80,851 tests in 2025
Mercedes-Benz Vito reliability and MOT pass rate
73.6% passed first time. The 26.4% fail rate is 3.8 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 10 years old with 132,054 miles.
MOT pass rates / Mercedes-Benz
Pass rate
73.6%
22.6% of all cars failed; 26.4% of these did.
Fixed on the day
6.6%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
132,054 mi
10 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 10,265 | 18.3% |
| 6-9 years | 28,809 | 22.4% |
| 10-13 years | 17,410 | 27.7% |
| 14+ years | 24,046 | 33.8% |
What the Vito 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.
- Brakes3,845 dangerous44%
- Suspension398 dangerous43.7%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment92 dangerous33.5%
- Tyres4,077 dangerous21.6%
- Noise, emissions and leaks65 dangerous16.9%
- Visibility23 dangerous16.5%
- Body, chassis, structure303 dangerous14.1%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems8 dangerous6.4%
Is the Vito getting worse?
The fail rate fell 0.6 points to 26.6% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 1 year. Ageing alone would predict about 2.5 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 88,092 | 9 | 27.2% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 87,301 | 9 | 26.8% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 76,836 | 10 | 26.8% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 77,184 | 10 | 26.6% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Vito 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 Vito in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Coil spring: fractured or broken3,562 tests
- 2Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements3,268 tests
- 3Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction2,516 tests
- 4Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn2,232 tests
- 5Rbt (sp): efficiency less than 50% of the required value1,569 tests
- 6Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm1,562 tests
- 7Position lamp: not working1,504 tests
- 8Parking brake performance: inoperative on one side1,496 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Vito collects 2.74 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 1.6mm13,455 tests
- 2Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened7,006 tests
- 3Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded6,139 tests
- 4Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine6,098 tests
- 5Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick4,738 tests
- 6Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure3,292 tests
- 7Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn3,006 tests
- 8Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak2,646 tests
Questions
What is the Mercedes-Benz Vito MOT pass rate?
73.6% of the 80,851 Mercedes-Benz Vito first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 26.4% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 6.6% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Mercedes-Benz Vito usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Coil spring: fractured or broken", recorded on 3,562 failed tests, followed by "Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements" and "Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction". By section, brakes appears in 44% of failures, suspension appears in 43.7% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 33.5% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 18.3%; at 14+ years it was 33.8%. The median Mercedes-Benz Vito tested in 2025 was 10 years old with 132,054 miles.
Is the Mercedes-Benz Vito getting less reliable?
The fail rate fell 0.6 points to 26.6% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 1 year. Ageing alone would predict about 2.5 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
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 Vito 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 54 safety recalls naming the Mercedes-Benz Vito: Mercedes-Benz Vito recalls.
Other Mercedes-Benz models
Checking a particular Vito?
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.