Mercedes-Benz 190, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls
2,254 Mercedes-Benz 190s are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 72.3% of initial MOT tests, in line with the 72.3% UK average.
Looking at a specific 190? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Mercedes-Benz 190 at the MOT
72.3% of 2,524 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the 190 309th of 575 models.
First-time pass rate, 2025
Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.
Where 190s fail
Share of all failure items recorded on Mercedes-Benz 190 tests in 2025.
The items testers recorded most often were component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (5.4%), position lamp not working (3.9%) and ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (3.1%).
The MOT page lists every common 190 MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.
What to look at on a viewing
The 190's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.
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Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting.23.7% of 190 failure items
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Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.18.5% of 190 failure items
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Brakes
Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing.17.9% of 190 failure items
Mercedes-Benz 190s in the UK
2,254 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 61% since the end of 2014.
- Change since 2014
- −61%from 5,777 licensed
- Typical year of first use
- 1991half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 1991 or earlier
- Declared off the road
- 5,28970% of those registered, under SORN
Licensed Mercedes-Benz 190s since 2014
Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.
Show the figures
| Date | Licensed |
|---|---|
| End of 2014 | 5,777 |
| End of 2015 | 5,185 |
| End of 2016 | 4,632 |
| End of 2017 | 4,177 |
| End of 2018 | 3,823 |
| End of 2019 | 3,463 |
| End of 2020 | 3,118 |
| End of 2021 | 2,926 |
| End of 2022 | 2,704 |
| End of 2023 | 2,425 |
| End of 2024 | 2,211 |
| End of 2025 | 2,125 |
| End of June 2026 | 2,254 |
How old they are
Licensed Mercedes-Benz 190s by year of first use.
A further 114 were first used before 1984.
Show the figures
| First used | Licensed, end 2025 |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 2 |
| 2002 | 1 |
| 2001 | 0 |
| 2000 | 0 |
| 1999 | 0 |
| 1998 | 0 |
| 1997 | 0 |
| 1996 | 1 |
| 1995 | 0 |
| 1994 | 17 |
| 1993 | 304 |
| 1992 | 402 |
| 1991 | 277 |
| 1990 | 305 |
| 1989 | 219 |
| 1988 | 78 |
| 1987 | 53 |
| 1986 | 27 |
| 1985 | 14 |
| 1984 | 17 |
190 engines and fuel
2.0 litre engines made up 54% of Mercedes-Benz 190 MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.8 litre at 21%. Petrol accounts for 90% of licensed 190s and diesel for 9.8%.
Engine size at MOT, 2025
Share of 2,524 initial MOT tests in 2025.
Fuel type, licensed 190s
DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.
| Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 2,031 | 90% |
| Diesel | 221 | 10% |
| Gas | 2 | 0.1% |
Mercedes-Benz 190 recalls
1 DVSA safety recall launched from 2010 to July 2026 names the Mercedes-Benz 190. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every 190 is affected.
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Feb 2016 R/2016/009
Doors may double-lock unexpectedly
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- The double lock function for the door locks may operate even when the doors are unlocked. In this mode the interior door handles may be deactivated.
- Remedy
- Recall affected vehicles and update software.
Other Mercedes-Benz models
The most-tested Mercedes-Benz models in 2025, against the 190's 72.3% MOT pass rate.
- Mercedes-Benz A-Class
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class
- Mercedes-Benz GLA
- Mercedes-Benz Vito
- Mercedes-Benz GLC
Mercedes-Benz 190 FAQs
How many Mercedes-Benz 190s are there in the UK?
2,254 Mercedes-Benz 190s were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 5,289 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.
Is the Mercedes-Benz 190 reliable?
MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 72.3% first-time pass rate for the Mercedes-Benz 190 across 2,524 tests in 2025, in line with the 72.3% average for all cars.
Has the Mercedes-Benz 190 had any recalls?
1 DVSA safety recall launched from 2010 to July 2026 names the Mercedes-Benz 190. The most recent was published in February 2016. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.
What should I check before buying a used Mercedes-Benz 190?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, suspension and brakes. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.
How do I check a Mercedes-Benz 190's history?
Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.
Already found a 190?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Across the 1,389 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Mercedes-Benz history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Mercedes-Benz VIN check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to July 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.