Is the Mercedes-Benz A-Class reliable?

On MOT evidence the Mercedes-Benz A-Class is about average. It passes 73.3% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 131 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.

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

The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 15.8% of failed Mercedes-Benz A-Class 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 A-Class?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 24.1% of all Mercedes-Benz A-Class 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 A-Class usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 62,545 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.

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

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 88.9% of Mercedes-Benz A-Class tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 58.8%. 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 A-Class models petrol or diesel?

Of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class cars tested, 48% are diesel, 48% are petrol, 4% are hybrid. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Mercedes-Benz A-Class MOT pass rate & common failures

From 365,510 recorded MOT tests of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class passes 73.3% of MOT tests once results are adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, against a national average of 72.3%. That is about average, ranking it 131 of 262 models with enough data to compare fairly. Based on 365,510 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, which appears in 15.8% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 62,545 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

73.3%national average72.3%unadjusted78.4%range covered100%rank131 of 262

The A-Class is 1.0 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is about average. The unadjusted figure is 78.4%; the difference is what the age and mileage of this model’s fleet was hiding.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

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

1.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened15.8%
10,376 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
2.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements15.5%
10,212 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm11.3%
7,435 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged11.1%
7,320 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc9.4%
6,190 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
6.A tyre cords visible or damaged9.0%
5,898 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
7.An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction6.6%
4,331 occurrencesAirbag warning lamp on, or airbag missing explained
8.Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen6.3%
4,116 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
9.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen6.1%
3,975 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
10.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn4.6%
2,991 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Mercedes-Benz A-Class 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 requirements24.1%
88,040 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A tyre seriously damaged12.7%
46,444 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm10.2%
37,268 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured10.1%
37,044 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
5.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn5.3%
19,531 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
6.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded5.2%
19,027 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
7.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements3.6%
13,241 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
8.A tyre seriously damaged2.3%
8,557 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs89%

6–8 yrs82%

9–11 yrs73%

12–14 yrs68%

15+ yrs59%

Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The A-Class fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 62,545
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel48.1%
Petrol47.8%
Hybrid4.1%

Trim names grouped into this model (40)

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

A 140
A 150
A 160
A 170
A 180
A 180 1.6 AUTO
A 180 AMG LINE D
A 180 AMG LINE ED EXECUTIVE
A 180 AMG LINE ED EXECUTIVE A
A 180 AMG LINE ED EXECUTIVE D
A 180 AMG LINE ED EXECUTVE D A
A 180 AMG LINE ED PREMIUM +
A 180 AMG LINE ED PREMIUM + A
A 180 AMG LINE ED PREMIUM D
A 180 AMG LINE ED PREMIUM+ D A
A 180 AMG LINE EDITION PREMIUM
A 180 AMG LINE EXECUTIVE D
A 180 AMG LINE PREMIUM + D
A 180 AMG LINE PREMIUM+ MHEV A
A 180 AMG LN PREM + NGT ED D A
A 180 AMG LN PREM + NIGHT ED A
A 180 AMG LNE EXECUTIVE MHEV A
A 180 AUTO
A 180 CDI
A 180 D
A 180 D AMG LINE
A 180 NIGHT EDITION
A 180 SE D
A 180 SE EXECUTIVE D
A 180 SPORT
A 180 SPORT D
A 180 SPORT EXECUTIVE D
A 180 SPORT EXECUTIVE ED D
A 180 SPORT EXECUTIVE ED D A
A 180 SPORT EXECUTIVE EDITION
A 180 SPORT EXECUTIVE MHEV A
A 180 SPORT EXECUTVE EDITION A
A 180 SPORT MHEV AUTO
A 180 SPORT PREMIUM D
A 200

Check a specific Mercedes-Benz A-Class

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 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
Mercedes-Benz CLA — 78.6% adjusted
All Mercedes-Benz models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Mini Cooper — 75.9% adjusted, ranked 97
Honda Jazz — 75.5% adjusted, ranked 101
BMW 1 Series — 77.6% adjusted, ranked 79
Fiat 500 — 65.3% adjusted, ranked 219

Common questions

Is the Mercedes-Benz A-Class reliable?: On MOT evidence the Mercedes-Benz A-Class is about average. It passes 73.3% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 131 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Mercedes-Benz A-Class?: The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 15.8% of failed Mercedes-Benz A-Class 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 A-Class?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 24.1% of all Mercedes-Benz A-Class 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 A-Class usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 62,545 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.
Does a Mercedes-Benz A-Class get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 88.9% of Mercedes-Benz A-Class tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 58.8%. 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 A-Class models petrol or diesel?: Of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class cars tested, 48% are diesel, 48% are petrol, 4% are hybrid. 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. The adjusted rate is directly standardised across twenty-five age and mileage bands and reweighted onto the national distribution, so this model is compared against cars that have lived a similar life rather than against a younger or lighter-used fleet.

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.