Coil spring: fractured or broken4,401 tests
- 5Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords3,583 tests
- 6Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction3,437 tests
- 7Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded2,601 tests
- 8Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements2,399 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical E-Class collects 2.58 of them per test, and these are the ones that come up most. Treat it as the running-repairs list for the next year or two.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm35,793 tests
- 2Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded18,455 tests
- 3Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick15,626 tests
- 4Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened15,248 tests
- 5Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine9,630 tests
- 6Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn9,157 tests
- 7Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn8,627 tests
- 8Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure8,498 tests
Questions
What is the Mercedes-Benz E-Class MOT pass rate?
80.1% of the 216,064 Mercedes-Benz E-Class first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 19.9% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 2.8% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Mercedes-Benz E-Class usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn", recorded on 5,610 failed tests, followed by "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" and "Condition: has ply or cords exposed". By section, suspension appears in 39.4% of failures, tyres appears in 39.1% of failures, brakes appears in 26.6% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 11.7%; at 14+ years it was 26.5%. The median Mercedes-Benz E-Class tested in 2025 was 10 years old with 88,620 miles.
Is the Mercedes-Benz E-Class getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 1.7 points to 20.3% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
First-attempt class 4 tests, 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data (OGL v3, retrieved 2026-09-12). DVSA records newer cars trim by trim; this page adds every E-Class trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
DVSA has published 135 safety recalls naming the Mercedes-Benz E-Class: Mercedes-Benz E-Class recalls.
Other Mercedes-Benz models
Checking a particular E-Class?
The odds above are the model. The car in front of you has its own record: every test, every advisory, the mileage at each one.
Due a test? Find an approved MOT station near you.