Mercedes-Benz C-Class MOT pass rates & common failures

Every completed first-attempt MOT on a Mercedes-Benz C-Class in Great Britain in 2025 — 360,309 tests. Figures cover every C-Class first-tested in 2025, all trims grouped. How the C-Class ages, what it fails on, and what mileage is normal, computed directly from the official DVSA record of every test.

Pass rate 2025
74.7%
2.4 points above the class-4 average (72.3%); unadjusted for age — the age-matched comparison is below
Tests analysed
360,309
first tests, 2025
Arrived with a dangerous fault
8.4%
of C-Class first tests; national 7.3%
Typical mileage at 10 years
88,750
middle half: 66,250–113,750 miles (2,500-mile-band midpoints)

How many Mercedes-Benz C-Class cars are still on the road?

At the end of 2025, DVLA's register held 392,418 Mercedes-Benz C-Class cars that were taxed or on SORN: 343,168 taxed and 49,250 on SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification — kept, but declared off the road by the keeper). The MOT figures above count tests; these count cars, across the whole United Kingdom, cars only. Mercedes-Benz C-Class vans, where they exist, are counted by DVLA as goods vehicles and are not in these figures.

Still taxed, end of 2025
343,168
87.4% of the 392,418 C-Class cars taxed or on SORN; 851 model variants grouped
On SORN, end of 2025
49,250
declared off the road by their keepers — 12.6% of that total

How the numbers are moving

The number of taxed C-Class cars peaked at 428,474 at the end of 2018 and has since fallen by 85,306 (19.9%) to 343,168 at the end of 2025. Cars on SORN went from 12,801 at the end of 2014 to 49,250 at the end of 2025, up 284.7%. A car leaves the taxed count when it is scrapped, exported or declared off the road; the year-end counts do not say which.

Taxed C-Class cars, year by year

Cars of this model taxed and on the road at the end of each year, 2014–2025.

0100k200k300k400k500k2014201620182020202220242025Year (count at the end of the year)Taxed C-Class cars, year 2014: 364kTaxed C-Class cars, year 2015: 385kTaxed C-Class cars, year 2016: 408kTaxed C-Class cars, year 2017: 425kTaxed C-Class cars, year 2018: 428kTaxed C-Class cars, year 2019: 428kTaxed C-Class cars, year 2020: 415kTaxed C-Class cars, year 2021: 404kTaxed C-Class cars, year 2022: 391kTaxed C-Class cars, year 2023: 374kTaxed C-Class cars, year 2024: 359kTaxed C-Class cars, year 2025: 343k343k
View this chart as a table
YearTaxed C-Class cars
2014364,494
2015385,415
2016408,226
2017424,746
2018428,474
2019428,086
2020414,705
2021403,908
2022391,212
2023373,709
2024358,636
2025343,168

C-Class cars on SORN, year by year

Cars of this model declared off the road at the end of each year, 2014–2025. Its own scale — SORN counts are a fraction of the taxed count.

010k20k30k40k50k2014201620182020202220242025Year (count at the end of the year)C-Class cars on SORN, year 2014: 13kC-Class cars on SORN, year 2015: 16kC-Class cars on SORN, year 2016: 20kC-Class cars on SORN, year 2017: 24kC-Class cars on SORN, year 2018: 28kC-Class cars on SORN, year 2019: 32kC-Class cars on SORN, year 2020: 36kC-Class cars on SORN, year 2021: 37kC-Class cars on SORN, year 2022: 40kC-Class cars on SORN, year 2023: 43kC-Class cars on SORN, year 2024: 46kC-Class cars on SORN, year 2025: 49k49k
View this chart as a table
YearC-Class cars on SORN
201412,801
201515,981
201620,250
201724,329
201828,288
201932,099
202036,306
202137,387
202239,573
202343,339
202446,285
202549,250

Which model years survive

Taxed C-Class cars at the end of 2025 by year of manufacture, and each year's share of the 343,168 taxed in all. Every build year holding at least 1% has its own row; the rest share one. 5 taxed C-Class cars have no recorded year of manufacture and are not in the table, so the rows add up to 343,163. A build year's count depends on how many were sold that year as well as how many have lasted.

Year of manufacture Taxed, end of 2025Share of taxed C-Class cars
20254,4371.3%
20244,7131.4%
20234,1491.2%
20224,3171.3%
20215,5701.6%
20208,9902.6%
201921,9546.4%
201825,3307.4%
201736,07410.5%
201634,1369.9%
201533,1909.7%
201424,8197.2%
201322,7746.6%
201224,5567.2%
201117,3665.1%
201011,2233.3%
200910,9513.2%
200811,5063.4%
200710,2723.0%
20067,6882.2%
20056,2131.8%
20044,5601.3%
All other build years (19 years, each under 1%)8,3752.4%

Population source: Department for Transport / DVLA vehicle licensing statistics, table VEH0124, updated 15 July 2026; counts of the cars on DVLA's register that were taxed or on SORN at the end of each year shown, United Kingdom, cars only, excluding cars recorded with no model name. SortedCars groups DVLA's model names C CLASS, AMG C, C 300 URBAN EDITION E AUTO, C 300 DE under this model. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. SortedCars is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, DVLA or the Department for Transport.

How the C-Class ages

First-time pass rate by vehicle age, C-Class vs all cars, 2025.

Mercedes-Benz C-ClassAll cars
50%60%70%80%90%100%3579111315171920Vehicle age (years)Mercedes-Benz C-Class, vehicle age 3: 89.2%Mercedes-Benz C-Class, vehicle age 4: 87.1%Mercedes-Benz C-Class, vehicle age 5: 85.8%Mercedes-Benz C-Class, vehicle age 6: 85.6%Mercedes-Benz C-Class, vehicle age 7: 83.9%Mercedes-Benz C-Class, vehicle age 8: 81.6%Mercedes-Benz C-Class, vehicle age 9: 80.4%Mercedes-Benz C-Class, vehicle age 10: 78%Mercedes-Benz C-Class, vehicle age 11: 75.2%Mercedes-Benz C-Class, vehicle age 12: 69.8%Mercedes-Benz C-Class, vehicle age 13: 67.4%Mercedes-Benz C-Class, vehicle age 14: 67.5%Mercedes-Benz C-Class, vehicle age 15: 66%Mercedes-Benz C-Class, vehicle age 16: 64.4%Mercedes-Benz C-Class, vehicle age 17: 63.7%Mercedes-Benz C-Class, vehicle age 18: 61.6%Mercedes-Benz C-Class, vehicle age 19: 58.9%Mercedes-Benz C-Class, vehicle age 20: 59.7%All cars, vehicle age 3: 88.5%All cars, vehicle age 4: 87.2%All cars, vehicle age 5: 86%All cars, vehicle age 6: 83.5%All cars, vehicle age 7: 80.9%All cars, vehicle age 8: 78.2%All cars, vehicle age 9: 74.9%All cars, vehicle age 10: 71.9%All cars, vehicle age 11: 68.6%All cars, vehicle age 12: 65.8%All cars, vehicle age 13: 63.5%All cars, vehicle age 14: 61.2%All cars, vehicle age 15: 59.3%All cars, vehicle age 16: 58.3%All cars, vehicle age 17: 57.2%All cars, vehicle age 18: 57.4%All cars, vehicle age 19: 57%All cars, vehicle age 20: 57.6%Mercedes-Benz C-Class 59.7%All cars 57.6%
View this chart as a table
Age (years)C-Class testsC-Class pass rateAll cars
34,98789.2%88.5%
46,74687.1%87.2%
510,16785.8%86.0%
624,72785.6%83.5%
728,37483.9%80.9%
839,53981.6%78.2%
936,61080.4%74.9%
1034,05078.0%71.9%
1125,19875.2%68.6%
1223,42869.8%65.8%
1325,67067.4%63.5%
1418,78767.5%61.2%
1512,77066.0%59.3%
1612,61464.4%58.3%
1713,13063.7%57.2%
1811,39361.6%57.4%
198,74958.9%57.0%
207,26859.7%57.6%

Better or worse than the average car?

The C-Class's pass rate minus the all-cars pass rate at each age, in percentage points. Bars above zero: the C-Class beats the average car of that age. Below zero: it trails.

C-Class aheadC-Class behind
-8-4+0+4+8Age 3: +0.7 points vs the average car3Age 4: -0.1 points vs the average carAge 5: -0.2 points vs the average car5Age 6: +2.1 points vs the average carAge 7: +3.0 points vs the average car7Age 8: +3.4 points vs the average carAge 9: +5.5 points vs the average car9Age 10: +6.1 points vs the average carAge 11: +6.6 points vs the average car11Age 12: +4.0 points vs the average carAge 13: +3.9 points vs the average car13Age 14: +6.3 points vs the average carAge 15: +6.7 points vs the average car15Age 16: +6.1 points vs the average carAge 17: +6.5 points vs the average car17Age 18: +4.2 points vs the average carAge 19: +1.9 points vs the average car19Age 20: +2.1 points vs the average car20Vehicle age (years)
View this chart as a table
Age (years)Gap (points)
3+0.7
4-0.1
5-0.2
6+2.1
7+3.0
8+3.4
9+5.5
10+6.1
11+6.6
12+4.0
13+3.9
14+6.3
15+6.7
16+6.1
17+6.5
18+4.2
19+1.9
20+2.1

The C-Class fleet on the road, by age

How many took a first MOT in 2025 at each age — the shape of the C-Class fleet still in use.

010k20k30k40kAge 3: 4k3Age 4: 6kAge 5: 10k5Age 6: 24kAge 7: 28k7Age 8: 39kAge 9: 36k9Age 10: 34kAge 11: 25k11Age 12: 23kAge 13: 25k13Age 14: 18kAge 15: 12k15Age 16: 12kAge 17: 13k17Age 18: 11kAge 19: 8k19Age 20: 7k20Vehicle age (years)
View this chart as a table
Age (years)First tests
34,987
46,746
510,167
624,727
728,374
839,539
936,610
1034,050
1125,198
1223,428
1325,670
1418,787
1512,770
1612,614
1713,130
1811,393
198,749
207,268

What a C-Class fails on

Where the failure items land when a C-Class fails or needs a fix at test, 2025. Use it as a pre-purchase checklist: these are the areas to look at first.

Suspension27.4%
Tyres18.8%
Brakes17.4%
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment15.7%
Noise, emissions and leaks7.2%
Visibility5.2%
Body, chassis, structure2.1%
Road Wheels2.0%

Share of all failure items, 2025 — the 8 biggest categories shown (95.9% of the items); smaller categories are not listed.

The advisories to watch

Where testers most often write "keep an eye on this" for a C-Class, 2025 — the faults in the post.

Tyres: 32.2% of advisories32.2%Brakes: 31.2% of advisories31.2%Suspension: 22.2% of advisories22.2%Non-component advisories: 4.0% of advisoriesNoise, emissions and leaks: 3.8% of advisoriesBody, chassis, structure: 2.2% of advisories
TyresBrakesSuspensionNon-component advisoriesNoise, emissions and leaksBody, chassis, structure
View this chart as a table
CategoryShare of advisories
Tyres32.2%
Brakes31.2%
Suspension22.2%
Non-component advisories4.0%
Noise, emissions and leaks3.8%
Body, chassis, structure2.2%

Petrol, diesel or hybrid C-Class?

First-time pass rate for the four most-tested C-Class fuel types, 2025, against the all-cars average. Fleet ages differ by fuel — newer fleets help the electrified bars.

50%60%70%80%90%100%all cars 72.3%Diesel: 73.1% of 213,692 tests73.1%Diesel213,692 testsPetrol: 75.4% of 121,194 tests75.4%Petrol121,194 testsHybrid electric: 85.9% of 19,410 tests85.9%Hybrid19,410 testsElectric diesel: 82.6% of 5,970 tests82.6%Electric diesel5,970 tests
View this chart as a table
FuelTestsPass rate
Diesel213,69273.1%
Petrol121,19475.4%
Hybrid electric19,41085.9%
Electric diesel5,97082.6%

What mileage is normal for a C-Class?

Mileage recorded at test by vehicle age, 2025. The line is the typical (median) C-Class; the shaded band holds the middle half. A car far outside the band, in either direction, is worth questions the recorded history can answer.

Typical C-Class (median)
0k25k50k75k100k125k150k3579111315171920Vehicle age (years)Age 3: typical 23,750 miles (middle half 16,250–36,250)Age 4: typical 33,750 miles (middle half 23,750–46,250)Age 5: typical 41,250 miles (middle half 28,750–56,250)Age 6: typical 46,250 miles (middle half 33,750–61,250)Age 7: typical 56,250 miles (middle half 41,250–73,750)Age 8: typical 63,750 miles (middle half 48,750–83,750)Age 9: typical 76,250 miles (middle half 58,750–98,750)Age 10: typical 88,750 miles (middle half 66,250–113,750)Age 11: typical 93,750 miles (middle half 71,250–118,750)Age 12: typical 98,750 miles (middle half 76,250–126,250)Age 13: typical 103,750 miles (middle half 78,750–131,250)Age 14: typical 108,750 miles (middle half 83,750–136,250)Age 15: typical 108,750 miles (middle half 83,750–136,250)Age 16: typical 118,750 miles (middle half 91,250–146,250)Age 17: typical 118,750 miles (middle half 91,250–148,750)Age 18: typical 116,250 miles (middle half 88,750–146,250)Age 19: typical 113,750 miles (middle half 86,250–143,750)Age 20: typical 116,250 miles (middle half 86,250–146,250)116k mi

Mileage values are midpoints of 2,500-mile bands.

View this chart as a table
Age (years)Lower quarterTypical (median)Upper quarter
316,25023,75036,250
423,75033,75046,250
528,75041,25056,250
633,75046,25061,250
741,25056,25073,750
848,75063,75083,750
958,75076,25098,750
1066,25088,750113,750
1171,25093,750118,750
1276,25098,750126,250
1378,750103,750131,250
1483,750108,750136,250
1583,750108,750136,250
1691,250118,750146,250
1791,250118,750148,750
1888,750116,250146,250
1986,250113,750143,750
2086,250116,250146,250

What fails at each age

The C-Class's failure mix by age band, 2025 — each band's top categories at their true share of that band's failure items; the pale remainder is everything else. How the mix shifts with age is the point of the chart.

TyresSuspensionBrakesRoad WheelsVisibilityNoise, emissions and leaksLamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentEverything else
View this chart as a table
Age bandCategoryShare of the band's failure items
3-5 yrsTyres63.6%
3-5 yrsSuspension8.3%
3-5 yrsBrakes7.7%
3-5 yrsRoad Wheels5.8%
3-5 yrsVisibility5.4%
3-5 yrsEverything else9.2%
6-9 yrsTyres40.1%
6-9 yrsSuspension23.1%
6-9 yrsBrakes10.2%
6-9 yrsNoise, emissions and leaks7.0%
6-9 yrsVisibility6.0%
6-9 yrsEverything else13.6%
10-13 yrsSuspension31.9%
10-13 yrsBrakes23.1%
10-13 yrsTyres20.3%
10-13 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment8.3%
10-13 yrsNoise, emissions and leaks6.7%
10-13 yrsEverything else9.7%
14+ yrsSuspension32.6%
14+ yrsBrakes20.0%
14+ yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment16.4%
14+ yrsTyres10.7%
14+ yrsNoise, emissions and leaks6.9%
14+ yrsEverything else13.4%

More vehicles we've checked

How these figures are computed. Every number on this page is calculated by SortedCars from the DVSA anonymised MOT results dataset (every MOT test in Great Britain — 2025 for single-year figures; trend figures state their span, currently 2023–2025). Where a figure comes from a sample or uses banded values (mileage is banded to 2,500 miles), the page says so beside the figure. Test class 4 only, first tests only — retests are excluded. Class 4 is the car MOT class and also covers car-derived vans, pickups and motorhomes tested to the same standard; where this page says "cars" it means class 4. Pass rate = passes ÷ (passes + failures + pass-after-rectification): a vehicle that failed and was fixed during the visit counts as a fail. Pass rates describe fleets, not individual machines: they reflect how cars were driven, maintained and used as well as how they were built, and beyond recorded mileage none of that is in the data. A well-kept example of a model with a weak average can still pass; a neglected example of a strong one can still fail. No figure is shown for any group with fewer than 500 tests. Alias spellings of a make in the DVSA file are counted under one make name, and all trims and variants of a model are grouped under one model name, using SortedCars' grouping tables. The taxed and SORN counts on this page are the one exception: they are not computed from MOT records but taken from the Department for Transport's vehicle licensing statistics (DfT/DVLA table VEH0124, updated 15 July 2026, Open Government Licence v3.0), which count the cars on DVLA's register that were taxed or on SORN at the end of each year shown, UK-wide, cars only. They describe a model as a whole, grouped under SortedCars' model names, and say nothing about any one car. “Dangerous” is DVSA's statutory defect category (in force since May 2018): a defect posing an immediate risk to road safety — driving the vehicle before repair is an offence. What these figures are for. These statistics are general information about groups of vehicles. They are not advice, a valuation or a recommendation to buy, avoid or price any particular vehicle, and no decision about one car should rest on them alone — check the car itself and its own records. We take care over the calculations, but we cannot guarantee they are complete, current or free of error, and we accept no liability for loss arising from reliance on them. This does not limit any liability that cannot lawfully be limited — see our Terms & Conditions. If you believe any figure on this page is inaccurate, contact us. SortedCars is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the DVSA or DVLA. DVSA publishes the raw test records; the statistics on this page are SortedCars' own calculations from them. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.