Mercedes-Benz Vito — MOT statistics 2024
The Mercedes-Benz Vito failed 33.37% of 86,846 first MOT attempts in 2024 ("first-time", excluding retests). Adjusted for the age of the fleet, its initial-failure ratio is 117.7 (100 = expected for its age profile). This van fails its MOT about 18% more often than expected for its age.
Age-adjusted peer: Ford Transit (index 127.2) — the two published results are 9.5 index points apart.
Mercedes-Benz Vito common problems: what actually fails the MOT
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment are well below the reference at 24.5 per 100 tests, against 30.0 per 100 tests across UK vans and pickups of the same ages.
higher bar = fails more oftenrate per 100 tests
family vs national — matched to UK vans and pickups of the same ages — top component groups, per 100 tests. Legend: This family · National avg. Combined labels: family / national average. A gap here reflects how these vehicles are driven, used and maintained as well as how they were built — an MOT defect is a test outcome, not a breakdown.
Component-group comparison table
Each ratio carries a 95% interval. With 6 groups compared here, roughly one apparent difference in twenty is chance alone.
| Group | This family | Cases behind it | UK, same ages | Family / national |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lamps & electrical | 24.5 | 116,117 | 29.9 | 0.82×0.81–0.82 |
| Brakes | 23.4 | 111,032 | 18.4 | 1.27×1.26–1.28 |
| Suspension | 17.8 | 84,691 | 22.6 | 0.79×0.78–0.80 |
| Visibility | 14.6 | 69,328 | 14.9 | 0.98×0.98–0.99 |
| Tyres | 8.6 | 40,732 | 8.1 | 1.06×1.05–1.07 |
| Body & structure | 8.4 | 39,963 | 12.0 | 0.70×0.70–0.71 |
| What failed | per 100 tests (this family) | per 100 tests (UK average) | ratio family / UK | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windscreen or window damaged or seriously…Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view | 5.01 | 2.36 | 2.12× | Check wipers, washers and windscreen chips in the driver's view |
| Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirementParking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 3.74 | 1.24 | 3.02× | Feel for brake judder and pulling on the test drive |
| Strength or continuity of the load bearing…The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired | 2.82 | 1.12 | 2.52× | Look underneath for rust or cracks around subframe and suspension mountings |
| Windscreen washers not working or not providing…Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen | 2.74 | 1.62 | 1.69× | Check wipers, washers and windscreen chips in the driver's view |
| Spring or spring component fractured or seriously…A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened | 3.97 | 2.86 | 1.39× | Ask the seller about: A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened |
| Aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down…The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements | 3.31 | 2.57 | 1.29× | Try every light and switch — lamps are a top failure |
| Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the…Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen | 2.81 | 2.22 | 1.26× | Check wipers, washers and windscreen chips in the driver's view |
| Rear registration plate lamp or light source…A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources | 3.12 | 2.83 | 1.10× | Try every light and switch — lamps are a top failure |
| Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the…Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements | 3.56 | 3.59 | 0.99× | Check tyre tread depth across the full width |
| Suspension pin, bush or joint excessively wornA suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn | 4.51 | 4.87 | 0.93× | Listen for knocks over bumps — worn joints show up on the test |
Named defects ranked by how much more often they appear than the national average — not by raw rate.
Mercedes-Benz Vito MOT advisories: what gets flagged
Brakes are highest at 43.1 per 100 tests; Non-component advisories are lowest at 6.7 per 100 tests — the gap is 36.4 per 100 tests.
higher bar = flagged more oftenadvisory items per 100 initial tests
Advisory rates table
| Group | Advisories per 100 |
|---|---|
| Brakes | 43.1 |
| Tyres | 33.7 |
| Suspension | 18.6 |
| Body & structure | 7.5 |
| Emissions & leaks | 7.3 |
| Non-component advisories | 6.7 |
Advisories are wear the tester noted but didn't fail — what will need money soon.
Tyres, brakes and suspension: Mercedes-Benz Vito against cars of the same age
| Age | Part | Mercedes-Benz Vito | Same age, petrol and diesel | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 years | Tyres | 7.03 | 4.17 | 2.86 |
| 3 years | Brakes | 5.84 | 1.77 | 4.07 |
| 3 years | Suspension | 2.15 | 0.63 | 1.52 |
| 4 years | Tyres | 6.52 | 4.54 | 1.98 |
| 4 years | Brakes | 7.24 | 2.43 | 4.81 |
| 4 years | Suspension | 3.85 | 1.21 | 2.64 |
| 5 years | Tyres | 6.25 | 5.06 | 1.19 |
| 5 years | Brakes | 7.88 | 3.09 | 4.79 |
| 5 years | Suspension | 5.18 | 2.19 | 2.99 |
| 6 years | Tyres | 5.92 | 5.54 | 0.38 |
| 6 years | Brakes | 9.25 | 3.81 | 5.44 |
| 6 years | Suspension | 6.7 | 3.72 | 2.98 |
| 7 years | Tyres | 6.03 | 5.95 | 0.08 |
| 7 years | Brakes | 10.16 | 4.55 | 5.61 |
| 7 years | Suspension | 8.14 | 5.68 | 2.46 |
| 8 years | Tyres | 6.03 | 6.31 | -0.28 |
| 8 years | Brakes | 11.34 | 5.38 | 5.96 |
| 8 years | Suspension | 8.5 | 7.78 | 0.72 |
Failing items per 100 initial tests, 2019-2024. The comparison group is every petrol or diesel car tested at the same age, so weight and drivetrain show up rather than fleet age.
If a van like this fails, does it fail again?
A failure rate does not say whether a failure is a one-off or the start of something. This follows the same vehicles into their next ordinary MOT a year later — retests after a repair are excluded, because they follow a failure by definition. 2019-2024.
| After this year's test | Fails next year | Vehicles followed |
|---|---|---|
| It failed | 37.1% | 35,942 |
| It passed | 28.1% | 229,511 |
A failed test raises next year's chance of failing again by 9.0 percentage points. The failure most likely to come back is visibility — 36.0% of those vehicles fail again next year. Some of this is the vehicle and some is the owner: a car that was let go once tends to be let go again. One caveat: a car that fails may be sold or scrapped rather than tested again, so these figures describe the vehicles that came back.
Adjusted for how much these are actually driven
The headline index adjusts for the fleet's age. Wear, though, follows mileage: a three-year-old taxi and a three-year-old garage queen sit in the same age band. These two rows compare every van with vehicles of the same age, and then with vehicles of the same age and the same annual mileage, 2019-2024, on 467,250 tests. Both stand on the six-year corpus so they are measured on identical data — compare them with each other, not with the headline index above, which is measured on 2024 alone.
| Standardised for | Index | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Age only | 117.4 | fails more often than expected |
| Age and annual mileage | 101.5 | fails more often than vehicles driven as much |
| Share doing under 3,000 miles a year | 1.1% | a normal spread of use |
Mileage matters here: matching on how much these are driven moves the figure by 15.9 points — this fleet works harder than the vehicles it is measured against, so the age-only view penalises it — but it does not change which side of normal the van sits on. One limit to keep in mind: mileage is partly a result of how often a car breaks down — one that spends weeks in the workshop covers fewer miles — so the mileage-matched figure can understate a real weakness. Tests with no usable odometer reading are left out of it.
How the Mercedes-Benz Vito compares with cars of its own age and size
Not against the whole fleet — against other light commercials tested at the same age, 2019-2024.
| Age | Mercedes-Benz Vito | Same class, same age | Difference | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 years | 21.7% | 19.89% | +1.81 pp | 40,600 |
| 4 years | 24.78% | 22.91% | +1.86 pp | 40,277 |
| 5 years | 25.84% | 25.46% | +0.39 pp | 39,940 |
| 6 years | 27.83% | 28.95% | -1.13 pp | 35,715 |
| 7 years | 30.85% | 32.4% | -1.54 pp | 34,624 |
| 8 years | 32.64% | 35.74% | -3.1 pp | 29,845 |
| 9 years | 35.46% | 38.53% | -3.07 pp | 27,785 |
| 10 years | 36.9% | 41.01% | -4.12 pp | 26,998 |
| 11 years | 38.54% | 43.24% | -4.7 pp | 26,780 |
| 12 years | 40.69% | 45.05% | -4.36 pp | 26,551 |
| 13 years | 42% | 46.22% | -4.21 pp | 26,333 |
| 14 years | 43.35% | 46.98% | -3.63 pp | 26,245 |
| 15 years | 44.67% | 47.49% | -2.82 pp | 23,909 |
| 16 years | 46.15% | 47.62% | -1.47 pp | 19,723 |
| 17 years | 46.87% | 47.52% | -0.66 pp | 15,055 |
| 18 years | 47.37% | 47.45% | -0.08 pp | 9,834 |
| 19 years | 50.33% | 46.86% | +3.47 pp | 5,384 |
| 20 years | 50.37% | 46.02% | +4.36 pp | 3,081 |
Raw first-time failure rates within each age, so fleet age cannot flatter either side. A positive difference means this model fails more often than its own class at that age.
How does the Mercedes-Benz Vito perform as it gets older?
The Vito at age 4 stands out at 26.5%, against 13.1% for all vehicles of the same age.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
Chart axes: van age, years · failure-rate scale 0–52%.
Takeaway: a 10-year-old Vito has roughly a 35% chance of failing its MOT; from about age 18 it stays above the national age curve.
Data table
| Age | Mercedes-Benz Vito | All vehicles | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 21.5% | 12.4% | +9.1 pp |
| 4 | 26.5% | 13.1% | +13.4 pp |
| 5 | 25.0% | 15.1% | +9.9 pp |
| 6 | 25.2% | 17.5% | +7.7 pp |
| 7 | 27.7% | 20.2% | +7.5 pp |
| 8 | 30.5% | 23.3% | +7.1 pp |
| 9 | 32.9% | 26.5% | +6.3 pp |
| 10 | 35.2% | 30.1% | +5.1 pp |
| 11 | 34.8% | 33.2% | +1.6 pp |
| 12 | 37.3% | 35.7% | +1.6 pp |
| 13 | 39.2% | 38.2% | +1.0 pp |
| 14 | 40.3% | 40.4% | -0.1 pp |
| 15 | 40.2% | 41.6% | -1.4 pp |
| 16 | 43.2% | 43.1% | +0.1 pp |
| 17 | 43.0% | 43.1% | -0.2 pp |
| 18 | 44.2% | 43.9% | +0.3 pp |
| 19 | 47.7% | 43.5% | +4.2 pp |
| 20 | 45.4% | 41.0% | +4.4 pp |
Is a Mercedes-Benz Vito ULEZ compliant?
The share of classifiable 2024 Mercedes-Benz Vito MOT tests likely ULEZ compliant by first-registration date is 48.4%.
Based on 86,422 classifiable initial MOT tests. This describes the tested fleet, not a specific car. MOT data do not record Euro class, so likely compliance is inferred from fuel and first-registration date. For the only authoritative answer, check the registration with TfL's official ULEZ checker.
higher = larger share likely compliantinferred from fuel and first-registration date; not a recorded Euro class
| Vehicle age at test | Likely ULEZ-compliant share | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 3 years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 432 |
| 3–5 years | 100.0% Check a registration with TfL | n = 17,499 |
| 6–7 years | 100.0% Check a registration with TfL | n = 15,255 |
| 8 years | 100.0% Check a registration with TfL | n = 6,145 |
| 9 years | 48.4% Check a registration with TfL | n = 5,040 |
| 10–14 years | 0.1% Check a registration with TfL | n = 21,798 |
| 15–17 years | 0.2% Check a registration with TfL | n = 12,673 |
| 18 years | 0.2% Check a registration with TfL | n = 3,601 |
| 19 years | 0.0% Check a registration with TfL | n = 1,922 |
| 20+ years | 0.0% Check a registration with TfL | n = 2,057 |
How dangerous are Mercedes-Benz Vito MOT failures?
Major defects stand out at 76.0 per 100 tests, against 52.8 per 100 tests nationally.
higher bar = fails more oftenrate per 100 tests
Severity table
| Severity | This family /100 | National /100 | Family / national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor | 18.98 | 14.22 | 1.33× |
| Major | 76.00 | 52.75 | 1.44× |
| Dangerous | 12.67 | 11.15 | 1.14× |
Chart values: Minor 19.0 · Major 76.0 · Dangerous 12.7.
Per 100 tests on this family. National average: Minor 14.2 · Major 52.8 · Dangerous 11.2 per 100.
Does the month of a Mercedes-Benz Vito MOT matter?
Jan is highest at 36.3%; Dec is lowest at 32.9% — the gap is 3.4 percentage points.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
Chart scale: 27%–38%.
bars: Mercedes-Benz Vito · dashed: all class-4 cars
Month-by-month table
| Month | Mercedes-Benz Vito | All vehicles | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36.29% | 31.12% | +5.2 pp |
| Feb | 35.01% | 29.99% | +5.0 pp |
| Mar | 34.1% | 28.26% | +5.8 pp |
| Apr | 34.34% | 29.78% | +4.6 pp |
| May | 33.24% | 28.79% | +4.5 pp |
| Jun | 33.44% | 28.15% | +5.3 pp |
| Jul | 34.73% | 29.33% | +5.4 pp |
| Aug | 34.55% | 29.2% | +5.3 pp |
| Sep | 33.56% | 28.19% | +5.4 pp |
| Oct | 34.04% | 30.34% | +3.7 pp |
| Nov | 34.07% | 30.58% | +3.5 pp |
| Dec | 32.94% | 29.33% | +3.6 pp |
Takeaway: the spread between best and worst month is 3.4 percentage points — noticeable seasonality. Seasonality partly reflects registration-date clustering, not weather.
Before reading the shape: most of it is not about cars. Britain changes its registration plates twice a year, and 18.9% of these cars were first registered in March with another17.1% in September — 36% in two months against the 17% an even spread would give. An MOT falls due three years after first registration, so the buying calendar becomes the testing calendar. That shapes how many cars are tested each month — not how often they fail: the busiest months here are not the worst ones, so read the failure line on its own and the volume behind it separately.
Mercedes-Benz Vito average mileage by age
At age 8, the middle half of Vitos runs from 81,256 miles to 160,098 miles, against 113,105 miles as the median.
further right = more milesmedian is the typical car; band is p25–p75
Chart axes: van age, years · odometer scale 0–234k mi.
Does high mileage mean more Mercedes-Benz Vito MOT failures at the same age?
Within the same age group, split by odometer (2024 MOTs), so this separates wear from age: at ages 6–9, 18.1% of those with under 40,000 miles failed first time versus 28.1% of those with over 140,000 miles.Inside this age group, higher mileage goes with more failures.
| Age | Odometer | % failing | 95% interval | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3–5 | <40k miles | 18.6% | 17.4–19.9% | 3,520 |
| 3–5 | 40-70k miles | 24.5% | 23.4–25.7% | 5,533 |
| 3–5 | 70-100k miles | 27.6% | 26.2–29% | 3,877 |
| 3–5 | 100-140k miles | 26.1% | 24.5–27.9% | 2,635 |
| 3–5 | 140k+ miles | 25.9% | 24–27.9% | 1,928 |
| 6–9 | <40k miles | 18.1% | 15.8–20.6% | 985 |
| 6–9 | 40-70k miles | 26.1% | 24.7–27.4% | 4,148 |
| 6–9 | 70-100k miles | 29.4% | 28.2–30.6% | 5,864 |
| 6–9 | 100-140k miles | 31.7% | 30.6–32.9% | 6,337 |
| 6–9 | 140k+ miles | 28.1% | 27.2–29.1% | 8,889 |
| 10–14 | <40k miles | 24.2% | 19.2–30% | 240 (rough estimate) |
| 10–14 | 40-70k miles | 25.8% | 23.3–28.4% | 1,122 |
| 10–14 | 70-100k miles | 32.5% | 30.7–34.3% | 2,622 |
| 10–14 | 100-140k miles | 39% | 37.7–40.3% | 5,153 |
| 10–14 | 140k+ miles | 38.5% | 37.6–39.3% | 12,536 |
| 15+ | <40k miles | 33.6% | 26.2–41.8% | 137 (rough estimate) |
| 15+ | 40-70k miles | 32.7% | 29.2–36.5% | 617 |
| 15+ | 70-100k miles | 39.6% | 37.3–41.9% | 1,713 |
| 15+ | 100-140k miles | 43.9% | 42.5–45.3% | 4,630 |
| 15+ | 140k+ miles | 44% | 43.2–44.9% | 12,688 |
line: median · band: middle half of the fleet (p25–p75)
Mileage by age (p25 / median / p75)
| Age | p25 | Median | p75 | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 34,161 | 49,793 | 74,135 | 4,731 |
| 4 | 41,215 | 60,871 | 85,843 | 4,088 |
| 5 | 57,720 | 85,096 | 122,205 | 8,680 |
| 6 | 63,044 | 92,700 | 136,882 | 6,272 |
| 7 | 81,170 | 117,180 | 166,986 | 8,983 |
| 8 | 81,256 | 113,105 | 160,098 | 6,145 |
| 9 | 89,006 | 125,211 | 179,132 | 5,041 |
| 10 | 99,136 | 138,154 | 192,338 | 4,756 |
| 11 | 109,264 | 153,348 | 222,663 | 4,935 |
| 12 | 112,448 | 151,526 | 209,071 | 4,397 |
| 13 | 118,860 | 157,937 | 202,446 | 3,483 |
| 14 | 125,053 | 164,352 | 220,247 | 4,227 |
| 15 | 123,384 | 160,953 | 207,871 | 4,128 |
| 16 | 128,181 | 165,189 | 204,066 | 4,283 |
| 17 | 132,067 | 166,791 | 206,120 | 4,263 |
| 18 | 131,978 | 165,952 | 205,691 | 3,601 |
| 19 | 115,873 | 147,971 | 184,690 | 1,922 |
| 20+ | 97,895 | 129,296 | 163,750 | 2,059 |
A typical 8-year-old Vito has ~113,105 miles on the clock. Much more — ask why; much less — check for gaps in the MOT history.
Where in Britain the Mercedes-Benz Vito fails its MOT most
Kirkcaldy area is highest at 52.3%; London W area is lowest at 16.4% — the gap is 35.9 percentage points.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
| Toughest areas | % failing | vs model overall |
|---|---|---|
| Kirkcaldy (KY) | 52.27% | +18.1 pp |
| Dundee (DD) | 50.69% | +16.5 pp |
| Falkirk (FK) | 47.29% | +13.1 pp |
| Llandrindod Wells (LD) | 46.88% | +12.7 pp |
| Truro (TR) | 46.76% | +12.6 pp |
| Easiest areas | % failing | vs model overall |
|---|---|---|
| London W (W) | 16.41% | -17.8 pp |
| Sutton (SM) | 21.9% | -12.3 pp |
| Twickenham (TW) | 22.49% | -11.7 pp |
| Ilford (IG) | 22.65% | -11.6 pp |
| London SE (SE) | 22.78% | -11.4 pp |
Why do areas differ?
For each external factor we correlate the area fail rate with the factor across postcode areas that have ≥800 tests of this family, then compare the bottom vs top fifth (quintile) of the factor. Correlation, not causation — factors travel together (the north is colder and often poorer; urban areas are denser and less salted). Road surface condition is joined now, for the 91 English areas the DfT publishes, and it explains nothing: the correlation with suspension failures is −0.01 and with body and structure failures 0.07. Potholes wreck wheels and tyres between tests, but by the time a car reaches the bay the road it drives on leaves no measurable trace.
In areas with the highest mot centre density this model fails 14.0 pp more often than in the lowest fifth (r=0.70, n=113 areas with ≥800 tests).
In areas with the highest urban share this model fails 13.6 pp less often than in the lowest fifth (r=-0.61, n=113 areas with ≥800 tests).
In areas with the highest road-salt proxy this model fails 7.7 pp more often than in the lowest fifth (r=0.39, n=113 areas with ≥800 tests).
| Factor | Low Q | High Q | Gap | Correlation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT centre density | 27.3% | 41.3% | +14.0 pp | r=0.70 |
| Urban share | 40.1% | 26.6% | -13.5 pp | r=-0.61 |
| Road-salt proxy | 31.6% | 39.4% | +7.8 pp | r=0.39 |
Factors that only mean something combined
Some conditions are useless on their own and informative multiplied together. Frost days alone say little — Britain barely freezes. Salt tonnage alone says little — it tracks frost. Distance to the sea alone says little. Multiply the first two and divide by the third and you get an index of how hard an area attacks a car's underside, and it lines up with the corrosion defects we actually record. We built five such combinations and tested each against our own data. Three survived; two did not, and the failures are listed here on purpose — a proxy that was never checked is decoration. One survivor only survived on the second attempt: built from a crude stand-in for street parking it failed outright, and rebuilt from the census — terraced streets carrying more cars than they have driveways — it works, and carries information the salt index does not.
| Composite | Built from | Tested against | r | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Underbody corrosion | frost days × salt load ÷ (distance to coast + 1) | share of tests with a corrosion defect | +0.42 | holds (116 areas) |
| Tyre wear | rain days × annual miles ÷ age at first tyre advisory | share of tests failing on tyres | +0.45 | holds (116 areas) |
| Overnight corrosion | terraced housing × cars per household × frost days | share with a corrosion defect | +0.41 | holds (102 areas) — and adds signal beyond the first index |
| Deferred maintenance | deprivation × advisory-to-failure conversion ÷ labour rate | cars repeating the same advisory | −0.26 | fails (118 areas) |
| Powertrain stress | engine capacity ÷ kerb weight | suspension, brake and emissions failures | −0.16 | fails (22 models) |
The deprivation result is the one worth dwelling on. The intuition that poorer areas defer repairs is strong enough that most people treat it as established. We tested it twice — once on raw failure rates (r = 0.04) and again, more fairly, on whether an advisory turns into a failure — and it did not hold any of the three times we tried it — on raw failure rates, on advisory-to-failure conversion, and again with deprivation measured properly inside each nation rather than England alone. We are closing it. What does predict local failure rates is the density of test centres, which is a statement about testing, not about cars.
All external-factor correlations (machine-readable)
| Factor | r | n areas | Low-Q fail % | High-Q fail % | Gap pp | Low-Q factor | High-Q factor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT centre density (per 10k vehicles) | 0.702 | 113 | 27.3 | 41.3 | +14.0 | 5 | 8.5 |
| Urban share (0–1) | -0.609 | 113 | 40.1 | 26.6 | -13.6 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Road-salt proxy (g/m²-yr) | 0.386 | 113 | 31.6 | 39.4 | +7.7 | 221.2 | 670.1 |
| Frost days (days/year) | 0.380 | 113 | 33.9 | 39.1 | +5.2 | 11.6 | 38 |
| Distance to coast (km) | -0.294 | 113 | 40.9 | 35.0 | -5.9 | 6.2 | 79.5 |
| Terrain gradient (% grade) | 0.225 | 67 | 34.7 | 39.3 | +4.6 | 0.5 | 3.7 |
| Income deprivation (score) | -0.102 | 97 | 34.4 | 33.1 | -1.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
Deprivation uses England IMD 2019 income score only (Scotland SIMD is a different scale). Salt proxy is a simplified NWSRG-style dry-salt sum from air Tmin; coastalness is distance from the area centroid to the nearest coastline.
Every dot is a postcode area — size = how many were tested there, colour = share failing. These figures are not age-adjusted: coastal and rural areas often run older fleets and salted roads, so higher raw fail rates do not automatically mean a worse local stock of this model.
Map labels: Scotland · N. England · Wales · London · S. West. Colour scale: 23%–47% failing.
Mercedes-Benz Vito survival: which cars are still on the road
By age 19 is well below the reference at 13.9%, against 100.0% at the ages 4–6 reference level.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
Chart axes: van age, years · survival vs ages 4–6 · scale 0–105%.
Survival vs fail rate by age
| Age | Tests | Survival vs ages 4–6 | Fail % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 40,600 | 100% | 21.7% |
| 4 | 40,277 | 100% | 24.78% |
| 5 | 39,940 | 100% | 25.84% |
| 6 | 35,715 | 92.4% | 27.83% |
| 7 | 34,624 | 89.6% | 30.85% |
| 8 | 29,845 | 77.2% | 32.64% |
| 9 | 27,785 | 71.9% | 35.46% |
| 10 | 26,998 | 69.9% | 36.9% |
| 11 | 26,780 | 69.3% | 38.54% |
| 12 | 26,551 | 68.7% | 40.69% |
| 13 | 26,333 | 68.1% | 42% |
| 14 | 26,245 | 67.9% | 43.35% |
| 15 | 23,909 | 61.9% | 44.67% |
| 16 | 19,723 | 51% | 46.15% |
| 17 | 15,055 | 39% | 46.87% |
| 18 | 9,834 | 25.4% | 47.37% |
| 19 | 5,384 | 13.9% | 50.33% |
By age 19, only about 14% as many cars of this family present for MOT as at ages 4–6 (reference n≈38,644); survivors still fail at 50.3% vs 24.8% at age 4. Older cars that still appear are a selected subset — weaker ones have already left.
How many miles does a Mercedes-Benz Vito last?
100,000+ miles is highest at 59.8%; 200,000+ miles is lowest at 15.2% — the gap is 44.6 percentage points.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
| Odometer | Tests ≥ threshold | Share of sample |
|---|---|---|
| 100,000+ miles | 279,708 | 59.76% |
| 150,000+ miles | 155,577 | 33.24% |
| 200,000+ miles | 70,960 | 15.16% |
Of 468,029 tests of this family with a usable odometer in 2024, 59.8% had reached 100k miles, 33.2% had reached 150k miles, 15.2% had reached 200k miles. This is a cross-section of cars still presenting for MOT, not a full birth cohort.
How many years is a Mercedes-Benz Vito likely to last?
Bought at age 5 is highest at 9.2 years; Bought at age 15 is lowest at 2.6 years — the gap is 6.6 years.
bigger number = longer remaining lifeyears on the observed survival curve
| Age now | Typical mileage (p50) | Expected years left |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | — | 9.2 |
| 8 | — | 8.4 |
| 10 | — | 7.2 |
| 12 | — | 5.3 |
| 15 | — | at least 2.6 |
estimateEstimate only — not a warranty: a typical 10-year-old example of this family has about 7.2 expected years of further MOT-present life on the 2024 survival curve. Derived from how many cars of each age still appear for test, not from a longitudinal panel.
Mercedes-Benz Vito faults that come together
Identification + Road Wheels stand out at 6.77×, against 1.00× if the faults were independent.
above 1.0× = more than expectedbelow 1.0× = less
| Group A | Group B | Together | Lift |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identification of the vehicle | Road Wheels | 35 | 6.77× (rough estimate) |
| Identification of the vehicle | Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 208 | 5.13× (rough estimate) |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Speedometer and speed limiter | 30 | 4.87× (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Steering | 2,637 | 4.83× |
| Road Wheels | Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 122 | 4.83× (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 2,426 | 4.72× |
| Brakes | Speedometer and speed limiter | 26 | 4.65× (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Identification of the vehicle | 479 | 4.55× (rough estimate) |
| Buses and coaches supplementary tests | Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 21 | 4.54× (rough estimate) |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | Steering | 929 | 4.42× |
| Road Wheels | Tyres | 342 | 4.4× (rough estimate) |
| Road Wheels | Steering | 115 | 4.29× (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Seat belt installation check | 30 | 4.21× (rough estimate) |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 1,580 | 4.12× |
| Body, chassis, structure | Road Wheels | 267 | 4.07× (rough estimate) |
| Speedometer and speed limiter | Suspension | 20 | 4.01× (rough estimate) |
| Identification of the vehicle | Steering | 170 | 3.94× (rough estimate) |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 5,301 | 3.91× |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Seat belt installation check | 30 | 3.83× (rough estimate) |
| Steering | Suspension | 4,445 | 3.81× |
| Brakes | Identification of the vehicle | 944 | 3.74× |
| Body, chassis, structure | Noise, emissions and leaks | 3,715 | 3.73× |
| Identification of the vehicle | Noise, emissions and leaks | 293 | 3.72× (rough estimate) |
| Identification of the vehicle | Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 1,033 | 3.71× |
| Brakes | Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 4,566 | 3.7× |
| Body, chassis, structure | Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 12,880 | 3.66× |
| Identification of the vehicle | Tyres | 454 | 3.63× (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Noise, emissions and leaks | 8,592 | 3.59× |
| Body, chassis, structure | Suspension | 10,192 | 3.58× |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | Suspension | 3,936 | 3.58× |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | Road Wheels | 174 | 3.55× (rough estimate) |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Steering | 5,112 | 3.54× |
| Body, chassis, structure | Brakes | 11,276 | 3.52× |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Road Wheels | 608 | 3.51× |
| Seat belt installation check | Suspension | 22 | 3.47× (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Steering | 4,475 | 3.42× |
| Brakes | Road Wheels | 538 | 3.42× |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Noise, emissions and leaks | 8,759 | 3.33× |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | Tyres | 3,926 | 3.32× |
| Road Wheels | Suspension | 455 | 3.25× (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 26,922 | 3.19× |
| Identification of the vehicle | Suspension | 706 | 3.14× |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | Tyres | 1,837 | 3.01× |
| Brakes | Suspension | 20,121 | 2.94× |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Suspension | 22,071 | 2.93× |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | Steering | 1,197 | 2.93× |
| Brakes | Tyres | 10,889 | 2.87× |
| Identification of the vehicle | Visibility | 669 | 2.81× |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | Suspension | 5,930 | 2.78× |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Tyres | 11,588 | 2.77× |
| Road Wheels | Visibility | 403 | 2.72× (rough estimate) |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | Visibility | 3,100 | 2.67× |
| Body, chassis, structure | Tyres | 4,141 | 2.62× |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Visibility | 20,013 | 2.51× |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | Visibility | 5,638 | 2.5× |
| Body, chassis, structure | Visibility | 7,501 | 2.49× |
| Suspension | Tyres | 8,152 | 2.41× |
| Steering | Tyres | 1,555 | 2.4× |
| Tyres | Visibility | 8,257 | 2.31× |
| Brakes | Visibility | 16,282 | 2.25× |
| Steering | Visibility | 2,707 | 2.19× |
| Suspension | Visibility | 12,948 | 2.01× |
| Body, chassis, structure | Speedometer and speed limiter | 19 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Seat belt installation check | 19 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Speedometer and speed limiter | Visibility | 19 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Seat belt installation check | Visibility | 19 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Seat belt installation check | Tyres | 15 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Speedometer and speed limiter | Tyres | 12 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Buses and coaches supplementary tests | 11 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | Speedometer and speed limiter | 10 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Seat belt installation check | Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 8 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Buses and coaches supplementary tests | Suspension | 8 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Buses and coaches supplementary tests | 7 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Speedometer and speed limiter | Steering | 6 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | Seat belt installation check | 6 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Buses and coaches supplementary tests | Visibility | 6 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Buses and coaches supplementary tests | Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 5 | too few (rough estimate) |
Defects in «Body, chassis, structure» and «Steering» appear together 4.83× more often than chance (2,637 co-occurrences in the same test; lift≥1.3, n≥500).
Lift = how many times more often both groups appear on the same test than if independent. A pair is listed from 5 tests with both faults; the lift is shown from 20, and called above chance only when its 95% interval excludes 1 (see rough estimates).
Is low mileage better for a Mercedes-Benz Vito?
Cars driven under 5,000 miles a year is well below the reference at 23.9%, against 34.6% for cars driven 8,000–12,000 miles a year.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
| Band | Fail % | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| <5k miles/year | 23.93% | 9,059 |
| 8–12k miles/year | 34.62% | 72,724 |
| Gap (low − normal) | -10.69 pp | — |
By fuel and age
Diesel
| Age | Low-use fail % | n | Normal fail % | n | Gap pp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 17.05 | 1,120 | 24.31 | 7,005 | -7.26 pp |
| 6 | 18.29 | 957 | 26.07 | 6,594 | -7.78 pp |
| 7 | 21.3 | 906 | 29.02 | 6,746 | -7.72 pp |
| 8 | 20.1 | 836 | 30.73 | 6,456 | -10.64 pp |
| 9 | 22.68 | 785 | 34.11 | 6,151 | -11.43 pp |
| 10 | 24.49 | 784 | 36.11 | 6,319 | -11.62 pp |
| 11 | 24.41 | 766 | 39.36 | 7,025 | -14.95 pp |
| 12 | 29.05 | 864 | 40.87 | 7,949 | -11.82 pp |
| 13 | 29.38 | 936 | 42.93 | 8,701 | -13.55 pp |
| 14 | 32.69 | 1,037 | 44.66 | 9,723 | -11.97 pp |
At matched ages 5–14, cars averaging under 5k miles/year fail at 23.9% vs 34.6% for 8–12k miles/year — 10.7 pp lower (n_low=9,059, n_normal=72,724). In this family low annual use is associated with fewer MOT fails, not more — the ‘garage queen’ penalty is not visible in overall fail rates. Diesel alone: 23.9% low-use vs 34.6% normal (-10.7 pp).
Which Mercedes-Benz Vito engine is best?
diesel 1.5–1.8 is highest at 122.9; petrol over 2.0 is lowest at 78.7 — the gap is 44.2 points.
below 100 is betterabove 100 is worse100 = normal for this model at that age
| Fuel | Capacity | vs own age norm | Raw fail % | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| petrol | over 2.0 litre | 78.7 | 33.39% | 578 (rough estimate) |
| diesel | 1.8–2.0 litre | 86.1 | 23.58% | 16,028 |
| diesel | over 2.0 litre | 98.5 | 34.92% | 407,231 |
| petrol | 1.8–2.0 litre | 107.6 | 52.85% | 1,001 (rough estimate) |
| diesel | 1.5–1.8 litre | 122.9 | 31.2% | 48,713 |
Splitting this model by fuel alone hides the thing that actually differs. Within the same badge, the diesel 1.5–1.8 runs at 122.9 against this model's own age norm while the diesel 1.8–2.0 runs at 86.1 — a spread of 36.8 points between two cars that share a name.
Read this one with more care than the rest of the page. Age is held constant, but who buys which engine is not: the largest capacity in a range is often a performance or executive variant that is garaged, cherished and lightly driven, while the smallest is frequently a fleet or entry car worked hard from new. The gap below is real in the test records; how much of it is the engine and how much is the owner, this data cannot separate. Bands under 100 tests are not shown; bands under 5,000 tests are rough estimates.
Best year for a Mercedes-Benz Vito, and the years to avoid
Build year 2020 is highest at 111.2; Build year 2017 is lowest at 92.0 — the gap is 19.2 points.
below 100 is betterabove 100 is worse100 = normal for this model at that age
build year vs the same model at the same age · 100 = as expected
Every build year with its confidence interval
| Build year | vs own age norm | 95% CI | Raw fail % | Tests | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 111.2 | 106.4–116 | 25.03% | 8,223 | worse |
| 2019 | 104.8 | 102.3–107.4 | 24.46% | 26,775 | worse |
| 2018 | 99.4 | 96.9–101.9 | 24.26% | 25,552 | no different |
| 2017 | 92 | 90.3–93.7 | 23.55% | 46,586 | better |
| 2016 | 104.2 | 102.2–106.2 | 28.28% | 37,708 | worse |
| 2015 | 98.6 | 96.6–100.7 | 29.04% | 31,051 | no different |
| 2014 | 99.9 | 97.8–102 | 31.56% | 27,962 | no different |
| 2013 | 99.2 | 97.2–101.1 | 33.41% | 29,217 | no different |
| 2012 | 101.3 | 99.4–103.3 | 36.17% | 28,911 | no different |
| 2011 | 101.5 | 99.4–103.7 | 38.14% | 22,784 | no different |
| 2010 | 100.8 | 98.8–102.7 | 39.74% | 26,285 | no different |
| 2009 | 98.3 | 96.4–100.2 | 40.26% | 26,194 | no different |
| 2008 | 99 | 97.2–100.8 | 42.05% | 27,931 | no different |
| 2007 | 101 | 99.3–102.8 | 44.31% | 28,846 | no different |
| 2006 | 100.8 | 98.9–102.7 | 45.35% | 24,778 | no different |
| 2005 | 104.4 | 102.1–106.8 | 48.27% | 16,326 | worse |
| 2004 | 105.6 | 102.6–108.7 | 50.03% | 9,128 | worse |
| 2003 | 110.9 | 106.6–115.2 | 53.36% | 4,818 | worse |
| 2002 | 107.5 | 102.7–112.3 | 52.53% | 3,737 | worse |
| 2001 | 106.5 | 99.8–113.2 | 52.74% | 1,843 | no different |
| 2000 | 106.4 | 94.9–117.9 | 53.86% | 609 | no different |
| 1999 | 94.6 | 81.4–107.8 | 48.89% | 405 | no different |
The best build year here is 2017 and the weakest is 2020. Comparing build years sounds simple and is not: within a single year of testing, a car's build year and its age are the same number, so a naive comparison of years is a comparison of ages wearing a disguise. Each year below is measured against the same model at the same age in other cohorts, across six years of testing — 7 of 22 years come out distinguishable from their own model's age norm.
Two limits worth knowing before you act on this. Age, test year and build year are locked together by arithmetic, so the test-year effect is taken from the observed national failure level of each year rather than estimated — it is an adjustment, not a solution.
Mercedes-Benz Vito MOT repair costs
The MOT-failure repair budget per test runs from £109.18 to £207.44, against £54.85 for the test itself.
bigger number = costs morepounds per test, MOT-failing faults only
| Component | Fails per 100 tests | Typical repair | Its price | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 23.4 (nat. 11.25) | Front brake pads (parts + labour, typical hatchback) | £150 | £35.10 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 24.5 (nat. 18.09) | Battery replacement (standard 12V lead-acid) | £140 | £34.30 |
| Suspension | 17.8 (nat. 15.36) | Suspension coil spring (single corner) | £180 | £32.04 |
| Tyres | 8.6 (nat. 8.7) | Tyre (single mid-range 16" fitted) | £90 | £7.74 |
Multiply how often each component fails on this model by what that repair usually costs, and you get the amount an owner should expect to budget per test for MOT-failing faults only — roughly £109 to £207, on top of the test fee itself. It is a budgeting figure, not a quote: the spread between a set of pads and a set of discs is most of the range.
Prices are modal quotes from a hand-kept catalogue of published UK garage guides — we do not scrape the booking sites, their terms forbid it, so this list is short and updated by hand with a source and date against each line. Each line prices one typical repair in that group, not a full remedy, and only groups our catalogue actually covers are counted. The contrast worth noticing is the second card: the legal maximum for the test has been £54.85 since 2010, while the repairs it uncovers have followed inflation the whole time.
For scale from a different direction: Warrantywise, which sees used-car warranty claims rather than test failures, puts the average claim at £2,052 across the ten highest-claim models it ranks and £539 for Honda, the lowest-claim make in its index (Warrantywise index 2026, 1.6 million claims, cars aged 3–15). Those sit an order of magnitude above the figures in this table, and the gap is the point: a warranty claim is a gearbox or an engine, which almost never fails an MOT, while the faults that do fail one are corrosion, lamps and tyres, which no warranty pays for. The two numbers answer different questions and neither replaces the other.
Mercedes-Benz Vito running costs for a fleet
Vehicles failing at age 10 stand out at 35.0%, against 25.0% at age 5, tested in the same year.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
Failure rate and typical odometer by age
| Age | Fails | Median odometer | Tests | Gap vs age 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 21.48% | 49,793 | 4,731 | -3.5 pp |
| 4 | 26.49% | 60,871 | 4,088 | +1.5 pp |
| 5 | 25.02% | 85,096 | 8,680 | +0.0 pp |
| 6 | 25.18% | 92,700 | 6,272 | +0.2 pp |
| 7 | 27.7% | 117,180 | 8,983 | +2.7 pp |
| 8 | 30.48% | 113,105 | 6,145 | +5.5 pp |
| 9 | 32.85% | 125,211 | 5,041 | +7.8 pp |
| 10 | 35.16% | 138,154 | 4,756 | +10.1 pp |
| 11 | 34.77% | 153,348 | 4,935 | +9.8 pp |
| 12 | 37.25% | 151,526 | 4,397 | +12.2 pp |
| 13 | 39.16% | 157,937 | 3,483 | +14.1 pp |
| 14 | 40.34% | 164,352 | 4,227 | +15.3 pp |
| 15 | 40.19% | 160,953 | 4,128 | +15.2 pp |
| 16 | 43.24% | 165,189 | 4,283 | +18.2 pp |
| 17 | 42.97% | 166,791 | 4,263 | +17.9 pp |
| 18 | 44.18% | 165,952 | 3,601 | +19.2 pp |
| 19 | 47.71% | 147,971 | 1,922 | +22.7 pp |
The number a fleet manager needs is not the failure rate, it is the year the car starts costing more. Between cars aged 3 and cars aged 4, both tested in 2024, the failure rate of this model is 5.01 percentage points higher — the steepest one-year step in this cross-section of different cars, and a natural planning point for replacement.
Repair spend uses the same modal prices as the section above, so it inherits the same limits: one typical repair per component group, not a full remedy. Downtime is the gap between the failed test and the passed re-test, which is the window a vehicle is legally off the road.
Mercedes-Benz Vito rust problems: where they corrode
Age-standardised corrosion susceptibility stands out at 2.86×, against 1.00× for the national age-standardised rate.
above 1.0× = rusts more than averagebelow 1.0× = rusts less
This Mercedes-Benz Vito fails on corrosion far more often than average once age is held constant, and its owners live in areas that are about typical for the models we publish. Those two point in opposite directions, which is the informative case: it rusts more than average despite living in gentler places, so the cause is the car, not the postcode.
Corrosion is the one failure mode that is as much about geography as about the car. We keep the two apart on purpose: a model can look rusty simply because it is popular in Scotland, and a model can look clean simply because it is bought in Surrey. Blending them into a single score would hide which of the two is doing the work.
Exposure is this model's tests weighted by an area corrosion index built from frost days, salt load and distance to the coast — the composite validated at r = 0.42 against corrosion defects we actually record. It is published as a rank, not a raw score, because every mainstream model skews towards low-corrosion areas for the simple reason that most of Britain's cars are in the south. Susceptibility is standardised to the national age profile, so an old fleet does not get labelled a rusty model.
Does a Mercedes-Benz Vito advisory become a failure?
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment are highest at 29.2%; Road wheels are lowest at 0.8% — the gap is 28.5 percentage points.
higher = more likelypercentage is the observed transition probability
chance the same component fails at the next MOT, given an advisory now
| Component | Fails next time | Typical lead time | Miles of warning | Advisories tracked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 29.2% | 12.1 months | 6,795 | 12,631 |
| Suspension | 20.4% | 12 months | 7,109 | 38,729 |
| Brakes | 18.8% | 12.1 months | 6,915 | 84,332 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 16.3% | 12.1 months | 5,251 | 18,110 |
| Steering | 9.0% | 12.1 months | 6,232 | 7,433 |
| Tyres | 8.8% | 12.1 months | 8,369 | 78,592 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 6.9% | 12 months | 8,840 | 22,613 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 5.3% | 12.2 months | 6,554 | 3,905 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 3.4% | 12.1 months | 6,966 | 8,265 |
| Road wheels | 0.8% | 11.7 months | 12,154 | 2,371 |
This is the question an advisory note actually raises, and it needs six years of test history to answer. We followed the same vehicles from one MOT to the next across 2019–2024 and measured how often a component that was merely advised came back as a genuine failure at the next test.
Read it as a budgeting horizon, not a prophecy: the most likely component above turns into a failure for about 29 in 100 cars, and the median gap is 12.1 months and roughly 6,795 miles. The rest were repaired, sold, scrapped, or simply held. Rows with fewer than 500 tracked advisories are not shown.
What will fail next on a Mercedes-Benz Vito?
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment after a failure at age 15-19 are highest at 32.8%; Tyres after a passed at age <3 are lowest at 4.4% — the gap is 28.4 percentage points.
higher = more likelypercentage is the observed transition probability
| Age | Last test | Most likely next failures | Cars tracked |
|---|---|---|---|
| <3 | passed | Visibility 7.0% · Brakes 4.8% · Tyres 4.4% | 21,310 |
| <3 | advisory | Visibility 10.8% · Brakes 7.2% · Tyres 6.9% | 5,969 |
| <3 | failure | Visibility 13.2% · Brakes 9.7% · Tyres 8.6% | 5,796 |
| 3-5 | passed | Visibility 7.6% · Brakes 6.2% · Suspension 4.9% | 51,323 |
| 3-5 | advisory | Visibility 11.5% · Brakes 9.0% · Suspension 7.0% | 21,563 |
| 3-5 | failure | Visibility 12.7% · Brakes 12.2% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 9.4% | 24,448 |
| 6-8 | passed | Brakes 7.7% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 7.6% · Visibility 7.4% | 32,322 |
| 6-8 | advisory | Visibility 11.8% · Brakes 11.3% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 10.9% | 17,878 |
| 6-8 | failure | Brakes 16.2% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 15.8% · Visibility 13.8% | 23,535 |
| 9-11 | passed | Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 11.1% · Suspension 10.0% · Brakes 9.6% | 22,294 |
| 9-11 | advisory | Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 16.0% · Brakes 13.6% · Suspension 13.4% | 17,773 |
| 9-11 | failure | Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 22.5% · Brakes 19.8% · Suspension 16.6% | 24,701 |
| 12-14 | passed | Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 15.5% · Suspension 13.5% · Brakes 11.6% | 16,020 |
| 12-14 | advisory | Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 21.9% · Suspension 18.8% · Brakes 16.7% | 18,990 |
| 12-14 | failure | Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 28.9% · Brakes 23.1% · Suspension 22.1% | 26,289 |
| 15-19 | passed | Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 19.0% · Suspension 16.4% · Brakes 12.9% | 8,494 |
| 15-19 | advisory | Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 26.6% · Suspension 22.2% · Brakes 17.8% | 12,495 |
| 15-19 | failure | Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 32.8% · Suspension 26.7% · Brakes 23.4% | 18,698 |
| 20+ | passed | Body, chassis, structure 23.0% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 20.1% · Suspension 17.6% | 816 |
| 20+ | advisory | Body, chassis, structure 28.0% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 24.8% · Suspension 22.9% | 1,152 |
| 20+ | failure | Body, chassis, structure 32.1% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 31.3% · Suspension 26.6% | 2,002 |
The same chains, cut differently: given a car's age and how its last test went, which component most often causes trouble at the following one.
The pattern that repeats across every family: a failure at one test roughly doubles the chance of a failure on the same component at the next one, and an advisory sits about half-way between a clean pass and a failure. Age bands in years; probabilities are per car, not per defect item.
Mercedes-Benz Vito ownership: what six years of MOTs show
The ten-day re-test pass rate is highest at 62.7%; The later re-test pass rate is lowest at 4.7% — the gap is 57.9 percentage points.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
Failing is usually a same-week event, not a disaster. Of 112,741 failures followed through to their re-test, 32.59% were repaired and passed the same day and 62.67% within ten days; the median gap is 1 day. 342,050 defect items were cleared in the process.
Per mile driven, not per year. Dividing failures by the miles that actually went onto the odometers between consecutive tests gives 0.306 failures per 10,000 miles, on a median of 8,760 miles a year across 93,773 chains. This is the number to compare between models — an annual rate quietly rewards cars that barely leave the drive.
Two populations hide inside one model. 34.4% of these cars strung together three or more tests with nothing recorded at all, while 29.73% carried the same advisory three times or more — the same fault, noted, ignored, noted again. When you buy used you are buying one of those two histories, and the MOT record shows which.
Odometer anomalies: 1.985% of 93,927 chains show a reading lower than the previous test, with a median drop of 48,050 miles. We call this an anomaly and not fraud on purpose — instrument swaps, imports, unit mix-ups and keying errors all land in the same bucket. Obvious typos (drops under 100 miles or over 90% of the reading) are already excluded.
Mercedes-Benz Vito safety recalls and how to check yours
DVSA recall campaigns stand out at 75.
bigger number = more recorded casescompare like-for-like scope, not sample size alone
recall campaigns launched per year
| Reference | Launched | Vehicles | Concern |
|---|---|---|---|
R/2025/238 | 04/08/2025 | 17,349 | Check driver's airbag replace if necessary |
R/2025/239 | 04/08/2025 | 1,527 | Check driver's airbag replace if necessary |
R/2025/116 | 15/05/2025 | 572 | Update software of control units |
R/2023/012 | 13/02/2023 | 7 | On affected vehicles the routing of the fuel filter drainpipe might not meet specification |
R/2022/271 | 28/09/2022 | 13,217 | The rear view camera could display frozen images due to a defect in a memory chip |
All 75 campaigns
| Reference | Launched | Build dates | Vehicles | Concern |
|---|---|---|---|---|
R/2025/238 | 04/08/2025 | 09/10/2003 – 23/02/2006 | 17,349 | Check driver's airbag replace if necessary |
R/2025/239 | 04/08/2025 | 09/10/2003 – 23/02/2006 | 1,527 | Check driver's airbag replace if necessary |
R/2025/116 | 15/05/2025 | 15/09/2010 – 10/11/2014 | 572 | Update software of control units |
R/2023/012 | 13/02/2023 | 01/12/2020 – 19/04/2022 | 7 | On affected vehicles the routing of the fuel filter drainpipe might not meet specification |
R/2022/271 | 28/09/2022 | 05/12/2014 – 22/06/2020 | 13,217 | The rear view camera could display frozen images due to a defect in a memory chip |
R/2022/244 | 16/09/2022 | 31/05/2005 – 31/05/2005 | 1 | CONFIGURATIONS WERE WRITTEN INTO ONE OR MORE CONTROL UNITS THAT MIGHT NOT MEET SPECIFICATI |
R/2022/258 | 01/09/2022 | 27/02/2006 – 24/09/2010 | 4,469 | THE DRIVER'S AIRBAG MAY NOT CORRECTLY DEPLOY IF ACTIVATED |
R/2022/233 | 08/08/2022 | 09/10/2019 – 19/11/2020 | 1,835 | On certain vehicles the gear recognition sensor could under certain circumstances while sh |
R/2022/157 | 14/06/2022 | 01/02/2006 – 30/07/2010 | 28,465 | VEHICLES FITTED WITH TAKATA DRIVER AIRBAGS EQUIPPED WHICH MAY NOT FUNCTION AS INTENDED WHE |
R/2022/156 | 30/05/2022 | 01/06/2010 – 11/12/2014 | 25,409 | VEHICLES FITTED WITH TAKATA DRIVER AIRBAGS EQUIPPED WHICH MAY NOT FUNCTION AS INTENDED WHE |
R/2022/092 | 07/04/2022 | 05/06/2021 – 09/07/2021 | 4 | THE ELECTRIC RESISTANCE IN THE CIRCUIT BOARD OF THE AIR BAG CONTROL UNIT MAY BE INTERRUPTE |
R/2022/091 | 04/04/2022 | 23/11/2020 – 06/11/2021 | 3,440 | VEHICLES WITH AN OM654 ENGINE MIGHT HAVE A LEAKAGE BETWEEN THE VACUUM SYSTEM AND THE COOLA |
R/2022/041 | 18/02/2022 | 01/09/2020 – 23/07/2021 | 10 | ON CERTAIN MODELS WITH AN OM654 CLASSIC DIESEL ENGINE THE CRANKSHAFT MIGHT NOT CORRESPOND |
R/2021/417 | 01/12/2021 | 12/04/2018 – 21/12/2020 | 2,533 | THE BEHAVIOUR OF THE EMERGENCY CALL SYSTEM MIGHT NOT MEET SPECIFICATIONS |
R/2021/351 | 19/10/2021 | 17/01/2011 – 25/11/2014 | 23,179 | UPDATE THE SOFTWARE IN THE ENGINE CONTROL UNIT |
R/2021/312 | 07/10/2021 | 10/10/2019 – 26/03/2021 | 2,889 | The gear recognition function in the transmission could not function as intended |
R/2021/244 | 01/07/2021 | 19/10/2020 – 18/11/2020 | 4 | THE MIDDLE FASTENING OF THE ROOF RAIL COULD COME LOOSE |
R/2021/191 | 08/06/2021 | 22/03/2018 – 09/12/2020 | 42,820 | THE BEHAVIOUR OF THE EMERGENCY CALL SYSTEM MIGHT NOT MEET SPECIFICATIONS |
R/2021/190 | 08/06/2021 | 28/03/2018 – 10/11/2020 | 27,214 | THE BEHAVIOUR OF THE EMERGENCY CALL SYSTEM MIGHT NOT MEET SPECIFICATIONS |
R/2021/164 | 07/05/2021 | 06/02/2021 – 10/03/2021 | 64 | A FRONT AXLE BRAKE CALIPER CARRIER COULD HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED OUTSIDE OF SPECIFICATIONS |
R/2021/100 | 13/04/2021 | 28/10/2020 – 29/10/2020 | 6 | THE ADDITIONAL LOCK FOR THE CONNECTOR OF THE SEAT BELT TENSIONER WIRING HARNESS IN THE CO |
R/2020/365 | 16/12/2020 | 23/01/2019 – 04/05/2020 | 1,797 | THE RIGHT HAND SIDE RADIATOR COOLANT HOSE MAY CHAFE AGAINST A SURROUNDING COMPONENT |
R/2020/193 | 03/09/2020 | 20/02/2020 – 20/02/2020 | 2 | THE SOLDER JOINTS ON THE PINS OF THE PLUG ON THE ENGINE MAY NOT BE TO SPECIFICATION |
R/2020/230 | 14/08/2020 | 24/11/2014 – 02/10/2018 | 941 | SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF THE CALIBRATION OF THE ENGINE CONTROL SYSTEM MAY NOT BE TO SPECIFICATI |
R/2020/204 | 14/08/2020 | 05/12/2014 – 03/06/2019 | 7,794 | ENGINE CONTROL UNIT SOFTWARE NEEDS UPDATING |
R/2020/218 | 14/08/2020 | 18/02/2020 – 19/02/2020 | 2 | THE THREADED CONNECTIONS OF THE LEFT SEAT BASES WITH THE FLOOR MAY NOT BE TIGHTENED CORREC |
R/2020/072 | 16/04/2020 | 15/04/2015 – 21/05/2019 | 5,838 | FAULTY PARAMETERIZATION OF EXHAUST GAS AFTERTREATMENT CONTROL UNIT |
R/2020/096 | 03/04/2020 | 09/10/2019 – 22/10/2019 | 48 | THE HEAD RESTRAINTS OF THE LUXURY BENCH SEATS IN THE REAR MAY HAVE BEEN INSTALLED INCORREC |
R/2020/095 | 03/04/2020 | 31/01/2019 – 04/02/2019 | 31 | THE HEAD RESTRAINT PADDING MAY SEPARATE FROM THE FASTENING RODS |
R/2019/343 | 18/03/2020 | 25/11/2014 – 30/05/2017 | 6,860 | VEHICLES WITH AN INTEGRATED BACKUP BATTERY HAVE BEEN DELIVERED WITHOUT A SEAT BASE COVER |
R/2019/321 | 12/12/2019 | 24/04/2019 – 04/05/2019 | 46 | VEHICLES MAY NOT HAVE BEEN DELIVERED WITH THE CURRENT VERSION OF THE OPERATOR'S MANUAL |
R/2019/345 | 13/11/2019 | 24/11/2014 – 23/09/2016 | 10,321 | STEERING GEAR HOUSING COVER AND POWER PACK ALUMINIUM BOLTS MAY CORRODE |
R/2019/223 | 09/08/2019 | 24/04/2019 – 24/04/2019 | 8 | AN INCORRECT BRAKE LINE VARIANT MAY HAVE BEEN INSTALLED |
R/2019/226 | 29/07/2019 | 15/02/2017 – 15/02/2017 | 1 | SEVERE CORROSION OF METAL COMPONENTS IN THE REAR AREA OF THE ROOF BED |
R/2019/084 | 28/03/2019 | 30/07/2018 – 30/08/2018 | 6 | ONE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING SENSOR MAY BE INCORRECTLY MANUFACTURED |
R/2018/381 | 24/02/2019 | 18/07/2018 – 19/07/2018 | 16 | INCORRECT DOOR LOCK OPERATING LEVER ON RIGHT SIDE OF VEHICLE MAY HAVE BEEN INSTALLED |
R/2018/282 | 26/11/2018 | 02/12/2014 – 07/09/2016 | 5,274 | IMPROVE THE VEHICLE EMISSIONS VIA SOFTWARE UPDATES. |
R/2018/281 | 26/11/2018 | 22/05/2015 – 15/05/2018 | 285 | IMPROVE THE VEHICLE EMISSIONS VIA SOFTWARE UPDATES. |
R/2018/283 | 26/11/2018 | 30/01/2015 – 11/05/2018 | 5,796 | IMPROVE THE VEHICLE EMISSIONS VIA SOFTWARE UPDATES. |
R/2018/280 | 26/11/2018 | 31/05/2016 – 03/09/2018 | 5,423 | IMPROVE THE VEHICLE EMISSIONS VIA SOFTWARE UPDATES. |
R/2018/223 | 14/11/2018 | 01/11/2013 – 23/04/2018 | 5,906 | AIRBAG OFF INDICATOR LAMP DOES NOT LIGHT UP IF FRONT PASSENGER SEAT IS RECOGNISED AS BEING |
R/2018/163 | 13/08/2018 | 01/05/2015 – 31/05/2017 | 209 | ROTATING FRONT SEAT WIRE FIXINGS CAN LOOSEN |
R/2017/349 | 02/02/2018 | 01/11/2011 – 31/07/2017 | 13,752 | ELECTRICAL WIRING IN STEERING ASSEMBLY MAY BE INSUFFICIENTLY GROUNDED |
R/2017/323 | 02/01/2018 | 232 | RETAINING RING OF THE FRONT BEARING MAY BE INCORRECTLY LOCATED | |
R/2017/232 | 20/11/2017 | 01/11/2007 – 01/11/2007 | 4 | VEHICLE CONTROL UNIT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN CORRECTLY UPDATED |
R/2017/248 | 12/10/2017 | 3 | MISSING SPOT WELDS | |
R/2016/189 | 06/09/2016 | 01/07/2014 – 31/03/2016 | 1,869 | FUEL MAY LEAK |
R/2016/156 | 02/08/2016 | 01/10/2013 – 30/04/2016 | 9,399 | BRAKING PERFORMANCE MAY BE REDUCED |
R/2016/033 | 09/03/2016 | 2 | RISK OF CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING AND/OR FIRE | |
R/2014/184 | 16/01/2015 | 01/02/2014 – 30/11/2014 | 5,358 | OIL MAY LEAK |
R/2012/007 | 29/02/2012 | 16 | A PILLAR CHECK STRAP MAY DETACH | |
R/2011/173 | 02/02/2012 | 01/01/2010 – 15/12/2011 | 62 | FUEL MAY LEAK |
R/2011/068 | 24/08/2011 | 01/01/2007 – 31/12/2010 | 2,924 | FIRE MAY OCCUR |
R/2011/042 | 16/06/2011 | 01/01/2007 – 31/12/2010 | 10,805 | RISK OF FIRE |
R/2010/203 | 15/12/2010 | 108 | FUEL MAY LEAK | |
R/2010/120 | 19/10/2010 | 01/01/2006 – 31/12/2006 | 151 | REAR WINDOW MAY DETACH |
R/2010/126 | 04/10/2010 | 01/01/2009 – 31/12/2009 | 260 | OIL MAY LEAK |
R/2009/142 | 19/01/2010 | 01/01/2005 – 31/12/2006 | 731 | REAR VENT WINDOW COULD DETACH |
R/2009/018 | 15/04/2009 | 01/01/2003 – 31/12/2008 | 22,604 | SPARE WHEEL MAY DETACH FROM THE VEHICLE |
R/2008/160 | 03/03/2009 | 3 | AIRBAG MAY NOT FULLY INFLATE | |
R/2008/173 | 02/03/2009 | 362 | PARKING BRAKE MAY FAIL | |
R/2008/176 | 12/02/2009 | 24/06/2008 – 15/10/2008 | 18 | AIRBAG MAY NOT DEPLOY |
R/2008/129 | 14/10/2008 | 01/01/2005 – 01/09/2008 | 13 | FULL FUNCTIONALITY OF THE VEHICLE'S ELECTRONICS CANNOT BE GUARANTEED |
R/2008/130 | 14/10/2008 | 321 | INCREASED BRAKE PEDAL TRAVEL | |
R/2008/143 | 07/10/2008 | 01/01/2004 – 31/12/2006 | 138 | FUEL MAY LEAK |
R/2010/174 | 06/08/2007 | 1 | ENGINE MAY FAIL | |
R/2007/017 | 01/02/2007 | 72 | FUEL MAY LEAK | |
R/2006/142 | 15/12/2006 | 01/01/2006 – 15/08/2006 | 102 | FUEL MAY LEAK |
R/2006/153 | 05/12/2006 | 3,203 | AIRBAG MAY NOT DEPLOY | |
R/2007/021 | 01/12/2006 | 77 | SHORT CIRCUIT MAY OCCUR | |
R/2005/059 | 08/06/2005 | 01/11/2003 – 30/10/2004 | 9,212 | BRAKE PEDAL TO MASTER CYLINDER CLEVIS PIN CAN BECOME DETACHED |
R/2004/127 | 17/08/2004 | 592 | ENGINE SPEED MAY REDUCE OR SHUT DOWN DUE TO SOFTWARE ERROR | |
R/2004/032 | 30/07/2004 | 779 | THE MOUNTING OF THE FOOT OPERATED PARKING BRAKE PEDAL MAY DETACH | |
R/2003/101 | 08/08/2003 | 82 | POSSIBLE FAULT IN AIR BAG CONTROL MODULE | |
R/2000/148 | 01/07/2000 | 6,386 | HANDBRAKE MAY SELF RELEASE |
DVSA lists 75 safety recall campaigns for the Mercedes-Benz Vito, covering roughly 341,259 vehicles in total. A recall is the manufacturer fixing a fault for free, so an open recall on your car costs nothing to clear.
Counter-intuitive, and measured on our own data: across the 25 families published here, more recalls go with a lower MOT Risk Index (r = −0.52). Heavily recalled models are not worse cars in the test bay — an active manufacturer removes the fault before it becomes an MOT failure.
Check whether a specific car has an outstanding recall — free, by registration — at DVSA's recall service. Source: DVSA vehicle safety recalls (check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk), OGL.
Mercedes-Benz Vito technical service bulletins: what dealers are told
US market, Mercedes-Benz METRIS, model years 2016–2022 only (US name for the Vito). A count of bulletins, not a UK failure rate.
NHTSA manufacturer communications are 71.
bigger number = more recorded dealer communicationsnot affected vehicles or confirmed faults
These are the issues the manufacturer fixes quietly: service communications sent to dealers without a public recall campaign. They show what the service network has been told even when the issue never became news.
United States · NHTSA manufacturer communications
| Communication year | Bulletins | Leading subjects across all years |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 10 |
|
| 2016 | 5 | |
| 2017 | 6 | |
| 2018 | 6 | |
| 2019 | 11 | |
| 2020 | 5 | |
| 2021 | 7 | |
| 2022 | 6 | |
| 2023 | 3 | |
| 2024 | 3 | |
| 2025 | 5 | |
| 2026 | 4 |
Caveat worth stating plainly: this is NHTSA data about US-specification cars. British cars sold under the same name often use different gearboxes, engines and equipment, so a bulletin may describe a component that was never fitted here. The file counts dealer communications, not affected vehicles or confirmed failures, and it cannot tell you whether an individual UK car has the issue. A communication can carry more than one subject tag, so topic counts do not have to add up to the total. Source: NHTSA Manufacturer Communications API (US-market vehicles; queried model years 2015-2022). Licence: U.S. Government work / public domain · retrieved 2026-09-25.
Mercedes-Benz Vito owner complaints: what goes wrong
US market, Mercedes-Benz METRIS, model years 2016–2022 only (US name for the Vito). A count of owner complaints, not a UK failure rate; NHTSA has no UK denominator.
Tyres are highest at 59; Restraints are lowest at 6 — the gap is 53.
bigger number = more recorded casescompare like-for-like scope, not sample size alone
| Component | Complaints | Share | MOT fail items per 100 | MOT rank | Agreement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 59 | 32.2% | 8.6 | #5 | complained about, fails occasionally |
| Visibility | 23 | 12.6% | 14.6 | #4 | complained about, fails occasionally |
| Engine (not MOT-tested) | 21 | 11.5% | not in top 6 | — | complained about, rarely an MOT failure |
| Steering | 17 | 9.3% | not in top 6 | — | complained about, rarely an MOT failure |
| Lamps & electrical | 14 | 7.7% | 24.5 | #1 | complained about and fails often |
| Restraints | 6 | 3.3% | not in top 6 | — | complained about, rarely an MOT failure |
Two different populations answering two different questions: the MOT records what an inspector can measure once a year, the complaint file records what annoyed or frightened an owner on the road. A component high in one column and absent from the other is the interesting case — driver-assistance and electronics dominate complaints while almost never appearing as an MOT failure item.
What the reports actually say
position sensor for intake camshaft had a malfunction. Position of intake camshaft implausible. Intake camshaft pick up wheel was not in sync with timing. Antique camshaft was out of sync by 180°. This caused a loss of power and engine functionality while underway.
The fuel line is leaking again. I have had this replaced three times already. Once under warranty and twice out-of-pocket. Why wasn't the MY2016 included in the recall? The raw fuel smell permeates the cabin and is nauseating. This is a safety issue were something needs to be done for a permanent fix before someone dies in a fiery death.
US owners have filed 183 complaints about the equivalent Mercedes-Benz Vito to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, including 0 that mention a crash, 2 a fire and 1 an injury. These are owner reports, not verified findings — but they are the only large public record of what drivers themselves notice, and they cover the years between MOT tests.
Caveat worth stating plainly: US-specification cars, self-selected reporters, no denominator — complaint counts scale with how many cars were sold there and how motivated owners are to file. The mechanical gap matters as much as the statistical one: American cars of the same name often carry different gearboxes, engines and equipment — automatics where Britain buys manuals — so a drivetrain complaint filed in Ohio may describe a part that was never fitted here. Read the ranking inside a model, not between models, and treat drivetrain entries with particular caution. Source: NHTSA ODI consumer complaints (US market, public domain) — US-spec vehicles, indicative only.
Mercedes-Benz Vito inspection results in other countries
Finland Katsastus stands out at 41.7%, against 26.3% nationally.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
| Country | Test | This model fails | National average | Position | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | MOT (class 4) | 33.37% | 26.01% | +7.4 pp | 86,846 |
| Norway | PKK | 41% | 33.7% | +7.3 pp | 2,030 |
| Netherlands | APK | 61.6% | 50.8% | +10.8 pp | 1,941 |
| Finland | Katsastus | 41.7% | 26.3% | +15.4 pp | 1,869 |
The verdict is consistent across every regime where the difference is clear, which is the strongest form this comparison takes: independent inspectorates, different rulebooks, same direction of travel.
| Fault area | Share |
|---|---|
| Brake systems | 37.4% |
| Axles, wheels and suspension | 28.6% |
| Chassis and body | 16.8% |
| Environmental hazards | 4.8% |
| Other equipment and accessories | 4.5% |
Useful as a cross-check on the UK defect table above: the categories are named differently, but a component that dominates in both regimes is a genuine weak point of the model rather than an artefact of one country's testing style.
| Code | Fault | Recorded | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
210 | Tyre pressure not at the correct value | 336 | failure |
205 | Tyre with insufficient tread | 214 | failure |
RA1 | Airbag or seat-belt warning light showing a fault | 198 | advisory |
516 | Dipped headlight incorrectly aimed | 181 | failure |
RA2 | Excessive leak of other fluids | 166 | advisory |
576 | Indicator colour wrong or not permitted | 127 | failure |
AC1 | Tyre down to 1.6–2.5 mm of tread | 100 | advisory |
497 | Number-plate light not working or missing | 94 | failure |
Worth dwelling on how mundane the top of that list is: tyre pressure, tread depth, headlight aim. The Dutch APK records 1.687 defects per inspection against a much higher national failure rate than Britain's, and the reason is not that Dutch cars are worse — it is that the two regimes draw the line between "note it" and "fail it" in different places. Codes are the RDW's own; the English wording here is our translation of the Dutch original.
Britain is not the only country that inspects every car every year, and the Mercedes-Benz Vito is on the road in all of them. Each national regime writes its own rules, so the pass rates below are not comparable to each other — what does travel across a border is whether a model sits above or below its own country's average.
Rows with fewer than 500 inspections are not published. Sources: Statens vegvesen — Periodisk kjøretøykontroll (PKK) 2024, CC BY 4.0; RDW open data — Meldingen Keuringsinstantie + Geconstateerde Gebreken + Gekentekende voertuigen (2024), CC0. Not an RDW endorsement.; Traficom — Periodic inspections of cars by model / by model and fault object 2024, CC BY 4.0. Adapted; licences and full notice.
Mercedes-Benz Vito MOT: quick answers
Mercedes-Benz Vito MOT Risk Index stands out at 117.7, against 100 for a car with the same age profile.
below 100 is betterabove 100 is worse100 = normal for this model at that age
- What is the Mercedes-Benz Vito first-time MOT pass rate?
- 66.63% of first attempts passed in 2024 (86,846 tests). This is the first-time figure: retests after repair are excluded. Basis: first-time, excluding retests.
- Why does this number differ from other sites?
- Other sites often report a pass rate that includes retests or counts all attempts. Our 33.37% figure is the first-time initial failure rate, using 86,846 primary tests as the denominator (first-time, excluding retests). The age-adjusted MOT initial-failure ratio 117.7 is shown separately because raw rates compare fleet age as well as cars.
Compare the Mercedes-Benz Vito with other cars
Vauxhall Corsa is highest at 118.7; Hyundai i30 is lowest at 117.2 — the gap is 1.5 points.
below 100 is betterabove 100 is worse100 = normal for this model at that age
Same brand
All Mercedes-Benz MOT statisticsMercedes-Benz CLA MOT statsMercedes-Benz A-Class MOT stats
Similar risk
Hyundai i30 (index 117.2)Nissan Qashqai (index 118.2)Vauxhall Corsa (index 118.7)
Same size class
how Toyota C-HR compareshow Mercedes-Benz GLA compareshow Mitsubishi L200 compares
By build year
Mercedes-Benz Vito 1999Mercedes-Benz Vito 2000Mercedes-Benz Vito 2001Mercedes-Benz Vito 2002Mercedes-Benz Vito 2003Mercedes-Benz Vito 2004Mercedes-Benz Vito 2005Mercedes-Benz Vito 2006Mercedes-Benz Vito 2007Mercedes-Benz Vito 2008Mercedes-Benz Vito 2009Mercedes-Benz Vito 2010Mercedes-Benz Vito 2011Mercedes-Benz Vito 2012Mercedes-Benz Vito 2013Mercedes-Benz Vito 2014Mercedes-Benz Vito 2015Mercedes-Benz Vito 2016Mercedes-Benz Vito 2017Mercedes-Benz Vito 2018Mercedes-Benz Vito 2019Mercedes-Benz Vito 2020
By area
Mercedes-Benz Vito MOT failure rate by postcode area
By failure group
Mercedes-Benz Vito body, chassis and structure failuresMercedes-Benz Vito brakes failuresMercedes-Benz Vito vehicle identification failuresMercedes-Benz Vito lamps, reflectors and electrics failuresMercedes-Benz Vito noise, emissions and leaks failuresMercedes-Benz Vito road wheels failuresMercedes-Benz Vito seat belts and airbags failuresMercedes-Benz Vito steering failuresMercedes-Benz Vito suspension failuresMercedes-Benz Vito tyres failuresMercedes-Benz Vito visibility failures
Inspections abroad
Mercedes-Benz Vito in NorwayMercedes-Benz Vito in FinlandMercedes-Benz Vito in the Netherlands
Data details & how to cite
Scope: class-4 vehicles (cars), initial tests only, outcomes pass / fail / fixed-on-the-spot at the station (PRS counts towards the failure rate — the defect was present at arrival). Index = observed initial failures ÷ failures expected for this fleet's exact age profile, ×100; margin of error is a 95% confidence interval. Covers ALL generations together — a 3-year-old and a 15-year-old are very different cars; a generation split is on the roadmap. Dataset release dataset_release_id=dvsa-2024-v2, frozen baseline; headline claim_id=family-stats:mercedes-vito:dvsa-2024-v2. Full method: methodology.
Cite: MOT Risk Index (2026). Mercedes-Benz Vito MOT statistics 2024 (data release dvsa-2024-v2; downloadable dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, doi:10.5281/zenodo.22975051). https://motriskindex.co.uk/cars/mercedes-vito/ · Published 2026-07-30.