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

Every completed first-attempt MOT on a Mercedes-Benz E-Class in Great Britain in 2025 — 231,547 tests. Figures cover every E-Class first-tested in 2025, all trims grouped. How the E-Class ages, what it fails on, and what mileage is normal, computed directly from the official DVSA record of every test.

Pass rate 2025
77.4%
5.1 points above the class-4 average (72.3%); unadjusted for age — the age-matched comparison is below
Tests analysed
231,547
first tests, 2025
Arrived with a dangerous fault
8.7%
of E-Class first tests; national 7.3%
Typical mileage at 10 years
88,750
middle half: 66,250–121,250 miles (2,500-mile-band midpoints)

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

At the end of 2025, DVLA's register held 255,272 Mercedes-Benz E-Class cars that were taxed or on SORN: 213,236 taxed and 42,036 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 E-Class vans, where they exist, are counted by DVLA as goods vehicles and are not in these figures.

Still taxed, end of 2025
213,236
83.5% of the 255,272 E-Class cars taxed or on SORN; 561 model variants grouped
On SORN, end of 2025
42,036
declared off the road by their keepers — 16.5% of that total

How the numbers are moving

The number of taxed E-Class cars peaked at 258,099 at the end of 2019 and has since fallen by 44,863 (17.4%) to 213,236 at the end of 2025. Cars on SORN went from 11,155 at the end of 2014 to 42,036 at the end of 2025, up 276.8%. 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 E-Class cars, year by year

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

0100k200k300k2014201620182020202220242025Year (count at the end of the year)Taxed E-Class cars, year 2014: 213kTaxed E-Class cars, year 2015: 226kTaxed E-Class cars, year 2016: 239kTaxed E-Class cars, year 2017: 246kTaxed E-Class cars, year 2018: 254kTaxed E-Class cars, year 2019: 258kTaxed E-Class cars, year 2020: 255kTaxed E-Class cars, year 2021: 252kTaxed E-Class cars, year 2022: 244kTaxed E-Class cars, year 2023: 233kTaxed E-Class cars, year 2024: 222kTaxed E-Class cars, year 2025: 213k213k
View this chart as a table
YearTaxed E-Class cars
2014213,389
2015225,991
2016239,308
2017245,779
2018253,988
2019258,099
2020255,124
2021251,730
2022244,400
2023232,996
2024222,199
2025213,236

E-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)E-Class cars on SORN, year 2014: 11kE-Class cars on SORN, year 2015: 13kE-Class cars on SORN, year 2016: 16kE-Class cars on SORN, year 2017: 19kE-Class cars on SORN, year 2018: 21kE-Class cars on SORN, year 2019: 25kE-Class cars on SORN, year 2020: 28kE-Class cars on SORN, year 2021: 30kE-Class cars on SORN, year 2022: 32kE-Class cars on SORN, year 2023: 36kE-Class cars on SORN, year 2024: 39kE-Class cars on SORN, year 2025: 42k42k
View this chart as a table
YearE-Class cars on SORN
201411,155
201513,467
201615,822
201718,702
201821,400
201924,770
202028,236
202129,770
202232,203
202336,055
202439,151
202542,036

Which model years survive

Taxed E-Class cars at the end of 2025 by year of manufacture, and each year's share of the 213,236 taxed in all. Every build year holding at least 1% has its own row; the rest share one. 8 taxed E-Class cars have no recorded year of manufacture and are not in the table, so the rows add up to 213,228. 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 E-Class cars
20252,4951.2%
20222,7921.3%
20215,2532.5%
20208,6444.1%
201917,0638.0%
201818,1148.5%
201719,5129.2%
201618,9428.9%
201519,6239.2%
201418,7158.8%
201317,0258.0%
201212,9106.1%
201111,5385.4%
20109,6104.5%
20095,5582.6%
20083,5331.7%
20074,2712.0%
20062,6791.3%
20052,9231.4%
20042,8191.3%
All other build years (20 years, each under 1%)9,2094.3%

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 E CLASS, E 300 URBAN EDITION, E 200, E 220 EXCLUSIVE, AMG E, E 300 EXCLUSIVE PREMIUM and 4 more 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 E-Class ages

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

Mercedes-Benz E-ClassAll cars
50%60%70%80%90%100%3579111315171920Vehicle age (years)Mercedes-Benz E-Class, vehicle age 3: 87.2%Mercedes-Benz E-Class, vehicle age 4: 87.8%Mercedes-Benz E-Class, vehicle age 5: 86.3%Mercedes-Benz E-Class, vehicle age 6: 85.6%Mercedes-Benz E-Class, vehicle age 7: 83.8%Mercedes-Benz E-Class, vehicle age 8: 83%Mercedes-Benz E-Class, vehicle age 9: 81%Mercedes-Benz E-Class, vehicle age 10: 77.8%Mercedes-Benz E-Class, vehicle age 11: 75.2%Mercedes-Benz E-Class, vehicle age 12: 70.9%Mercedes-Benz E-Class, vehicle age 13: 68.9%Mercedes-Benz E-Class, vehicle age 14: 69.6%Mercedes-Benz E-Class, vehicle age 15: 69%Mercedes-Benz E-Class, vehicle age 16: 70%Mercedes-Benz E-Class, vehicle age 17: 69.9%Mercedes-Benz E-Class, vehicle age 18: 71%Mercedes-Benz E-Class, vehicle age 19: 68.8%Mercedes-Benz E-Class, vehicle age 20: 66.2%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 E-Class 66.2%All cars 57.6%
View this chart as a table
Age (years)E-Class testsE-Class pass rateAll cars
33,51387.2%88.5%
46,79587.8%87.2%
510,43986.3%86.0%
620,92985.6%83.5%
720,79683.8%80.9%
821,82083.0%78.2%
919,98781.0%74.9%
1020,72977.8%71.9%
1119,45475.2%68.6%
1217,84570.9%65.8%
1313,69868.9%63.5%
1412,43669.6%61.2%
1510,47769.0%59.3%
166,06270.0%58.3%
173,84969.9%57.2%
184,71471.0%57.4%
193,07768.8%57.0%
203,39166.2%57.6%

Better or worse than the average car?

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

E-Class aheadE-Class behind
-14-7+0+7+14Age 3: -1.3 points vs the average car3Age 4: +0.6 points vs the average carAge 5: +0.3 points vs the average car5Age 6: +2.1 points vs the average carAge 7: +2.9 points vs the average car7Age 8: +4.8 points vs the average carAge 9: +6.1 points vs the average car9Age 10: +5.9 points vs the average carAge 11: +6.6 points vs the average car11Age 12: +5.1 points vs the average carAge 13: +5.4 points vs the average car13Age 14: +8.4 points vs the average carAge 15: +9.7 points vs the average car15Age 16: +11.7 points vs the average carAge 17: +12.7 points vs the average car17Age 18: +13.6 points vs the average carAge 19: +11.8 points vs the average car19Age 20: +8.6 points vs the average car20Vehicle age (years)
View this chart as a table
Age (years)Gap (points)
3-1.3
4+0.6
5+0.3
6+2.1
7+2.9
8+4.8
9+6.1
10+5.9
11+6.6
12+5.1
13+5.4
14+8.4
15+9.7
16+11.7
17+12.7
18+13.6
19+11.8
20+8.6

The E-Class fleet on the road, by age

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

07k15k22k30kAge 3: 3k3Age 4: 6kAge 5: 10k5Age 6: 20kAge 7: 20k7Age 8: 21kAge 9: 19k9Age 10: 20kAge 11: 19k11Age 12: 17kAge 13: 13k13Age 14: 12kAge 15: 10k15Age 16: 6kAge 17: 3k17Age 18: 4kAge 19: 3k19Age 20: 3k20Vehicle age (years)
View this chart as a table
Age (years)First tests
33,513
46,795
510,439
620,929
720,796
821,820
919,987
1020,729
1119,454
1217,845
1313,698
1412,436
1510,477
166,062
173,849
184,714
193,077
203,391

What an E-Class fails on

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

Tyres24.3%
Suspension24.2%
Brakes18.8%
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment12.3%
Noise, emissions and leaks6.4%
Visibility4.1%
Road Wheels3.6%
Body, chassis, structure2.3%

Share of all failure items, 2025 — the 8 biggest categories shown (96.0% of the items); smaller categories are not listed.

The advisories to watch

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

Brakes: 34.2% of advisories34.2%Tyres: 32.4% of advisories32.4%Suspension: 18.9% of advisories18.9%Noise, emissions and leaks: 4.2% of advisoriesNon-component advisories: 3.8% of advisoriesBody, chassis, structure: 1.8% of advisories
BrakesTyresSuspensionNoise, emissions and leaksNon-component advisoriesBody, chassis, structure
View this chart as a table
CategoryShare of advisories
Brakes34.2%
Tyres32.4%
Suspension18.9%
Noise, emissions and leaks4.2%
Non-component advisories3.8%
Body, chassis, structure1.8%

Petrol, diesel or hybrid E-Class?

First-time pass rate for the four most-tested E-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: 76.6% of 192,056 tests76.6%Diesel192,056 testsPetrol: 78.9% of 25,725 tests78.9%Petrol25,725 testsElectric diesel: 85.8% of 7,576 tests85.8%Electric diesel7,576 testsHybrid electric: 87.4% of 6,141 tests87.4%Hybrid6,141 tests
View this chart as a table
FuelTestsPass rate
Diesel192,05676.6%
Petrol25,72578.9%
Electric diesel7,57685.8%
Hybrid electric6,14187.4%

What mileage is normal for an E-Class?

Mileage recorded at test by vehicle age, 2025. The line is the typical (median) E-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 E-Class (median)
0k25k50k75k100k125k150k175k3579111315171920Vehicle age (years)Age 3: typical 28,750 miles (middle half 18,750–46,250)Age 4: typical 38,750 miles (middle half 26,250–58,750)Age 5: typical 46,250 miles (middle half 33,750–68,750)Age 6: typical 56,250 miles (middle half 38,750–86,250)Age 7: typical 63,750 miles (middle half 46,250–93,750)Age 8: typical 78,750 miles (middle half 56,250–111,250)Age 9: typical 81,250 miles (middle half 58,750–113,750)Age 10: typical 88,750 miles (middle half 66,250–121,250)Age 11: typical 93,750 miles (middle half 71,250–123,750)Age 12: typical 98,750 miles (middle half 76,250–128,750)Age 13: typical 103,750 miles (middle half 81,250–133,750)Age 14: typical 108,750 miles (middle half 83,750–136,250)Age 15: typical 111,250 miles (middle half 86,250–141,250)Age 16: typical 121,250 miles (middle half 91,250–148,750)Age 17: typical 131,250 miles (middle half 98,750–161,250)Age 18: typical 133,750 miles (middle half 103,750–166,250)Age 19: typical 131,250 miles (middle half 98,750–163,750)Age 20: typical 133,750 miles (middle half 101,250–166,250)133k mi

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

View this chart as a table
Age (years)Lower quarterTypical (median)Upper quarter
318,75028,75046,250
426,25038,75058,750
533,75046,25068,750
638,75056,25086,250
746,25063,75093,750
856,25078,750111,250
958,75081,250113,750
1066,25088,750121,250
1171,25093,750123,750
1276,25098,750128,750
1381,250103,750133,750
1483,750108,750136,250
1586,250111,250141,250
1691,250121,250148,750
1798,750131,250161,250
18103,750133,750166,250
1998,750131,250163,750
20101,250133,750166,250

What fails at each age

The E-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.

TyresRoad WheelsSuspensionBrakesVisibilityNoise, emissions and leaksLamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentEverything else
View this chart as a table
Age bandCategoryShare of the band's failure items
3-5 yrsTyres56.3%
3-5 yrsRoad Wheels19.7%
3-5 yrsSuspension7.1%
3-5 yrsBrakes5.1%
3-5 yrsVisibility2.9%
3-5 yrsEverything else8.9%
6-9 yrsTyres43.7%
6-9 yrsSuspension19.5%
6-9 yrsBrakes10.4%
6-9 yrsRoad Wheels7.8%
6-9 yrsNoise, emissions and leaks6.1%
6-9 yrsEverything else12.5%
10-13 yrsSuspension29.1%
10-13 yrsBrakes24.7%
10-13 yrsTyres23.9%
10-13 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment7.6%
10-13 yrsNoise, emissions and leaks5.8%
10-13 yrsEverything else8.9%
14+ yrsSuspension28.9%
14+ yrsBrakes22.6%
14+ yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment14.3%
14+ yrsTyres14.2%
14+ yrsNoise, emissions and leaks6.1%
14+ yrsEverything else13.9%

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.