Mercedes-Benz V-Class 2020: reliability & common MOT faults

At a glance

How 779 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time: 81 in every 100
Did not pass first time: 19 in every 100148 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car: 5 yearsabout 56,644 miles
First tests counted: 779

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2020 Mercedes-Benz V-Class vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. A wear pattern follows age and use more than the way the car was built. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Tyres

One wear pattern: tyre condition (front), 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 148 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Tyre condition (front)

Failed on 41 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

Exposed or damaged ply or cords are graded Dangerous. A cut in excess of the requirements and deep enough to reach the ply or cords is Major, and testers may open the cut with a blunt instrument to check its depth. A tyre contacting the vehicle through flexing or suspension movement is not a defect; fouling fails only at the time of test.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time: 81in every 100; Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station: 2in every 100; Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed: 17in every 100; Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 81.0% of 779 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 82.9%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 2 fixed and the 17 not fixed make the 19 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 82 in every 100 passed first time.

Year	Passed first time	First tests
2015	80 in every 100	902
2016	78 in every 100	1,328
2017	77 in every 100	1,882
2018	81 in every 100	1,927
2019	82 in every 100	2,101
2020 This car	81 in every 100	779
2021	82 in every 100	503
2022	84 in every 100	556

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

Is the 2020 Mercedes-Benz V-Class reliable?

With 779 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2020 Mercedes-Benz V-Class differs from the model years either side. Treat the faults below as a checklist. In 2025, 81.0% of 779 first MOTs on the 2020 Mercedes-Benz V-Class passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 82.9%. Among 148 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), we highlight MOT failure patterns that show up more often than on cars of a similar age and mileage when the sample is large enough to trust. There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.

What does this Mercedes-Benz V-Class 2020 MOT report cover?

This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2020 Mercedes-Benz V-Class (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.

Does this include engine and gearbox problems?

No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.