Does the Mercedes-Benz M-Class fail the MOT on vehicle identification more than it should?
The Mercedes-Benz M-Class records 0.74 vehicle identification failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 0.49 expected for a car of the same age mix: about as expected for its class and age (the difference is within its interval or under 0.5 items per 100 tests) (+0.25, 95% interval +0.21 to +0.29). It ranks 118 of 636 models on vehicle identification (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on vehicle identification · check a Mercedes-Benz M-Class by registration
What exactly fails on vehicle identification?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Mercedes-Benz M-Class is “Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements”, recorded 1,032 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements | 1,032 | 0.49 |
| Number plate inscription missing or illegible | 260 | 0.12 |
| Number plate missing or so insecure that it is likely to fall off | 176 | 0.08 |
| Number plate showing an incorrect registration | 87 | 0.04 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 211,108 (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 M-Class gets a vehicle identification advisory, how often does it fail next time?
3.2% of Mercedes-Benz M-Class MOTs with a vehicle identification advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 6,303 miles later (2,894 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 2,894 (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 M-Class 1999 · Mercedes-Benz M-Class 2000 · Mercedes-Benz M-Class 2001 · Mercedes-Benz M-Class 2002 · Mercedes-Benz M-Class 2003 · Mercedes-Benz M-Class 2004 · Mercedes-Benz M-Class 2005 · Mercedes-Benz M-Class 2006 · Mercedes-Benz M-Class 2007 · Mercedes-Benz M-Class 2008 · Mercedes-Benz M-Class 2009 · Mercedes-Benz M-Class 2010 · Mercedes-Benz M-Class 2011 · Mercedes-Benz M-Class 2012 · Mercedes-Benz M-Class 2013 · Mercedes-Benz M-Class 2014 · Mercedes-Benz M-Class 2015 · Mercedes-Benz M-Class in Norway · Mercedes-Benz M-Class in Finland · Mercedes-Benz M-Class in the Netherlands · Mercedes-Benz M-Class by postcode area · Mercedes-Benz M-Class body, chassis and structure failures · Mercedes-Benz M-Class brakes failures · Mercedes-Benz M-Class lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Mercedes-Benz M-Class noise, emissions and leaks failures · Mercedes-Benz M-Class road wheels failures · Mercedes-Benz M-Class seat belts and airbags failures · Mercedes-Benz M-Class steering failures · Mercedes-Benz M-Class suspension failures · Mercedes-Benz M-Class tyres failures · Mercedes-Benz M-Class visibility failures