Mercedes-Benz Citan, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls
23,941 Mercedes-Benz Citans are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 60.4% of initial MOT tests, 11.9 points below the 72.3% UK average.
Looking at a specific Citan? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Mercedes-Benz Citan at the MOT
60.4% of 19,945 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Citan 489th of 575 models. Mercedes-Benz Citans aged 3 to 5 years passed 69.2% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 52.5%.
First-time pass rate, 2025
Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.
Pass rate by age at test
Mercedes-Benz Citan tests in 2025.
Where Citans fail
Share of all failure items recorded on Mercedes-Benz Citan tests in 2025.
The items testers recorded most often were joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (8%), stop lamp not working (7.9%) and position lamp not working (6.2%).
The MOT page lists every common Citan MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.
What to look at on a viewing
The Citan'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.33.1% of Citan 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.17.8% of Citan failure items
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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.10.5% of Citan failure items
Mercedes-Benz Citans in the UK
23,941 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 231% since the end of 2015.
- Change since 2015
- +231%from 7,235 licensed
- Typical year of first use
- 2018half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2018 or earlier
- First registered in 2025
- 1,882against 3,904 in 2018
- Declared off the road
- 1,4795.8% of those registered, under SORN
Licensed Mercedes-Benz Citans since 2014
Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.
Show the figures
| Date | Licensed |
|---|---|
| End of 2014 | 4,401 |
| End of 2015 | 7,235 |
| End of 2016 | 10,929 |
| End of 2017 | 14,162 |
| End of 2018 | 17,943 |
| End of 2019 | 19,277 |
| End of 2020 | 20,463 |
| End of 2021 | 21,231 |
| End of 2022 | 20,989 |
| End of 2023 | 21,610 |
| End of 2024 | 22,586 |
| End of 2025 | 23,817 |
| End of June 2026 | 23,941 |
How old they are
Licensed Mercedes-Benz Citans by year of first use.
- Licensed at the end of 2025
- First registered that year
Show the figures
| First used | Licensed, end 2025 | First registered that year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,865 | 1,882 |
| 2024 | 1,677 | 1,718 |
| 2023 | 1,222 | 1,264 |
| 2022 | 16 | 24 |
| 2021 | 965 | 1,063 |
| 2020 | 1,311 | 1,460 |
| 2019 | 1,857 | 2,080 |
| 2018 | 3,303 | 3,904 |
| 2017 | 3,105 | 3,717 |
| 2016 | 3,127 | 3,887 |
| 2015 | 2,199 | 2,975 |
| 2014 | 1,860 | |
| 2013 | 1,298 |
2,199 Citans first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 74% of the 2,975 first registered that year.
Citan engine sizes
1.5 litre engines made up 98% of Mercedes-Benz Citan MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.2 litre at 1.6%. Diesel accounts for 99% of licensed Citans.
Engine size at MOT, 2025
Share of 19,945 initial MOT tests in 2025.
Mercedes-Benz Citan recalls
18 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Mercedes-Benz Citan. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Citan is affected.
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Apr 2026 R/2026/120
Replace clutch assembly
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain Citan model vehicles the clutch pressure plate might not meet specifications.
- Remedy
- As a remedy Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will replace the clutch on the affected vehicles.
-
Sep 2025 R/2025/332
Initialisation of Central Control Unit
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain Citan/eCitan model vehicles the central control unit might not initialise.
- Remedy
- As a remedy Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will update the software of the central gateway control unit on the affected vehicles.
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Dec 2021 R/2021/415
A software version which is not compatible with the ESP control unit could have been installed
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- On certain vehicles a software version which is not compatible with the ESP control unit could have been installed during a workshop visit.
- Remedy
- Update the ESP control unit software on affected vehicles.
-
Oct 2021 R/2021/254
The fuel line could chafe against the air conditioning line
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- The fuel line could chafe against the air conditioning line due to an insufficient minimum distance.
- Remedy
- Replace the existing fuel line with a fuel line reinforced with a protective sleeve on the affected vehicles.
-
Jul 2021 R/2021/186
On some vehicles with a rear-view camera the tailgate may be unlocked independently / automatically
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- On some vehicles with a rear-view camera the tailgate may be unlocked independently/automatically.
- Remedy
- Seal the duct for the electrical wiring harness of reversing camera on the affected vehicles.
-
Mar 2020 R/2020/018
Certain threaded connections on the left/right wheel carrier on the rear axle may not have been implemented correctly
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Threaded connections on the left/right wheel carrier on the rear axle of certain vehicles may not have been implemented correctly
- Remedy
- Check the threaded connections and if necessary replace wheel carriers and/or brake caliper supports on the rear axle
-
Jan 2020 R/2019/445
Due to a software error the eco start/stop function may not be present
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- The ECO start/stop function may not be present for certain vehicles.
- Remedy
- Perform coding in the fuse and relay module control unit on the affected vehicles.
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Nov 2019 R/2019/373
There is a failure to observe the information in the operator's manual concerning parking the vehicle
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Incorrect operation of automatic gearbox may allow vehicle to roll away.
- Remedy
- Update operator's manuals and apply an information label in the vicinity of the selector lever
Other Mercedes-Benz models
The most-tested Mercedes-Benz models in 2025, against the Citan's 60.4% 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 Citan FAQs
How many Mercedes-Benz Citans are there in the UK?
23,941 Mercedes-Benz Citans were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 1,479 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.
Is the Mercedes-Benz Citan 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 60.4% first-time pass rate for the Mercedes-Benz Citan across 19,945 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
Has the Mercedes-Benz Citan had any recalls?
18 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Mercedes-Benz Citan. The most recent was published in April 2026. 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 Citan?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, brakes and tyres. 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 Citan'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 Citan?
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.