carpeep

Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

347,327 Mercedes-Benz C-Classes are licensed in the UK, the 23rd most common model on the road. In 2025 they passed 74.7% of initial MOT tests, 2.4 points above the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific C-Class? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Mercedes-Benz C-Class at the MOT

74.7% of 360,192 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the C-Class 269th of 575 models. Mercedes-Benz C-Classes aged 3 to 5 years passed 86.3% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 65.8%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Mercedes-Benz C-Class74.7%
  • All Mercedes-Benz modelsThe C-Class is 2.4 pts behind77.1%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Mercedes-Benz C-Class tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years32,891 tests86.3%
  • 6 to 10 years162,545 tests80.8%
  • 11 years and over160,600 tests65.8%

Where C-Classes fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Mercedes-Benz C-Class tests in 2025.

  • Suspension27.4%
  • Tyres18.8%
  • Brakes17.4%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment15.7%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks7.2%

The items testers recorded most often were ball joint excessively worn (9.5%), tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (7.6%) and coil spring fractured or broken (5.3%).

The MOT page lists every common C-Class MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Mercedes-Benz C-Class MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The C-Class's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.27.4% of C-Class failure items

  2. Tyres

    Check tread depth across the full width of every tyre (the legal minimum is 1.6mm), and look for cuts, bulges and uneven wear.18.8% of C-Class failure items

  3. 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.17.4% of C-Class failure items

Mercedes-Benz C-Classes in the UK

347,327 were licensed at the end of June 2026, the 2nd most of any Mercedes-Benz. The number licensed has fallen 4.7% since the end of 2014, and 21% from its peak of 437,696 at the end of 2019.

Change since 2014
−4.7%from 364,633 licensed
Typical year of first use
2015half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2015 or earlier
First registered in 2025
4,457against 45,990 in 2017
Declared off the road
50,91213% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Mercedes-Benz C-Classes since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 2014364,633
End of 2015386,201
End of 2016411,137
End of 2017430,329
End of 2018436,351
End of 2019437,696
End of 2020425,143
End of 2021414,528
End of 2022402,288
End of 2023385,444
End of 2024370,580
End of 2025354,775
End of June 2026347,327

How old they are

Licensed Mercedes-Benz C-Classes by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year

A further 18,810 were first used before 2006.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
20253,9384,457
20245,0235,612
20235,0775,610
20224,6055,263
20216,2257,094
20209,84311,272
201923,89727,495
201827,54932,747
201738,44645,990
201635,72144,278
201533,62941,867
201424,792
201322,683
201224,370
201117,170
201011,022
200910,752
200811,218
200710,096
20067,553

33,629 C-Classes first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 80% of the 41,867 first registered that year.

C-Class engines and fuel

2.1 litre engines made up 51% of Mercedes-Benz C-Class MOT tests in 2025, followed by 2.0 litre at 19%. Diesel accounts for 57% of licensed C-Classes and petrol for 30%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 360,094 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 2.1 litre50.8%
  • 2.0 litre18.8%
  • 1.8 litre11.6%
  • 1.6 litre5.6%
  • 1.5 litre5.3%

Fuel type, licensed C-Classes

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol105,35730%
Diesel199,71257%
Battery electric6<0.1%
Plug-in hybrid13,2964%
Hybrid electric28,9058%
Gas51<0.1%

Mercedes-Benz C-Class recalls

153 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every C-Class is affected.

  1. Sep 2025 R/2025/333

    SRPC2512 - Bolting of Steering Coupling

    C-Classes built Jun 2022 to May 2025 · 874 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain C-Class (206 platform) GLC (254 platform) and EQE (295 platform) vehicles the bolting of the steering coupling might not meet specifications.
    Remedy
    As a remedy Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will rework the bolting of the steering coupling on the affected vehicles.

  2. May 2025 R/2025/158

    SRPC2506 - Driver seat belt fitting

    C-Classes built Aug 2023 to Jul 2024 · 2 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain C-Class (206 platform) vehicles the safety cap of the seatbelt end fitting on the driver seat might not be installed correctly.
    Remedy
    As a remedy Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will check the safety cap of the seat belt end fitting on the affected vehicles and rework it if necessary.

  3. Dec 2024 R/2024/474

    SRPC2419 Misfire Detection M264

    C-Classes built Oct 2021 to Apr 2023 · 4,619 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The software of the engine control unit might not meet specifications regarding misfire detection.
    Remedy
    Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will update the software of the engine control unit on the affected vehicles.

  4. Aug 2024 R/2024/281

    SRPC2410 - Bolting Connection Pre-Fuse Box

    C-Classes built Dec 2021 to Sep 2022 · 69 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the bolting of an electrical wire on the pre-fuse box in the passenger-side footwell might have not been tightened with sufficient torque.
    Remedy
    Check the bolting connection of the wiring harness to the pre-fuse box and repair if necessary.

  5. Aug 2024 R/2024/299

    SRPC2413 - Screw connections of 12 V and 48 V ground points

    C-Classes built Nov 2021 to Dec 2021 · 2 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the bolts of certain 12V and 48V ground connections might be fastened with an insufficient torque.
    Remedy
    Check connections and repair if necessary.

  6. May 2024 R/2024/202

    SRPC2407 - Battery Pole Cover

    C-Classes built Jul 2021 to Nov 2021 · 2 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the cover for a pole of the 12V battery might not be installed.
    Remedy
    Check whether the battery positive pole covers have been installed and if necessary install it.

  7. Apr 2024 R/2024/125

    SRPC2338 -Rear-Axle Wiring Harness

    C-Classes built Mar 2023 · 1 vehicle across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the rear-axle wiring harness might be pre-damaged due to a fixing which might not meet specifications.
    Remedy
    Check and replace the rear-axle wiring harness if necessary.

  8. Mar 2024 R/2024/130

    SRPC2401 - System protection

    C-Classes built Mar 2023 to Sep 2023 · 13,870 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On certain vehicles some 80A fuses installed might not meet requirements.
    Remedy
    Replace the respective main fuse boxes on the affected vehicles.
How to check a specific C-Class for recalls

Other Mercedes-Benz models

The most-tested Mercedes-Benz models in 2025, against the C-Class's 74.7% MOT pass rate.

All 35 Mercedes-Benz models

Mercedes-Benz C-Class FAQs

How many Mercedes-Benz C-Classes are there in the UK?

347,327 Mercedes-Benz C-Classes were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 50,912 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Mercedes-Benz C-Class 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 74.7% first-time pass rate for the Mercedes-Benz C-Class across 360,192 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Mercedes-Benz C-Class had any recalls?

153 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. The most recent was published in September 2025. 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 C-Class?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: suspension, tyres 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 C-Class'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 C-Class?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Across the 1,548 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 October 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.