At a glance
How 1,767 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 83 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 17 in every 100302 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 3 yearsabout 50,481 miles
- First tests counted
- 1,767
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.
These are patterns across 2022 Mercedes-Benz Vito vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.
Brakes
One fault: handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test), 5.1 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 302 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.
Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)
What it means
A parking brake with efficiency below the minimum requirement is Major, and graded Dangerous where efficiency is less than half of the required value. On a roller brake tester, the requirement counts as met if more than half of the wheels of a brake system lock. The check applies only to vehicles whose parking brake was not already tested as the secondary brake.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Lamps and electrical
One fault: headlight (front), 2.7 times as often as on similar cars.
Headlight (front)
What it means
On vehicles first used on or after a set date, a halogen headlamp unit converted to take HID or LED bulbs fails for light source and lamp not compatible, which is Major. A complete unit built with those light sources is not failed for that. The precise position of the lamps is not part of the inspection beyond a visual look to see that they sit at about the same height and distance from each side.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Advisories
Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.
An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail.
Shock absorbers (front)
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, 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
- 83in every 100
- Passed on the first test.
- Fixed at the station
- 3in every 100
- Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
- Failed
- 14in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 82.9% of 1,767 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 86.0%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 3 fixed and the 14 not fixed make the 17 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.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 45 in every 100 | 317 |
| 2004 | 51 in every 100 | 605 |
| 2005 | 52 in every 100 | 1,462 |
| 2006 | 56 in every 100 | 2,846 |
| 2007 | 55 in every 100 | 3,600 |
| 2008 | 57 in every 100 | 3,729 |
| 2009 | 60 in every 100 | 3,499 |
| 2010 | 60 in every 100 | 3,634 |
| 2011 | 61 in every 100 | 3,118 |
| 2012 | 63 in every 100 | 3,765 |
| 2013 | 63 in every 100 | 4,054 |
| 2014 | 65 in every 100 | 4,283 |
| 2015 | 67 in every 100 | 4,515 |
| 2016 | 68 in every 100 | 5,697 |
| 2017 | 69 in every 100 | 7,490 |
| 2018 | 71 in every 100 | 5,693 |
| 2019 | 73 in every 100 | 7,710 |
| 2020 | 74 in every 100 | 4,043 |
| 2021 | 76 in every 100 | 4,432 |
| 2022 This car | 83 in every 100 | 1,767 |
FAQs
Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.
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.
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.
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