Does the Mercedes-Benz A-Class fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Mercedes-Benz A-Class records 6.94 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 7.87 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−0.93, 95% interval −0.97 to −0.88). It ranks 393 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 A-Class by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Mercedes-Benz A-Class is “a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm”, recorded 28,689 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm | 28,689 | 1.83 |
| Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded | 18,200 | 1.16 |
| Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn | 7,351 | 0.47 |
| Brake lining or pad worn down to wear indicator | 7,184 | 0.46 |
| Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 6,439 | 0.41 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,569,549 (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 A-Class gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
9.8% of Mercedes-Benz A-Class MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 5,299 miles later (204,013 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 204,013 (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 A-Class 1998 · Mercedes-Benz A-Class 1999 · Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2000 · Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2001 · Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2002 · Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2003 · Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2004 · Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2005 · Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2006 · Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2007 · Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2008 · Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2009 · Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2010 · Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2011 · Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2012 · Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2013 · Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2014 · Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2015 · Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2016 · Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2017 · Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2018 · Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2019 · Mercedes-Benz A-Class 2020 · Mercedes-Benz A-Class in Finland · Mercedes-Benz A-Class in the Netherlands · Mercedes-Benz A-Class in Norway · Mercedes-Benz A-Class by postcode area · Mercedes-Benz A-Class body, chassis and structure failures · Mercedes-Benz A-Class vehicle identification failures · Mercedes-Benz A-Class lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Mercedes-Benz A-Class noise, emissions and leaks failures · Mercedes-Benz A-Class road wheels failures · Mercedes-Benz A-Class seat belts and airbags failures · Mercedes-Benz A-Class steering failures · Mercedes-Benz A-Class suspension failures · Mercedes-Benz A-Class tyres failures · Mercedes-Benz A-Class visibility failures