Does the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter records 24.84 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 21.66 expected for a lcv of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+3.18, 95% interval +2.89 to +3.47). It ranks 174 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 Sprinter by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is “Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement”, recorded 5,270 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 5,270 | 4.51 |
| Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded | 4,690 | 4.02 |
| Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake | 2,177 | 1.86 |
| Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value | 1,997 | 1.71 |
| Parking brake inoperative on one side | 1,488 | 1.27 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 116,788 (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 Sprinter gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
21.0% of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 3,389 miles later (20,997 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 20,997 (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 Sprinter 1998 · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 1999 · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2000 · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2001 · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2002 · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2003 · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2004 · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2005 · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2006 · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2007 · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2008 · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2009 · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2010 · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2011 · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2012 · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2013 · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2014 · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2015 · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2016 · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2017 · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2018 · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2019 · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2020 · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter in Norway · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter in Finland · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter in the Netherlands · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter by postcode area · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter body, chassis and structure failures · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vehicle identification failures · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter noise, emissions and leaks failures · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter road wheels failures · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter seat belts and airbags failures · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter steering failures · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter suspension failures · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter tyres failures · Mercedes-Benz Sprinter visibility failures