Pass rate
88.6%
Above average — 0.7 pts ahead of the 87.9% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 4,003 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £41–£104
2018 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter MOT pass rate
- 2018
- Van
- 3 trims combined
- typical 80,945 mi
Most common fault
Brakes
24.9% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Which year to buy
- Best 2023 97.9% pass
- Avoid 2002 72.7% pass
Across the 25 years on record, a spread of 25.2 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 87.4%
- Typical mileage
- 81k mi
The 2018 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter MOT pass rate is 88.6% of its MOT tests — about what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 24.9% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Mercedes-Benz Sprinter does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Fewer problems with tyres
Tyres are 12.6% of this car’s recorded faults, against 19.8% nationally — the mirror image of the usual story on a van of this age.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 31% 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 Sprinter? Get an email when these numbers change .
Every Mercedes-Benz Sprinter first registered in 2018 is combined here — 3 trim and body variants in total — so the sample is as large as the DVSA data allows.
How does the 2018 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 87.9%, so this figure is 0.7 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 87.4%. The median 2018 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter in this dataset had covered 80,945 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 87.6% of the time, April–September 89.6%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view", noted on 4.55% of tests.
- 4,003 recorded tests behind this page.
- 88.6% overall pass rate, 87.4% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, the average is 80.3% — best year 2023 (97.9%), worst 2002 (72.7%).
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
- 4,003
- Typical mileage (median)
- 80,945 mi
- Make and model
- Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Windscreen
Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.
Does mileage affect the Sprinter MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 76% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the Sprinter
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 967 | 91.4% |
| Scotland | 532 | 85.2% |
| South West | 468 | 89.7% |
| North West | 312 | 88.1% |
| East of England | 309 | 89.6% |
| Yorkshire | 287 | 86.8% |
| West Midlands | 272 | 86.0% |
| London | 269 | 91.1% |
| Wales | 234 | 90.2% |
| East Midlands | 225 | 85.3% |
| North East | 128 | 84.4% |
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 2018 Sprinter
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 2018 Sprinter
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 4.5% 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 1.5% 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.
-
Check the wipers and washers 1.3% of tests
“wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively”
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 2018 Sprinter through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £41–£104 — and 31% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £41–£104
- Cheapest common item: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: windscreen damaged
- £80–£200
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 70%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 31%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 4,003 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 Sprinter, side by side
25 model years on record, from 2000 to 2024. Across them the pass rate runs from 72.7% to 97.9% — a spread of 25.2 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 73.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2001 75.3% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2002 72.7% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2003 73.0% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2004 72.9% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2005 74.4% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2006 75.1% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2007 75.3% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2008 76.4% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2009 78.2% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2010 78.0% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2011 78.3% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2012 77.4% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2013 80.2% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2014 80.2% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2015 83.1% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
- 2016 83.3% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2017 87.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2018 88.6%windscreen damaged but not…
- 2019 89.1% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2020 89.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2021 87.7% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2022 93.5% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2023 97.9% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2024 97.0% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
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 2018 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 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 2018 vans with a similar record
- Peugeot Boxer 89.2%
- Renault Master 87.0%
- Fiat Ducato 90.2%
- Volkswagen Crafter 86.6%
- Volkswagen Caddy 86.1%
- Ford Transit Custom 85.4%
Closest pass rates among 2018 vans with at least 1,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. Full rankings: best vans and worst vans for MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2018 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 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 3,515 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 | 893 | 24.90% | 20.89% | +4.01 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 607 | 16.90% | 12.21% | +4.69 |
| Suspension | 466 | 13.00% | 20.98% | −7.98 |
| Tyres | 451 | 12.60% | 19.76% | −7.16 |
| Visibility | 342 | 9.50% | 4.97% | +4.53 |
| Non-component advisories | 262 | 7.30% | 4.18% | +3.12 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 184 | 5.10% | 5.52% | −0.42 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 119 | 3.30% | 5.57% | −2.27 |
| Steering | 118 | 3.30% | 2.57% | +0.73 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 73 | 2.00% | 0.82% | +1.18 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 4.5% | £80–200 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 1.8% | £45–110 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 1.5% | £3–12 |
| Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | Major | 1.3% | £8–22 |
| Headlamp aim too high Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Rectified | 0.90% | £30–80 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 0.85% | £5–20 |
| Headlamp aim too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Rectified | 0.82% | £30–80 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 0.75% | £18–45 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 0.67% | £5–25 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency less than 50% of the required value Brakes | Major | 0.67% | £45–110 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 5.7% | £45–110 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 5.5% | £45–95 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 5.5% | £18–45 |
| Non-component advisories Play in steering rack inner joint(s) Non-component advisories | Advisory | 4.2% | £120–300 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 2.9% | £18–45 |
| Brake discs significantly and obviously worn Brakes | Advisory | 2.3% | £45–110 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 567 | 92.2% | 18,202 mi |
| 30-60k | 867 | 86.9% | 45,712 mi |
| 60-90k | 737 | 87.5% | 74,040 mi |
| 90-120k | 524 | 84.5% | 104,748 mi |
| 120k+ | 1,269 | 90.8% | 185,717 mi |
Source: 4,003 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.
2018 Sprinter MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2018 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter?
88.6% of the 4,003 2018 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 87.9% for cars first used in 2018. First-attempt pass rate: 87.4%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2018 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter?
The three most recorded items are windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (4.55%), rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements (1.77%), malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction (1.47%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2018 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 92.2% of the time, falling to 90.8% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2018 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter in this dataset had covered 80,945 mi.
Does the season affect the 2018 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 87.6% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 89.6%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.