Does the Mercedes-Benz 300 fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Mercedes-Benz 300 records 13.27 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 20.23 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−6.96, 95% interval −7.61 to −6.30). It ranks 608 of 712 models on brakes (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on brakes · check a Mercedes-Benz 300 by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Mercedes-Benz 300 is “Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake”, recorded 363 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake | 363 | 2.00 |
| Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded | 331 | 1.82 |
| Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 181 | 1.00 |
| Warning device shows system malfunction | 159 | 0.87 |
| Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle. | 145 | 0.80 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 18,189 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
If a Mercedes-Benz 300 gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
11.9% of Mercedes-Benz 300 MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.2 months and 578 miles later (2,517 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 2,517 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
Mercedes-Benz 300 in Norway · Mercedes-Benz 300 in the Netherlands · Mercedes-Benz 300 by postcode area · Mercedes-Benz 300 body, chassis and structure failures · Mercedes-Benz 300 vehicle identification failures · Mercedes-Benz 300 lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Mercedes-Benz 300 noise, emissions and leaks failures · Mercedes-Benz 300 road wheels failures · Mercedes-Benz 300 seat belts and airbags failures · Mercedes-Benz 300 steering failures · Mercedes-Benz 300 suspension failures · Mercedes-Benz 300 tyres failures · Mercedes-Benz 300 visibility failures