Pass rate
89.6%
Above average — 1.6 pts behind the 91.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 9,726 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £40–£93
2021 Mercedes-Benz E MOT pass rate
- 2021
- 7 trims combined
- typical 35,692 mi
Most common fault
Tyres
51.8% of faults · 19.8% nationally
mostly tread below the limit, cuts and sidewall bulges.
Part only £55–£85 for Tread depth below 1.6 mm. What fitting it takes →
Which year to buy
- Best 2023 98.5% pass
- Avoid 2020 87.7% pass
Across the 9 years on record, a spread of 10.8 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 88.6%
- Typical mileage
- 36k mi
The 2021 Mercedes-Benz E MOT pass rate is 89.6% of its MOT tests — 1.6 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Tyres is the biggest single reason it fails, at 51.8% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Mercedes-Benz E does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Tyres: 2.6× the national share
Tyres make up 51.8% of everything recorded on the 2021 Mercedes-Benz E, against 19.8% nationally — 32.0 points above. Check all four tyres yourself, including the inner shoulders, and look at the date stamp — a tyre can pass on tread and still be six years old.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 7% of this model’s typical repairs come in under £30 in parts — the failures here tend to be the kind that need a garage rather than a bulb.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a Mercedes-Benz E? Get an email when these numbers change .
Every Mercedes-Benz E first registered in 2021 is combined here — 7 trim and body variants in total — so the sample is as large as the DVSA data allows.
How does the 2021 Mercedes-Benz E compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 91.2%, so this figure is 1.6 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 88.6%. The median 2021 Mercedes-Benz E in this dataset had covered 35,692 mi.
The most common fuel recorded here is Diesel — 66% of tests, with a 89.2% pass rate. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 90.1% of the time, April–September 89.2%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Fractured", noted on 2.59% of tests.
- 9,726 recorded tests behind this page.
- 89.6% overall pass rate, 88.6% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Mercedes-Benz E, the average is 89.0% — best year 2023 (98.5%), worst 2020 (87.7%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 9,726
- Typical mileage (median)
- 35,692 mi
- Make and model
- Mercedes-Benz E
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Wheel Hub Bearing Kit
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the E MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 80% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (66% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the E
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 2,853 | 90.2% |
| London | 1,222 | 94.4% |
| North West | 1,107 | 90.2% |
| East of England | 995 | 87.6% |
| West Midlands | 759 | 87.1% |
| South West | 735 | 86.8% |
| Yorkshire | 571 | 88.3% |
| East Midlands | 524 | 86.8% |
| Scotland | 486 | 89.5% |
| North East | 243 | 91.4% |
| Wales | 228 | 88.6% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2021 E
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2021 E
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the windscreen 1.6% of tests
“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.
-
Check the tyre tread 1.0% of tests
“tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm”
Check all four tyres cold, including the inner shoulder where wear hides — 1.6mm across the central three-quarters is the legal limit, and most testers fail at 1.6mm without argument.
-
Check the wipers and washers 0.9% of tests
“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.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2021 E through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £40–£93 — and 7% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £40–£93
- Cheapest common item: wipers blade defective
- £8–£22
- Dearest common item: windscreen damaged
- £80–£200
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 90%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 7%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 9,726 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the E, side by side
9 model years on record, from 2017 to 2025. Across them the pass rate runs from 87.7% to 98.5% — a spread of 10.8 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2017 94.8% malfunction indicator lamp…
- 2018 91.4% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2019 88.4% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2020 87.7% has a cut in excess of the…
- 2021 89.6%fractured
- 2022 91.9% has a cut in excess of the…
- 2023 98.5% fractured
- 2024 97.8% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2025 98.2% headlamp aim too far to the right
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2021 Mercedes-Benz E with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2021 cars with a similar record
- SEAT Arona Fr 89.6%
- BMW X5 XDRIVE30D 89.6%
- Hyundai Kona Ultimate Gdi 89.7%
- Peugeot Rifter 89.7%
- Hyundai I10 89.4%
- Polestar Polestar 89.4%
Closest pass rates among 2021 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2021 Mercedes-Benz E 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 4,752 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 2,470 | 51.80% | 19.76% | +32.04 |
| Brakes | 746 | 15.60% | 20.89% | −5.29 |
| Road Wheels | 378 | 7.90% | 0.75% | +7.15 |
| Visibility | 337 | 7.10% | 4.97% | +2.13 |
| Non-component advisories | 305 | 6.40% | 4.18% | +2.22 |
| Suspension | 190 | 4.00% | 20.98% | −16.98 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 128 | 2.70% | 12.21% | −9.51 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 97 | 2.00% | 1.76% | +0.24 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 70 | 1.50% | 5.57% | −4.07 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 31 | 0.60% | 5.52% | −4.92 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fractured Road Wheels | Major | 2.6% | £20–55 |
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Major | 2.2% | £45–95 |
| Has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Major | 1.8% | £45–95 |
| Has ply or cords exposed Tyres | Major | 1.6% | £45–95 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 1.6% | £80–200 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Major | 0.96% | £45–95 |
| Wipers blade defective Visibility | Minor | 0.87% | £8–22 |
| Has a lump, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Major | 0.44% | £45–95 |
| Registration plates does not conform to the specified requirements Identification of the vehicle | Major | 0.32% | £20–80 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 0.29% | £18–45 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 10.4% | £45–95 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 3.8% | £18–45 |
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Advisory | 2.6% | £45–95 |
| Tread depth tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm Tyres | Advisory | 1.9% | £45–95 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 1.8% | £45–95 |
| Non-component advisories Nail in tyre Non-component advisories | Advisory | 1.6% | £45–95 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 3,735 | 89.4% | 20,494 mi |
| 30-60k | 4,082 | 88.2% | 42,093 mi |
| 60-90k | 1,240 | 92.2% | 72,501 mi |
| 90-120k | 385 | 96.1% | 101,896 mi |
| 120k+ | 281 | 93.2% | 157,316 mi |
Source: 9,726 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2021 E MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2021 Mercedes-Benz E?
89.6% of the 9,726 2021 Mercedes-Benz E tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 91.2% for cars first used in 2021. First-attempt pass rate: 88.6%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2021 Mercedes-Benz E?
The three most recorded items are fractured (2.59%), has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (2.17%), has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure (1.77%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2021 Mercedes-Benz E MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 89.4% of the time, falling to 93.2% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2021 Mercedes-Benz E in this dataset had covered 35,692 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2021 Mercedes-Benz E?
Diesel: 89.2% pass rate across 6,455 tests. Hybrid: 89.1% pass rate across 1,559 tests. Other: 92.8% pass rate across 1,467 tests. Petrol: 84.9% pass rate across 245 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2021 Mercedes-Benz E MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 90.1% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 89.2%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.