Is the Mercedes-Benz Citan reliable?

On MOT evidence the Mercedes-Benz Citan is well below average. It passes 65.2% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 74% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.

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

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 32.8% of all Mercedes-Benz Citan 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 Citan usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 105,208 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 Citan get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 70.3% of Mercedes-Benz Citan tests pass. By 12 to 14 years, that falls to 51.9%. 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 Citan models petrol or diesel?

Of the Mercedes-Benz Citan cars tested, 98% are diesel, 2% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Mercedes-Benz Citan MOT pass rate & common failures

From 19,945 recorded MOT tests of the Mercedes-Benz Citan, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Mercedes-Benz Citan passes 65.2% 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 well below average. Based on 19,945 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, which appears in 25.0% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 105,208 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

65.2%national average72.3%unadjusted60.4%range covered74%

The Citan is 7.1 percentage points below the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well below average. The unadjusted figure is 60.4%; 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 Citan tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc25.0%
1,488 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained
2.A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play18.2%
1,083 occurrencesBall joint worn explained
3.Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning18.2%
1,082 occurrencesStop lamp not working explained
4.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements18.0%
1,070 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
5.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm15.4%
917 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
6.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded14.8%
879 occurrencesBrake pipe corroded explained
7.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning13.7%
818 occurrencesLamp not working explained
8.A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps12.3%
732 occurrencesLamp not working explained
9.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened10.3%
611 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
10.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen8.7%
517 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Mercedes-Benz Citan 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 requirements32.8%
6,543 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded18.5%
3,699 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
3.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured17.2%
3,437 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm13.5%
2,684 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.A tyre seriously damaged6.3%
1,251 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
6.A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play4.6%
923 testsBall joint worn explained
7.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn4.6%
908 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
8.Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning4.2%
847 testsStop lamp not working explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs70%

6–8 yrs62%

9–11 yrs57%

12–14 yrs52%

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

What gets tested

The Citan fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 105,208
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel98.4%
Petrol1.6%

Trim names grouped into this model (15)

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

CITAN 109 CDI
CITAN 109 CDI BLUEFCY DUALINER
CITAN 109 PURE CDI
CITAN 109CDI TRAVELINER
CITAN 110 PREMIUM D
CITAN 110 PREMIUM D AUTO
CITAN 110 PROGRESSIVE D
CITAN 111 CDI
CITAN 111 PURE CDI
CITAN 111CDI
CITAN 190 CDI
CITAN 190CDI
CITAN TOURER 111 CDI
CITAN TOURER PRO 109CDI
CITAN TOURER PRO 111CDI

Check a specific Mercedes-Benz Citan

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

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Hyundai I40 — 75.6% adjusted, ranked 100
Volkswagen Amarok — 80.1% adjusted, ranked 52
Toyota Land Cruiser — 82.5% adjusted, ranked 32
Volvo S60 — 76.6% adjusted, ranked 90

Common questions

Is the Mercedes-Benz Citan reliable?: On MOT evidence the Mercedes-Benz Citan is well below average. It passes 65.2% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 74% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. 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 Citan?: The item recorded most often is "A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc", which appears in 25.0% of failed Mercedes-Benz Citan 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 Citan?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 32.8% of all Mercedes-Benz Citan 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 Citan usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 105,208 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 Citan get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 70.3% of Mercedes-Benz Citan tests pass. By 12 to 14 years, that falls to 51.9%. 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 Citan models petrol or diesel?: Of the Mercedes-Benz Citan cars tested, 98% are diesel, 2% 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. 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.