How reliable is the Mercedes-Benz 220 compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Mercedes-Benz 220, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 73.3% across 765 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Mercedes-Benz 220?

The item recorded most often is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", which appears in 22.3% of failed Mercedes-Benz 220 tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.

What do testers most often warn about on a Mercedes-Benz 220?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 22.4% of all Mercedes-Benz 220 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Mercedes-Benz 220 usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 111,160 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Which Mercedes-Benz 220 years are the most reliable?

Going by MOT pass rate, Mercedes-Benz 220 cars first registered 2017–2019 do best at 84.0%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 68.7%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.

Does a Mercedes-Benz 220 get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 84.0% of Mercedes-Benz 220 tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 68.7%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Mercedes-Benz 220 models petrol or diesel?

Of the Mercedes-Benz 220 cars tested, 81% are diesel, 18% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Mercedes-Benz 220 MOT pass rate & common failures

From 765 recorded MOT tests of the Mercedes-Benz 220, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 765 MOT tests, 73.3% of Mercedes-Benz 220 tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Mercedes-Benz 220 fleet does not yet cover a wide enough spread of ages and distances to compare it fairly against other models. Its most commonly recorded failure is suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, which appears in 22.3% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 111,160 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

73.3%unadjusted, not comparable765 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the 220. The examples tested do not cover a wide enough spread of ages and mileages to compare it fairly, and an unadjusted pass rate mostly sorts models by how recently they were bought rather than how well they were built. The failure and advisory patterns below come from the same 765 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Mercedes-Benz 220 tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn22.3%
39 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
2.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded14.9%
26 occurrencesBrake pipe corroded explained
3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements14.3%
25 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
4.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened14.3%
25 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
5.Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement9.1%
16 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained
6.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm8.0%
14 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
7.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc8.0%
14 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
8.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn7.4%
13 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
9.Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction7.4%
13 occurrencesEngine management light on, or not working explained
10.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning7.4%
13 occurrencesLamp not working explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Mercedes-Benz 220 tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements22.4%
171 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded18.8%
144 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
3.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured10.3%
79 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm9.9%
76 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn8.2%
63 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
6.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users6.8%
52 tests
7.A wheel bearing with excessive play6.7%
51 testsWheel bearing has excessive play or is rough explained
8.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn5.9%
45 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the Mercedes-Benz 220

The 21 other defects testers recorded on this model, beyond the most common listed above. Each links to what it means and what it takes to put right.

How wear changes the picture

220 pass rate by age and registration year

How often the Mercedes-Benz 220 passes at each age, with the years those cars were first registered. Tests are from 2025, so a car aged 6 to 8 was first used in 2017–2019.

6–8 yrsreg. 2017–201984%

9–11 yrsreg. 2014–201681%

15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier69%

Read this as an age curve rather than a verdict on particular model years. Nearly every car passes less often as it gets older, so a newer 220 outscoring an older one says more about wear than about how that year’s cars were built. Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The 220 fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 111,160
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel81.4%
Petrol18.0%

Trim names grouped into this model (4)

Recorded exactly as DVSA holds them. Trim-level names are rolled up so one model is not split across a dozen thin pages.

220 CABRIO
220 CDI
220 D
220 E

Check a specific Mercedes-Benz 220

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other Mercedes-Benz models

Mercedes-Benz A-Class — 73.3% adjusted
Mercedes-Benz C-Class — 77.0% adjusted
Mercedes-Benz E-Class — 78.5% adjusted
Mercedes-Benz GLA — 82.3% adjusted
Mercedes-Benz Vito — 71.0% adjusted
Mercedes-Benz GLC — 85.9% adjusted
All Mercedes-Benz models

Common questions

How reliable is the Mercedes-Benz 220 compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Mercedes-Benz 220, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 73.3% across 765 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Mercedes-Benz 220?: The item recorded most often is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", which appears in 22.3% of failed Mercedes-Benz 220 tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.
What do testers most often warn about on a Mercedes-Benz 220?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 22.4% of all Mercedes-Benz 220 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Mercedes-Benz 220 usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 111,160 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.
Which Mercedes-Benz 220 years are the most reliable?: Going by MOT pass rate, Mercedes-Benz 220 cars first registered 2017–2019 do best at 84.0%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 68.7%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.
Does a Mercedes-Benz 220 get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 84.0% of Mercedes-Benz 220 tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 68.7%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Mercedes-Benz 220 models petrol or diesel?: Of the Mercedes-Benz 220 cars tested, 81% are diesel, 18% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. No adjusted rate is shown because this model's tested examples do not cover enough of the national age and mileage range for standardisation to mean anything.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.