Mercedes-Benz 200 MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Pass rate, every year

78.6% Around average

467 tests across 6 model years, 2006–2016.

−2.4 pts vs the national average

MOT PASS RATES

How the Mercedes-Benz 200 really fares

78.6% of its MOTs pass — over 467 class-4 tests, 2023–2025

Pass rates

Every figure on this page comes from the DVSA's MOT test record.

The Mercedes-Benz 200 MOT pass rate is 78.6%, −2.4 percentage points below the UK average. That is 467 DVSA MOT tests recorded between 2006 and 2016. This page lists the most common Mercedes-Benz 200 MOT failures by category, names the best and worst model years, and finishes with a pre-MOT checklist you can run at home.

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MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Mercedes-Benz 200 MOT pass rates does in your corner of the country.

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Mercedes-Benz 200 MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Mercedes-Benz 200 passed on its first attempt in 73.2%, and its overall record sits −2.4 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Mercedes-Benz 200 in the 2023–2025 data: 467 tests across 6 model years (2006–2016). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

MeasureThis model
Tests analysed467
Overall pass rate78.6%
Passed on first attempt73.2%
Average mileage at test95,446 mi
Model years covered2006–2016 (6 years)
Versus UK national average−2.4 pts below

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Mercedes-Benz 200 MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Mercedes-Benz 200, the Suspension section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Inspection section Share of failures Est. recorded instances
Suspension 35% 55
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 24% 38
Visibility 14% 22
Brakes 12% 19
Tyres 8% 12
Noise, emissions and leaks 4% 6
Steering 3% 4
Body, chassis, structure 1% 2

Shares are over the Mercedes-Benz 200's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Suspension

Around 35% of the recorded Mercedes-Benz 200 failures fall in the Suspension section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Ball joint excessively worn" (3.6%), "Coil spring fractured or broken" (2.6%), "Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (1.9%) among the Mercedes-Benz 200's suspension faults.

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

Around 24% of the recorded Mercedes-Benz 200 failures fall in the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Headlamp lens slightly defective" (1.7%), "Side repeaters lens defective which has no effect on emitted light" (1.5%), "Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect" (1.1%) among the Mercedes-Benz 200's lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment faults.

Visibility

Around 14% of the recorded Mercedes-Benz 200 failures fall in the Visibility section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (2.4%), "Wipers blade defective" (0.6%), "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (0.6%) among the Mercedes-Benz 200's visibility faults.

Top Recorded Mercedes-Benz 200 DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Mercedes-Benz 200, each with how many of the model's 467 tests it was noted on.

  • "Ball joint excessively worn" (Major) — noted on about 17 Mercedes-Benz 200 tests, 3.6% of the model's MOT record.
  • "Coil spring fractured or broken" (Major) — noted on about 12 Mercedes-Benz 200 tests, 2.6% of the model's MOT record.
  • "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 11 Mercedes-Benz 200 tests, 2.4% of the model's MOT record.
  • "Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (Major) — noted on about 9 Mercedes-Benz 200 tests, 1.9% of the model's MOT record.
  • "Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements" (Major) — noted on about 9 Mercedes-Benz 200 tests, 1.9% of the model's MOT record.
  • "Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 8 Mercedes-Benz 200 tests, 1.7% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Mercedes-Benz 200 Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Mercedes-Benz 200 model year on record is 2016 (84.6% across 78 tests), and the weakest is 2007 (75.6%). The gap between them is 9.0 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Mercedes-Benz 200 reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 0.9 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

Year Tests Pass rate First attempt Avg mileage Most common failure
2016 200 78 84.6% 81.8% 66,175 mi Coil spring fractured or broken
2010 200 68 76.5% 69.2% 78,802 mi Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress
2009 200 54 77.8% 74.4% 98,045 mi Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting drive
2008 200 83 79.5% 75.0% 105,320 mi Ball joint excessively worn
2007 200 119 75.6% 67.8% 112,294 mi Ball joint excessively worn
2006 200 65 78.5% 72.5% 112,040 mi Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Mercedes-Benz 200 Owners

These checks follow this Mercedes-Benz 200's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Mercedes-Benz 200.

  • the suspension joints — “ball joint excessively worn”

    With the car parked on level ground, rock the top of each front wheel in and out while someone watches the suspension arm. Clunks, or rubber boots split and greasy, are what testers record here.

  • the coil springs — “coil spring fractured or broken”

    Look up inside each wheel arch with a torch, all the way round the spring. A snapped spring usually breaks at the very bottom coil, where a quick glance will not reach.

  • the windscreen — “windscreen damaged”

    Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Mercedes-Benz 200. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Frequently Asked Questions: Mercedes-Benz 200 MOT & Reliability

What is the Mercedes-Benz 200 MOT pass rate?

78.6% of the 467 recorded Mercedes-Benz 200 MOT tests ended in a pass, −2.4 percentage points below the national average. 73.2% of those passed on the first attempt.

Which Mercedes-Benz 200 model years pass the MOT most often?

2016 is the strongest Mercedes-Benz 200 year on record at 84.6%, while 2007 is the weakest at 75.6%. The year-by-year table below lists every model year with at least 50 recorded tests.

What are the most common Mercedes-Benz 200 MOT failures?

The most recorded Mercedes-Benz 200 failures are "Ball joint excessively worn" and "Coil spring fractured or broken" — together around 6% of tests, mostly in the Suspension section.