Does the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter fail the MOT on vehicle identification more than it should?
The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter records 0.66 vehicle identification failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 0.60 expected for a lcv 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) (+0.06, 95% interval +0.01 to +0.10). It ranks 268 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 Sprinter by registration
What exactly fails on vehicle identification?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is “Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements”, recorded 328 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements | 328 | 0.28 |
| Number plate inscription missing or illegible | 307 | 0.26 |
| Number plate missing or so insecure that it is likely to fall off | 97 | 0.08 |
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 vehicle identification advisory, how often does it fail next time?
3.4% of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter MOTs with a vehicle identification advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.2 months and 3,533 miles later (2,224 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 2,224 (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 brakes 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