Mercedes-Benz Vito: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Mercedes-Benz Vito fails its first MOT more often than the average UK vehicle, by 4 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 85,562 individual Mercedes-Benz Vito tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 72.7% first-time pass rate means roughly 27 in every 100 Mercedes-Benz Vitos presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is worse than average, so budget for remedial work and treat a fresh 12-month MOT as a genuine selling point rather than a given. The average Mercedes-Benz Vito tested had covered 139,506 miles and was built around 2014.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Mercedes-Benz Vito sits 4 points below the national average, ranked 1,689 of 2,005 models. On one bought as repairable salvage, assume the mechanical side needs more than the visible accident damage, and pad your repair estimate accordingly.

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. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Mercedes-Benz Vito 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 the median recorded closing bid for a damaged Mercedes-Benz Vito: £3,550 at UK salvage auction, from 3 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Mercedes-Benz Vito

1. Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value, 2.2% of tests (5.99x the national rate for this defect)
2. Parking brake inoperative on one side, 2.4% of tests (4x the national rate for this defect)
3. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 4.2% of tests (3.19x the national rate for this defect)
4. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 2.9% of tests (2.29x the national rate for this defect)
5. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 2.1% of tests (2.2x the national rate for this defect)
6. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 4.1% of tests (1.79x the national rate for this defect)
7. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 2% of tests (1.62x the national rate for this defect)
8. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 2.6% of tests (1.56x the national rate for this defect)
9. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 2.9% of tests (1.23x the national rate for this defect)
10. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.3% of tests (1.23x the national rate for this defect)

From 93,201 DVSA-tracked Mercedes-Benz Vito tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.06% of these flagged Mercedes-Benz Vito defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Mercedes-Benz Vito

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Mercedes-Benz Vito before it actually fails on it.

1. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 2.8% of tests (2.23x the national rate for this advisory)
2. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 3% of tests (2.18x the national rate for this advisory)
3. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 3.1% of tests (2.02x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 11.8% of tests (1.9x the national rate for this advisory)
5. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 3.4% of tests (1.7x the national rate for this advisory)
6. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 7.9% of tests (1.41x the national rate for this advisory)
7. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 4.2% of tests (1.31x the national rate for this advisory)
8. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 3.5% of tests (1.22x the national rate for this advisory)
9. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 27.9% of tests
10. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 11.8% of tests

From 93,201 DVSA-tracked Mercedes-Benz Vito tests, 2024.

Mercedes-Benz Vito pass rate by model year

From its 2002 to its 2022 model year, the Mercedes-Benz Vito's first-time pass rate has risen 28.9 points, from 60.8% to 89.7%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Mercedes-Benz Vito year:

• 2001 Mercedes-Benz Vito - 58.1% first-time pass, 227 tests
• 2002 Mercedes-Benz Vito - 60.8% first-time pass, 403 tests
• 2003 Mercedes-Benz Vito - 62.3% first-time pass, 424 tests
• 2004 Mercedes-Benz Vito - 62% first-time pass, 865 tests
• 2005 Mercedes-Benz Vito - 60.9% first-time pass, 1,934 tests
• 2006 Mercedes-Benz Vito - 64.5% first-time pass, 3,610 tests
• 2007 Mercedes-Benz Vito - 65.2% first-time pass, 4,283 tests
• 2008 Mercedes-Benz Vito - 65.8% first-time pass, 4,326 tests
• 2009 Mercedes-Benz Vito - 67.7% first-time pass, 4,156 tests
• 2010 Mercedes-Benz Vito - 68.1% first-time pass, 4,304 tests
• 2011 Mercedes-Benz Vito - 68.1% first-time pass, 3,869 tests
• 2012 Mercedes-Benz Vito - 69.3% first-time pass, 4,857 tests
• 2013 Mercedes-Benz Vito - 72.3% first-time pass, 5,411 tests
• 2014 Mercedes-Benz Vito - 72.9% first-time pass, 5,330 tests
• 2015 Mercedes-Benz Vito - 73.2% first-time pass, 5,620 tests
• 2016 Mercedes-Benz Vito - 74.7% first-time pass, 6,944 tests
• 2017 Mercedes-Benz Vito - 78.4% first-time pass, 9,791 tests
• 2018 Mercedes-Benz Vito - 79% first-time pass, 7,445 tests
• 2019 Mercedes-Benz Vito - 81% first-time pass, 9,604 tests
• 2020 Mercedes-Benz Vito - 81.3% first-time pass, 3,635 tests
• 2021 Mercedes-Benz Vito - 85.9% first-time pass, 4,325 tests
• 2022 Mercedes-Benz Vito - 89.7% first-time pass, 438 tests

Mercedes-Benz Vito by fuel type

The Mercedes-Benz Vito's two most-tested fuel types split by 14.7 points: diesel passes first time 73.5% of the time (91,677 tests) against 88.2% for electric (382 tests).

• Diesel Mercedes-Benz Vito - 73.5% first-time pass, 91,677 tests
• Electric Mercedes-Benz Vito - 88.2% first-time pass, 382 tests
• Petrol Mercedes-Benz Vito - 67.2% first-time pass, 262 tests

Other Mercedes-Benz models

• Mercedes-Benz C - 77.4%
• Mercedes-Benz A-Class - 78.7%
• Mercedes-Benz E - 79.2%
• Mercedes-Benz A - 89.5%
• 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

• Chrysler 300 C - 72.8%
• Fiat Camper - 72.8%
• Nissan Qashqai - 72.7%
• Volkswagen Touran - 72.7%
• Peugeot 205 - 72.7%
• Kia Sorento - 72.6%

If this van is a salvage or write-off

• Britain's most and least reliable vans: 2.2 million MOT tests analysed
• Does high mileage mean a worse MOT pass rate? The workhorses say no
• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate