Is the Mercedes-Benz V-Class reliable?

On MOT evidence the Mercedes-Benz V-Class is above average. It passes 77.4% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 68% 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 V-Class?

The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 22.4% of failed Mercedes-Benz V-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 V-Class?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 22.4% of all Mercedes-Benz V-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 V-Class usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 103,287 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 V-Class get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 83.6% of Mercedes-Benz V-Class tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 60.4%. 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 V-Class models petrol or diesel?

Of the Mercedes-Benz V-Class 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 V-Class MOT pass rate & common failures

From 13,442 recorded MOT tests of the Mercedes-Benz V-Class, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Mercedes-Benz V-Class passes 77.4% 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 above average. Based on 13,442 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, which appears in 22.4% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 103,287 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

77.4%national average72.3%unadjusted82.1%range covered68%

The V-Class is 5.1 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is above average. The unadjusted figure is 82.1%; 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 V-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 weakened22.4%
461 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
2.A tyre cords visible or damaged16.6%
342 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
3.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn15.6%
321 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
4.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements15.0%
309 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
5.A tyre seriously damaged10.5%
216 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
6.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm8.2%
169 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
7.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen7.8%
161 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
8.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage5.7%
117 occurrencesShock absorber defective explained
9.A tyre seriously damaged5.1%
106 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
10.Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value4.9%
102 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Mercedes-Benz V-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 requirements22.4%
3,006 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured7.0%
944 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm6.3%
840 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn5.5%
741 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
5.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage4.6%
612 testsShock absorber defective explained
6.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements3.4%
458 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
7.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn2.4%
320 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
8.A tyre seriously damaged2.2%
293 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs84%

6–8 yrs82%

9–11 yrs79%

15+ yrs60%

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

What gets tested

The V-Class fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 103,287
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel98.2%
Petrol1.7%

Trim names grouped into this model (16)

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

V 220
V 220 AMG LINE PREMIUM D AUTO
V 220 D
V 220 PREMIUM D AUTO
V 220 SPORT D AUTO
V 250
V 250 SPORT D AUTO
V 300
V 300 AMG LINE D AUTO
V 300 AMG LINE PREMIUM D AUTO
V 300 D
V 300 EXCLUSIVE D AUTO
V 300 PREMIUM D AUTO
V 300 SPORT D AUTO
V 350
V CLASS V220

Check a specific Mercedes-Benz V-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 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

Kia Carens — 62.7% adjusted, ranked 241
Nissan Elgrand — 68.4% adjusted, ranked 191
Jeep Compass — 71.8% adjusted, ranked 152
Citroen Nemo — 59.3% adjusted, ranked 255

Common questions

Is the Mercedes-Benz V-Class reliable?: On MOT evidence the Mercedes-Benz V-Class is above average. It passes 77.4% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 68% 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 V-Class?: The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 22.4% of failed Mercedes-Benz V-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 V-Class?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 22.4% of all Mercedes-Benz V-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 V-Class usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 103,287 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 V-Class get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 83.6% of Mercedes-Benz V-Class tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 60.4%. 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 V-Class models petrol or diesel?: Of the Mercedes-Benz V-Class 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.