Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 1998: MOT failure rate for its age

49.0% of 261 MOT tests of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter first registered in 1998 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 115.6 (95% CI 95.6–135.7; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 1998 build year is no different from other years of the same model at the same age. This is a rough estimate from a smaller sample.

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter built in 1998 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	49.0	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	261
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 95.6–135.7)	115.6	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	261
Rank among this model's 23 build years	23	of 23	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	261
Tested in 2024	25	tests	median 98,790 miles	2024	25

Built 1998 against Mercedes-Benz Sprinter normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 21: 50.3% vs 44.9%; age 22: 47.3% vs 39%. Axis from 0% to 60%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 1998 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter by registration · All Mercedes-Benz Sprinter MOT statistics · Download the build-year table (CSV)

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · full dataset (v5).

How does the 1998 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter fail at each age?

Cars built in 1998 were tested at ages 21 to 22 between 2019 and 2024. Each row compares their first-time failure share with what this model normally shows at that age, after allowing for the overall failure level of each test year.

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter built 1998: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
Age	Tests	Failed, %	95% interval	Normal for this model at that age, %	Index (100 = normal)
21	151 (rough estimate)	50.3	42.4–58.2	44.9	112.1
22	110 (rough estimate)	47.3	38.2–56.5	39	121.2

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 261 (initial tests) · Method: normal rate = this model's first-time failure share at that age across its build years (cells of 400+ tests), adjusted for each test year's overall level; cells of 30+ tests, under 500 marked rough · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

What fails most on the 1998 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter?

The most common failure group on cars built in 1998 is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: 56.9 items per 100 first tests, against 29.5 across all build years of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 1998 were tested at ages 21 to 22.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter built 1998 against the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 1998, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	56.9	29.5	561
Brakes	43.6	24.8	430
Suspension	28.6	12.7	282
Body, chassis, structure	24.2	7.6	239
Visibility	15.6	12.1	154

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 986 (initial tests of this build year) · Method: failure items grouped by DVSA's top-level defect groups, per 100 initial tests; groups with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How does 1998 compare with the years around it?

Among the 23 published build years of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, 1998 ranks 23 (1 = fails least for its age). 1999: index 105.8.

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
1998	115.6	95.6–135.7	no different (rough estimate)	261
1999	105.8	92.4–119.1	no different (rough estimate)	556
2000	109.0	100.3–117.7	worse (rough estimate)	1,358
2001	99.5	93.9–105.1	no different (rough estimate)	3,007
2002	104.1	99.6–108.6	no different	4,878
2003	105.6	101.0–110.1	worse	4,933
2004	105.8	101.5–110.0	worse	5,667
2005	101.4	97.0–105.8	no different	5,234
2006	100.1	95.5–104.6	no different	4,817
2007	101.0	96.6–105.4	no different	5,461
2008	100.1	95.8–104.5	no different	5,864
2009	90.7	85.8–95.6	better	4,364
2010	93.2	88.7–97.7	better	5,792
2011	98.7	93.9–103.5	no different	5,758
2012	109.8	104.8–114.8	worse	6,305
2013	98.9	93.8–104.0	no different	6,003
2014	104.7	99.6–109.8	no different	7,028
2015	92.6	87.9–97.4	better	8,059
2016	107.1	101.0–113.3	worse	6,212
2017	89.4	83.6–95.2	better	6,485
2018	98.3	90.7–105.9	no different	4,430
2019	105.4	95.7–115.1	no different (rough estimate)	3,109
2020	101.0	88.6–113.3	no different (rough estimate)	1,876

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 107,457 (initial tests) · Method: observed failures against those expected for the same model at the same ages, test-year level adjusted; verdict follows the printed one-decimal bound · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How to cite this page

MOT Risk Index (2026). Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 1998 MOT statistics (data release dvsa-2024-v2; full dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22975051), updated 30 September 2026. motriskindex.co.uk/cars/mercedes-sprinter/1998/

How every figure is calculated: methodology. Age, test year and build year are tied together (age = test year − build year), so the test-year level is taken as observed, not estimated.

Other pages for this model