2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class MOT pass rate

2011
2 trims combined
typical 115,803 mi

Pass rate

80.5%

Around average — 4.6 pts ahead of the 75.9% that cars this age and mileage manage.

Across 1,256 recorded tests.

Typical repair bill £58–£170

Most common fault

Brakes

28.3% of faults · 20.9% nationally

mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.

Part only £25–£55 for Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded. What fitting it takes →

Every failure, with what it costs →

Which year to buy

Best 2013 83.5% pass
Avoid 2007 76.8% pass

Across the 8 years on record, a spread of 6.7 points. See every year →

First-attempt pass: 76.8%
Typical mileage: 116k mi

The 2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class MOT pass rate is 80.5% of its MOT tests — 4.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 28.3% of what testers record.

Check your postcode

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

How one model's pass rate varies by postcode →

Expert verdict

Brakes: 1.4× the national share

Brakes make up 28.3% of everything recorded on the 2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class, against 20.9% nationally — 7.4 points above. Have the discs and pads measured rather than glanced at, and ask whether the handbrake holds on a slope.

Beats its own age and mileage. Once you allow for how old and how far these cars have been driven, the expected pass rate is 75.9% and this one manages 80.5% — 4.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
When it fails, it costs. Only 25% 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

Every Mercedes-Benz R-Class first registered in 2011 is combined here — 2 trim and body variants in total — so the sample is as large as the DVSA data allows.

How does the 2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class compare?

Cars of this age and mileage average 75.9%, so this figure is 4.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 76.8%. The median 2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class in this dataset had covered 115,803 mi.

Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 81.1% of the time, April–September 79.8%.

The single most recorded failure item is "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated", noted on 13.30% of tests.

1,256 recorded tests behind this page.
80.5% overall pass rate, 76.8% on a first attempt.
Across every year of the Mercedes-Benz R-Class, the average is 80.0% — best year 2013 (83.5%), worst 2007 (76.8%).

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: 1,256
Typical mileage (median): 115,803 mi
Make and model: Mercedes-Benz R-Class
Updated: 2026-11-05

Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.

Top part to budget for

Body Panel Repair

Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.

Does mileage affect the R-Class MOT pass rate?

0-30k 100.0%

30-60k 88.7%

60-90k 85.6%

90-120k 79.1%

120k+ 78.7%

Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 70% so small gaps stay visible.

Regional pass rates for the R-Class

Region	Tests	Pass rate
South East	338	81.7%
East of England	145	82.1%
West Midlands	132	83.3%
East Midlands	108	80.6%
South West	107	75.7%
Yorkshire	97	81.4%
North West	92	82.6%
London	81	82.7%
Wales	60	73.3%
Scotland	59	72.9%
North East	37	78.4%

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 2011 R-Class

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.

Brakes 28.3%

+7.4 pts vs national national 20.9% Price brakes parts

Tyres 17.2%

−2.6 pts vs national national 19.8% Compare tyre prices

Body & chassis 12.3%

+6.7 pts vs national national 5.6% Find body panels

Emissions & leaks 12.2%

+6.7 pts vs national national 5.5% Price emissions & leaks parts

Show the other 6 fault categories

Lamps & electrics 8.9%
Suspension 8.6%
Visibility 3.9%
Advisories 3.8%
Identification 2.1%
Steering 1.2%

Shares are of every item recorded on 2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class tests — a composition, so they add to 100% across all sections, not per test.

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 2011 R-Class

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 3.3% 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 lights 3.1% of tests

“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.

What testers look for →
Check the brake pipes 2.1% of tests

“rigid brake pipes excessively corroded”

Brake pipes run under the car, usually in front of the rear wheels. Flaking or crusty metal is what fails; a light dusting of surface rust does not. Worth asking a garage to look while it is on a ramp.

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 2011 R-Class through its MOT

Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £58–£170 — and 25% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.

Average repair across the 10 common items: £58–£170
Cheapest common item: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or…: £3–£12
Dearest common item: joints constant velocity boot severely…: £80–£250
Common items a careful owner can do at home: 60%
Repairs that still cost under £30: 25%

Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 1,256 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 R-Class, side by side

8 model years on record, from 2006 to 2013. Across them the pass rate runs from 76.8% to 83.5% — a spread of 6.7 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.

2006 79.7% joints constant velocity boot…
2007 76.8% joints constant velocity boot…
2008 79.8% joints constant velocity boot…
2009 78.6% joints constant velocity boot…
2010 80.5% joints constant velocity boot…
2011 80.5%
joints constant velocity boot…
2012 82.2% joints constant velocity boot…
2013 83.5% joints constant velocity boot…

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 2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class 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.

Compare 2011 with another year →

Compare two different cars instead →

Other 2011 cars with a similar record

Closest pass rates among 2011 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 2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class 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 2,156 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
Brakes	619	28.30%	20.89%	+7.41
Tyres	376	17.20%	19.76%	−2.56
Body, chassis, structure	270	12.30%	5.57%	+6.73
Noise, emissions and leaks	267	12.20%	5.52%	+6.68
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	194	8.90%	12.21%	−3.31
Suspension	189	8.60%	20.98%	−12.38
Visibility	86	3.90%	4.97%	−1.07
Non-component advisories	83	3.80%	4.18%	−0.38
Identification of the vehicle	45	2.10%	1.76%	+0.34
Steering	27	1.20%	2.57%	−1.37

The exact failure items, in the tester's words

Share of the 1,256 tests on this vehicle that recorded each item
Recorded item	Severity	Tests	Est. cost	Part
Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure	Minor	13.3%	£80–250	Body Panel Repair →
Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure	Major	3.6%	£80–250	Body Panel Repair →
Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility	Minor	3.3%	£80–200	Windscreen →
Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks	Major	3.1%	£3–12	Indicator Bulb →
Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes	Major	2.6%	£45–110	Brake Discs and Pads Set →
Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes	Major	2.1%	£80–180	Brake Pipe →
Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	Minor	1.5%	£5–20	Number Plate Lamp →
Anti-lock braking system warning lamp indicates an ABS fault Brakes	Major	1.4%	£3–15	Bulb →
Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	Major	1.3%	£5–25	Headlight Bulb →
Wipers blade defective Visibility	Minor	1.3%	£8–22	Wiper Blade →

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.

Items recorded as advisory on this vehicle
Recorded item	Severity	Tests	Est. cost
Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres	Advisory	18.4%	£45–95
Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks	Advisory	15.8%	£200–700
Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes	Advisory	14.3%	£80–180
Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes	Advisory	8.1%	£45–110
Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes	Advisory	6.4%	£18–45
Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension	Advisory	4.1%	£40–150

Pass rate by mileage

Mileage	Tests	Pass rate	Median odometer
0-30k	9	100.0%	21,823 mi
30-60k	53	88.7%	51,170 mi
60-90k	215	85.6%	77,364 mi
90-120k	406	79.1%	105,641 mi
120k+	572	78.7%	153,370 mi

Source: 1,256 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.

2011 R-Class MOT questions

What is the MOT pass rate for a 2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class?

80.5% of the 1,256 2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 75.9% for cars first used in 2011. First-attempt pass rate: 76.8%.

What are the most common MOT failures on a 2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class?

The three most recorded items are joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated (13.30%), joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (3.58%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (3.26%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.

Does mileage affect the 2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class MOT pass rate?

Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 100.0% of the time, falling to 78.7% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class in this dataset had covered 115,803 mi.

Does the season affect the 2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class MOT pass rate?

Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 81.1% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 79.8%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.