Mercedes-Benz A-Class MOT Reliability & Buying Guide

78.3%

MOT pass rate

Hatchback / saloon

Segment

Petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid

Fuel types available

Source: DS Auto Labs analysis of DVSA's anonymised 2025 MOT test results (Open Government Licence v3.0): 363,204 first-time tests of Mercedes-Benz A-Class cars of all ages (test class 4, cars and light vans). A pass means a clean first-time pass; a car that failed and was repaired at the test station before passing counts as not passed, and aborted tests are excluded. Age is the car's age at the 2025 test.

What to know

In 2025, Mercedes-Benz A-Class cars passed their MOT first time 78.3% of the time, across 363,204 tests. That is 1.3 points above Mercedes-Benz's overall brand average of 77.0% and 5.9 points above the national average of 72.4%.

Age explains much of the difference between models. Pass rates fall steeply as cars get older, for every make, so a model with many old cars on the road looks worse than it is, and a recent model looks better. This compares the Mercedes-Benz A-Class with the typical UK car of the same age.

MOT pass rate by vehicle age, 2025 first-time tests
Car age	Mercedes-Benz A-Class	All UK cars	Tests
3-5 years	89.0%	87.2%	82,959
6-9 years	80.7%	79.3%	171,036
10-13 years	70.0%	67.9%	70,285
14+ years	59.8%	59.3%	38,159

Allowing for the age mix of the cars tested, a typical UK car would be expected to pass about 76.8% of the time. The Mercedes-Benz A-Class passed at 78.3%, which is 1.5 points above that expected rate.

A model average says little about one particular car, so check its own MOT history for repeated advisories, past failures and mileage.

Check a specific A-Class's MOT history, tax status, and advisories by registration number.

Check MOT history

See how the Mercedes-Benz range compares overall, with model-by-model pass rates.

View Mercedes-Benz brand page