Is the Mercedes-Benz E-Class reliable?
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class has a first-time MOT pass rate of 77.2%, from 668,054 tests on cars dating from 2000 to 2021. All cars together manage 71.7%. Raw pass rates flatter young models and punish old ones, so we also compare each E-Class with cars of the same age: on that basis it does 4.9 points better than a typical car, which makes it above average. The cleanest measure of build quality is the first test at three years old, where the E-Class scores 86.2% against 87.9% for all cars. It starts below par at three years old and improves relative to its peers after that. The most common reason for a fail is tyre tread below the legal minimum.
Why Mercedes-Benz E-Classs fail the MOT
Of every hundred E-Classs that fail, about 13 are marked down for tyre tread below the legal minimum and 9 for a worn ball joint. Percentages can add to more than 100 because one failed test often records several defects.
Tread is the one item a driver can check at home with a 20p coin: if the outer band of the coin shows above the tread, the tyre is close to the 1.6mm limit.
What testers flag before it fails
These are the advisories most often recorded on a Mercedes-Benz E-Class: items that passed on the day but were wearing. Tyre tread below the legal minimum is noted on 17.1% of all tests. If one of these is on a car's last certificate, it is the next repair. The advisory conversion table shows which of these are worth acting on first.
Petrol, diesel or hybrid E-Class?
The hybrid E-Class has the better record at 84.7%; the diesel manages 76.6%. 8.1 points is a real difference. Allow for the hybrid fleet being younger.
| Fuel | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 76.6% | 572,741 |
| Petrol | 79% | 68,503 |
| Hybrid | 84.7% | 25,528 |
Pass rate by year of first use
Between 2000 (69.9%) and 2021 (88.1%) the pass rate moves mostly with age. Among years with a decent sample, 2020 is the strongest at 86.5% and 2005 the weakest at 66%.
How mileage changes the E-Class's odds
Take the 2017 E-Class, the year with the most tests: cars with under 40,000 miles on the clock pass 87.9% of the time, and that falls to 84% over 100,000. A 4-point drop across the mileage range is a bigger effect than the difference between most makes.
| Mileage at test (2017 cars) | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 87.9% | 9,611 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 83.3% | 16,044 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 82.2% | 14,945 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 82.2% | 9,518 |
| Over 100,000 | 84% | 16,661 |
Mercedes-Benz stablemates and rivals
The average Mercedes-Benz passes 76.8% of tests, so the E-Class is typical of the make. Within the family, see how the C-Class does (74.3%), the A-Class (78.1%), the GLC (86.5%) and the CLA (80%), or every Mercedes-Benz model compared. For a cross-make comparison, the Vauxhall Mokka and Volkswagen Tiguan have similar test volumes and their own pages. The ranking of every make puts them side by side, and the statistics for all 98 million tests give the baseline.
Year by year
Each year opens to show its own failure list and pass rate by mileage.
Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2021 88.1% pass 4,519 tests87.1% at first MOT
On a 2021 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, a tyre worn or cut to the cords appears on 16.9% of failed tests, with tyre fractured next at 15.6%.
2021 cars pass 87.9% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 91.1% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 87.9% | 2,700 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 87% | 908 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 90.9% | 429 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 85.4% | 213 |
| Over 100,000 | 91.1% | 269 |
By fuel: diesel 86.5% (2,293 tests), hybrid 89.3% (1,768 tests).
Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2020 86.5% pass 19,499 tests85.9% at first MOT
On a 2020 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, a tyre worn or cut to the cords appears on 18.9% of failed tests, with tyre fractured next at 18.1%.
2020 cars pass 85.7% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 91.8% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 85.7% | 11,693 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 85.8% | 4,001 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 87.4% | 1,819 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 91.1% | 878 |
| Over 100,000 | 91.8% | 1,108 |
By fuel: diesel 85.3% (10,205 tests), hybrid 88.1% (6,360 tests), petrol 87% (2,931 tests).
Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2019 86.4% pass 56,651 tests
On a 2019 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, a tyre worn or cut to the cords appears on 18.8% of failed tests, with tyre tread below the legal minimum next at 15.9%.
2019 cars pass 87.2% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 89.6% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 87.2% | 22,709 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 84.4% | 14,827 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 84.2% | 7,693 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 87.9% | 4,119 |
| Over 100,000 | 89.6% | 7,294 |
By fuel: diesel 86.5% (38,654 tests), petrol 84.9% (11,504 tests), hybrid 88.4% (6,493 tests).
Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2018 84.6% pass 63,119 tests
On a 2018 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, a tyre worn or cut to the cords appears on 16.5% of failed tests, with tyre tread below the legal minimum next at 15.1%.
2018 cars pass 86.6% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 86.6% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 86.6% | 17,520 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 83.3% | 18,253 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 81.9% | 11,180 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 83.8% | 5,882 |
| Over 100,000 | 86.6% | 10,274 |
By fuel: diesel 84.5% (51,443 tests), petrol 84.3% (10,054 tests), hybrid 88.1% (1,621 tests).
Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2017 83.7% pass 66,790 tests
On a 2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, tyre tread below the legal minimum appears on 16.8% of failed tests, with a dashboard warning light next at 16.3%.
2017 cars pass 87.9% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 84% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 87.9% | 9,611 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 83.3% | 16,044 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 82.2% | 14,945 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 82.2% | 9,518 |
| Over 100,000 | 84% | 16,661 |
By fuel: diesel 83.6% (60,457 tests), petrol 83.6% (4,145 tests), hybrid 87.8% (2,185 tests).
Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2016 82.1% pass 61,249 tests
On a 2016 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, a dashboard warning light appears on 15.2% of failed tests, with tyre tread below the legal minimum next at 13.8%.
2016 cars pass 86.6% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 81.5% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 86.6% | 7,180 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 82.7% | 13,610 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 81.2% | 13,703 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 80% | 9,545 |
| Over 100,000 | 81.5% | 17,195 |
By fuel: diesel 82.1% (59,172 tests), petrol 81.8% (2,016 tests).
Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2015 78.7% pass 63,558 tests
On a 2015 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, a dashboard warning light appears on 15.3% of failed tests, with tyre tread below the legal minimum next at 12.3%.
2015 cars pass 85.6% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 77% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 85.6% | 5,120 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 80.8% | 11,208 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 79.2% | 14,105 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 76.3% | 11,579 |
| Over 100,000 | 77% | 21,542 |
By fuel: diesel 78.6% (58,577 tests), petrol 82.4% (3,218 tests), hybrid 76% (1,763 tests).
Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2014 76.2% pass 59,980 tests
On a 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, tyre tread below the legal minimum appears on 12.3% of failed tests, with a tyre worn or cut to the cords next at 11.1%.
2014 cars pass 86.6% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 73.1% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 86.6% | 3,366 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 81.2% | 8,633 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 76.6% | 13,153 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 75% | 12,564 |
| Over 100,000 | 73.1% | 22,252 |
By fuel: diesel 75.9% (53,700 tests), petrol 80% (3,276 tests), hybrid 77.7% (2,982 tests).
Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2013 72.4% pass 55,507 tests
On a 2013 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, a broken coil spring appears on 14.5% of failed tests, with tyre tread below the legal minimum next at 11.7%.
2013 cars pass 82.8% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 69.6% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 82.8% | 2,099 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 78.1% | 6,246 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 75.1% | 10,776 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 71% | 12,123 |
| Over 100,000 | 69.6% | 24,254 |
By fuel: diesel 72% (50,417 tests), petrol 79.6% (2,707 tests), hybrid 72.5% (2,356 tests).
Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2012 70.7% pass 42,960 tests
On a 2012 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, a broken coil spring appears on 12.8% of failed tests, with corroded brake pipes next at 11.9%.
2012 cars pass 83.5% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 67.6% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 83.5% | 1,396 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 78.8% | 3,936 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 73.9% | 7,119 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 70% | 9,163 |
| Over 100,000 | 67.6% | 21,338 |
By fuel: diesel 70.3% (40,224 tests), petrol 76.9% (2,539 tests).
Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2011 70.6% pass 39,706 tests
On a 2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, a broken coil spring appears on 12.7% of failed tests, with corroded brake pipes next at 11.1%.
2011 cars pass 86.8% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 67.8% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 86.8% | 1,153 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 79.3% | 3,017 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 74.2% | 6,079 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 69.9% | 7,913 |
| Over 100,000 | 67.8% | 21,532 |
By fuel: diesel 70.2% (36,702 tests), petrol 75.4% (3,000 tests).
Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2010 69.5% pass 33,741 tests
On a 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, a broken coil spring appears on 15% of failed tests, with corroded brake pipes next at 10.6%.
2010 cars pass 86.9% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 66% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 86.9% | 956 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 80.3% | 2,353 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 74.3% | 4,515 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 70.6% | 6,181 |
| Over 100,000 | 66% | 19,725 |
By fuel: diesel 68.7% (29,608 tests), petrol 75.2% (4,133 tests).
Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2009 69.1% pass 20,117 tests
On a 2009 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, a worn ball joint appears on 17.1% of failed tests, with a broken coil spring next at 15.6%.
2009 cars pass 82.1% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 66.7% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 82.1% | 475 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 79.1% | 1,102 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 75.9% | 2,126 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 69% | 3,114 |
| Over 100,000 | 66.7% | 13,293 |
By fuel: diesel 68.4% (18,558 tests), petrol 76.7% (1,556 tests).
Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2008 68.7% pass 12,937 tests
On a 2008 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, a worn ball joint appears on 24.3% of failed tests, with corroded brake pipes next at 9.8%.
2008 cars pass 82.3% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 66.7% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 82.3% | 226 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 79.2% | 539 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 76.2% | 1,050 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 70% | 1,628 |
| Over 100,000 | 66.7% | 9,479 |
By fuel: diesel 68.3% (11,995 tests), petrol 73.6% (939 tests).
Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2007 69.5% pass 16,256 tests
On a 2007 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, a worn ball joint appears on 24.9% of failed tests, with tyre tread below the legal minimum next at 9.6%.
2007 cars pass 85.4% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 67.8% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 85.4% | 199 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 84.2% | 608 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 75% | 1,178 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 71% | 1,917 |
| Over 100,000 | 67.8% | 12,336 |
By fuel: diesel 69% (14,633 tests), petrol 74.4% (1,620 tests).
Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2006 67.6% pass 10,898 tests
On a 2006 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, a worn ball joint appears on 24.5% of failed tests, with tyre tread below the legal minimum next at 10.2%.
2006 cars pass 81.2% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 65.5% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 81.2% | 207 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 78.9% | 384 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 72.8% | 874 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 71.6% | 1,308 |
| Over 100,000 | 65.5% | 8,110 |
By fuel: diesel 66.5% (9,122 tests), petrol 72.9% (1,774 tests).
Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2005 66% pass 12,316 tests
On a 2005 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, a worn ball joint appears on 24.7% of failed tests, with ball joint no longer prevents the ingress of dirt next at 9.2%.
2005 cars pass 81.5% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 64.1% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 81.5% | 233 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 77.9% | 429 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 73.2% | 912 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 68.3% | 1,301 |
| Over 100,000 | 64.1% | 9,414 |
By fuel: diesel 65.3% (10,128 tests), petrol 69.3% (2,176 tests).
Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2004 67.1% pass 12,387 tests
On a 2004 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, a worn ball joint appears on 22.1% of failed tests, with tyre tread below the legal minimum next at 9%.
2004 cars pass 73.8% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 65.2% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 73.8% | 252 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 77.5% | 448 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 74.6% | 855 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 71% | 1,331 |
| Over 100,000 | 65.2% | 9,460 |
By fuel: diesel 65.5% (8,935 tests), petrol 71.1% (3,436 tests).
Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2003 67.3% pass 9,071 tests
On a 2003 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, a worn ball joint appears on 20.9% of failed tests, with ball joint no longer prevents the ingress of dirt next at 9.6%.
2003 cars pass 74.6% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 65.3% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 74.6% | 193 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 76.6% | 372 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 75.8% | 683 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 70.3% | 1,033 |
| Over 100,000 | 65.3% | 6,734 |
By fuel: diesel 65.5% (5,905 tests), petrol 70.6% (3,160 tests).
Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2002 67.2% pass 3,044 tests
On a 2002 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, a worn ball joint appears on 10.2% of failed tests, with a sidelight not working next at 9.9%.
2002 cars pass 80.5% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 64% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 80.5% | 77 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 75.8% | 223 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 75.7% | 370 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 67.3% | 496 |
| Over 100,000 | 64% | 1,863 |
By fuel: petrol 68% (1,766 tests), diesel 66.2% (1,278 tests).
Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2001 65.3% pass 2,147 tests
On a 2001 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, a brake light not working appears on 12.7% of failed tests, with a rear fog lamp not working next at 12.5%.
2001 cars pass 82.8% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 61.6% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 82.8% | 87 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 68.9% | 164 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 72.7% | 319 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 65.1% | 395 |
| Over 100,000 | 61.6% | 1,176 |
By fuel: petrol 64.6% (1,411 tests), diesel 66.4% (735 tests).
Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2000 69.9% pass 1,602 tests
On a 2000 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, a sidelight not working appears on 10.4% of failed tests, with a brake light not working next at 10.4%.
2000 cars pass 83.1% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 65.1% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 83.1% | 83 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 80% | 160 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 78.4% | 232 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 67.9% | 274 |
| Over 100,000 | 65.1% | 848 |
Questions people ask
How reliable is the Mercedes-Benz E-Class?
On MOT evidence the Mercedes-Benz E-Class is above average. It passes 77.2% of tests against 71.7% for all cars, and beats cars of the same age by 4.9 points. 86.2% pass their first MOT at three years old. Figures from 668,054 DVSA tests.
What fails a Mercedes-Benz E-Class MOT most often?
Tyre tread below the legal minimum (12.5% of failed tests), a worn ball joint (9.4%) and a tyre worn or cut to the cords (8.7%). Tread is the one item a driver can check at home with a 20p coin: if the outer band of the coin shows above the tread, the tyre is close to the 1.6mm limit.
What is the best year for a used Mercedes-Benz E-Class?
Among years with a large sample, 2020 cars have the highest pass rate at 86.5% and 2005 cars the lowest at 66%. Newer years pass more because they are younger, so compare a specific car's year against the table above rather than against the overall figure.
What advisories does a Mercedes-Benz E-Class usually get?
Tyre tread below the legal minimum is the most frequent, noted on 17.1% of all E-Class tests, then corroded brake pipes (8.8%). An advisory passes the car today but marks the item most likely to fail next year.
How many miles a year does a Mercedes-Benz E-Class do?
About 9,941 miles a year on average, calculated from the odometer readings recorded at consecutive MOTs. That is above the UK average of roughly 7,400, which is typical of a car bought for commuting or work.
Does the Mercedes-Benz E-Class pass rate apply to my car?
The figures describe the whole fleet. For one car, enter its registration in the free MOT check to see its own test history, advisories and mileage, set against these averages for its year.
Looking at a specific Mercedes-Benz E-Class?
Enter the registration to see its own MOT history, advisories and mileage set against these figures, including whether it has done more or fewer than the 9,941 miles a year typical of the model.
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 to 2025. Class 4 cars, normal tests only; a pass after rectification counts as an initial failure. Age-adjusted figures compare the model's pass rate at each age with the national rate at the same age. Methodology.