Mercedes-Benz A-Class: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 2 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 241,755 individual Mercedes-Benz A-Class tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 78.7% first-time pass rate means roughly 21 in every 100 Mercedes-Benz A-Class presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is better than average, so a well-kept example is a reasonably safe used buy. The average Mercedes-Benz A-Class tested had covered 68,658 miles and was built around 2015.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Mercedes-Benz A-Class bought as a repairable salvage, the mechanical side is less likely to spring surprises, so your repair estimate should hold up reasonably well.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. See how it stacks up against the Ford Fiesta.

Looking at a specific Mercedes-Benz A-Class rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see what damaged Mercedes-Benz A-Class actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Mercedes-Benz A-Class

1. An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction, 1% of tests (3.16x the national rate for this defect)
2. A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 0.8% of tests (1.64x the national rate for this defect)
3. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 1.3% of tests (1.4x the national rate for this defect)
4. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 1.9% of tests (1.39x the national rate for this defect)
5. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 1.6% of tests (1.33x the national rate for this defect)
6. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 2.1% of tests (1.27x the national rate for this defect)
7. A tyre seriously damaged, 2.5% of tests (1.26x the national rate for this defect)
8. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 2.4% of tests
9. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 1.6% of tests
10. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 1.3% of tests

From 414,684 DVSA-tracked Mercedes-Benz A-Class tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 6.51% of these flagged Mercedes-Benz A-Class defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Mercedes-Benz A-Class pass rate by model year

Pass rates fall steadily as cars age, so the model year matters as much as the model. First-time pass rate for each Mercedes-Benz A-Class year:

• 2000 Mercedes-Benz A-Class - 60.3% first-time pass, 239 tests
• 2001 Mercedes-Benz A-Class - 66.4% first-time pass, 578 tests
• 2002 Mercedes-Benz A-Class - 63.5% first-time pass, 915 tests
• 2003 Mercedes-Benz A-Class - 65.1% first-time pass, 1,250 tests
• 2004 Mercedes-Benz A-Class - 66.3% first-time pass, 1,249 tests
• 2005 Mercedes-Benz A-Class - 66.7% first-time pass, 2,880 tests
• 2006 Mercedes-Benz A-Class - 64.9% first-time pass, 4,382 tests
• 2007 Mercedes-Benz A-Class - 67.4% first-time pass, 6,032 tests
• 2008 Mercedes-Benz A-Class - 66.3% first-time pass, 6,671 tests
• 2009 Mercedes-Benz A-Class - 68.1% first-time pass, 6,920 tests
• 2010 Mercedes-Benz A-Class - 69.6% first-time pass, 6,189 tests
• 2011 Mercedes-Benz A-Class - 72.2% first-time pass, 5,423 tests
• 2012 Mercedes-Benz A-Class - 73.3% first-time pass, 5,175 tests
• 2013 Mercedes-Benz A-Class - 75.7% first-time pass, 14,662 tests
• 2014 Mercedes-Benz A-Class - 76.3% first-time pass, 23,099 tests
• 2015 Mercedes-Benz A-Class - 79% first-time pass, 26,796 tests
• 2016 Mercedes-Benz A-Class - 81.5% first-time pass, 37,979 tests
• 2017 Mercedes-Benz A-Class - 83.7% first-time pass, 40,670 tests
• 2018 Mercedes-Benz A-Class - 86.4% first-time pass, 40,495 tests
• 2019 Mercedes-Benz A-Class - 87.1% first-time pass, 8,551 tests

Mercedes-Benz A-Class by fuel type

Diesel and petrol versions of the same car fail on different things, so the fuel type moves the number:

• Diesel Mercedes-Benz A-Class - 78.8% first-time pass, 145,654 tests
• Petrol Mercedes-Benz A-Class - 79.5% first-time pass, 94,824 tests

Other Mercedes-Benz models

• Mercedes-Benz C - 77.4%
• Mercedes-Benz E - 79.2%
• Mercedes-Benz A - 89.5%
• Mercedes-Benz Vito - 72.7%
• Mercedes-Benz Gla - 85.2%
• Mercedes-Benz Glc - 87.8%
• Mercedes-Benz B-Class - 74.7%
• Mercedes-Benz Cla - 82.8%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Volkswagen Phaeton - 78.8%
• Maserati Coupe - 78.8%
• Honda Jazz - 78.7%
• Mitsubishi Asx - 78.7%
• Citroen C5 - 78.7%
• BMW 114 - 78.7%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate