Pass rate, every year
467 tests across 6 model years, 2006–2016.
−2.4 pts vs the national average
Pass rate, every year
467 tests across 6 model years, 2006–2016.
−2.4 pts vs the national average
Best year to buy
2016 84.6%
The strongest of the 6 years on record. See the 2016 page →
Worst year to buy
2007 75.6%
9.0 points below the 2016 peak. See the 2007 page →
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.
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Mercedes-Benz 200 MOT pass rates does in your corner of the country.
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.
| Measure | This model |
|---|---|
| Tests analysed | 467 |
| Overall pass rate | 78.6% |
| Passed on first attempt | 73.2% |
| Average mileage at test | 95,446 mi |
| Model years covered | 2006–2016 (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.
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 |
|---|---|
| Suspension | 35% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 24% |
| Visibility | 14% |
| Brakes | 12% |
| Tyres | 8% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 4% |
| Steering | 3% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 1% |
Shares are over the Mercedes-Benz 200's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 200 | 78 | 84.6% |
| 2010 200 | 68 | 76.5% |
| 2009 200 | 54 | 77.8% |
| 2008 200 | 83 | 79.5% |
| 2007 200 | 119 | 75.6% |
| 2006 200 | 65 | 78.5% |
Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.
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.
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.
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.
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.