2005 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter: MOT pass rate and reliability

66.6% of 2005 Mercedes-Benz Sprinters pass the MOT first time, measured across 2,491 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 171,471 miles.

How the 2005 compares

  • Against all Mercedes-Benz Sprinters (73.7%, 188,413 tests): -7.1 points
  • Against all 2005 cars (64.2%): +2.4 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Mercedes-Benz Sprinter model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2005 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
1997 65.6% 247 167,965
1998 63.3% 381 163,150
1999 66.6% 461 176,971
2000 68.9% 687 162,856
2001 68% 1,220 166,090
2002 65.9% 1,737 163,044
2003 67% 2,000 167,189
2004 64.6% 2,273 163,192
2005 66.6% 2,491 171,471
2006 68.1% 2,942 177,523
2007 67.6% 4,852 192,875
2008 68.4% 5,455 189,201
2009 68.6% 4,688 187,295
2010 68.1% 6,759 189,208
2011 67.5% 7,553 192,321
2012 67.1% 9,674 189,140
2013 69.2% 12,133 186,455
2014 70.6% 13,912 177,046
2015 71.6% 15,598 169,979
2016 74.9% 14,971 162,249
2017 76.6% 17,396 147,153
2018 79.9% 17,551 136,399
2019 80.3% 23,766 121,010
2020 80.8% 17,483 102,601
2021 78.1% 1,828 64,219

What this means if you are buying a 2005 Sprinter

The 2005 is a weaker year for this model, passing 7.1 points less often than the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 2005 figure for all cars above rather than against newer examples. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.

What a 21-year-old car fails on

A 2005 car is 21 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:

  • Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
  • Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
  • Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
  • Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
  • Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
  • Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested

That is very high mileage. Clutches, dual-mass flywheels and head gaskets have usually been through at least one repair by this point, so ask for evidence rather than assume the car is original everywhere. On a 2005 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter the average at test was 171,471 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.

The strongest year for this model is 2020 at 80.8%, and the weakest in our data is 1998 at 63.3%. That 17.5 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2005 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All Mercedes-Benz Sprinter MOT data · Every model