Mercedes-Benz A180 MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Mercedes-Benz A180 MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Mercedes-Benz A180 passed on its first attempt in 79.9%, and its overall record sits +1.9 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Mercedes-Benz A180 in the 2023–2025 data: 662 tests across 7 model years (2009–2016). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

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

Most Common Mercedes-Benz A180 MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Mercedes-Benz A180, the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the Mercedes-Benz A180's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Mercedes-Benz A180 DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Mercedes-Benz A180, each with how many of the model's 662 tests it was noted on.

• "Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction" (Major) — noted on about 17 Mercedes-Benz A180 tests, 2.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 13 Mercedes-Benz A180 tests, 2.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Side repeaters not working" (Major) — noted on about 10 Mercedes-Benz A180 tests, 1.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 9 Mercedes-Benz A180 tests, 1.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers blade defective" (Minor) — noted on about 7 Mercedes-Benz A180 tests, 1.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect" (Major) — noted on about 7 Mercedes-Benz A180 tests, 1.1% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Mercedes-Benz A180 Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Mercedes-Benz A180 model year on record is 2013 (89.0% across 164 tests), and the weakest is 2010 (76.8%). The gap between them is 12.2 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Mercedes-Benz A180 reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.9 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

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

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Mercedes-Benz A180 Owners

These checks follow this Mercedes-Benz A180's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Mercedes-Benz A180.

• the lights — “malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction”

  Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.

• the suspension joints — “ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated”

  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 wipers and washers — “wipers blade defective”

  Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the screen.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Mercedes-Benz A180. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Frequently Asked Questions: Mercedes-Benz A180 MOT & Reliability