carpeep

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

213,521 Mercedes-Benz E-Classes are licensed in the UK, the 43rd most common model on the road. In 2025 they passed 77.4% of initial MOT tests, 5.1 points above the 72.3% UK average.

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

Mercedes-Benz E-Class at the MOT

77.4% of 231,440 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the E-Class 234th of 575 models. Mercedes-Benz E-Classes aged 3 to 5 years passed 86.6% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 70.1%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Mercedes-Benz E-Class77.4%
  • All Mercedes-Benz modelsLevel with the E-Class77.1%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Mercedes-Benz E-Class tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years30,525 tests86.6%
  • 6 to 10 years102,322 tests81.2%
  • 11 years and over95,728 tests70.1%

Where E-Classes fail

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

  • Tyres24.3%
  • Suspension24.2%
  • Brakes18.8%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment12.3%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks6.4%

The items testers recorded most often were tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (7.3%), ball joint excessively worn (6.9%) and condition has ply or cords exposed (5.6%).

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

Full Mercedes-Benz E-Class MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

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

  1. 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.24.3% of E-Class failure items

  2. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.24.2% of E-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.18.8% of E-Class failure items

Mercedes-Benz E-Classes in the UK

213,521 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed is roughly where it was at the end of 2014, after peaking at 261,254 at the end of 2019.

Change since 2014
0%from 213,479 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
2,569against 26,869 in 2017
Declared off the road
43,32517% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Mercedes-Benz E-Classes since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 2014213,479
End of 2015226,390
End of 2016239,811
End of 2017247,028
End of 2018256,013
End of 2019261,254
End of 2020258,562
End of 2021255,472
End of 2022248,281
End of 2023237,144
End of 2024226,322
End of 2025217,242
End of June 2026213,521

How old they are

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

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

A further 10,856 were first used before 2006.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
20251,3662,569
20241,7982,366
20232,1392,549
20223,0113,732
20215,5957,167
20208,94310,755
201918,19722,327
201818,84924,706
201720,08526,869
201619,00625,612
201519,82626,682
201418,745
201316,957
201212,826
201111,397
20109,456
20095,449
20083,447
20074,185
20062,598

19,826 E-Classes first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 74% of the 26,682 first registered that year.

E-Class engines and fuel

2.0 litre engines made up 37% of Mercedes-Benz E-Class MOT tests in 2025, followed by 2.1 litre at 36%. Diesel accounts for 81% of licensed E-Classes and petrol for 10%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 231,394 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 2.0 litre36.7%
  • 2.1 litre35.9%
  • 3.0 litre17.5%
  • 3.2 litre2.2%
  • 1.8 litre1.5%

Fuel type, licensed E-Classes

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol21,51610%
Diesel173,02981%
Plug-in hybrid6,7243%
Hybrid electric12,2236%
Gas29<0.1%

Mercedes-Benz E-Class recalls

130 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every E-Class is affected.

  1. Jun 2026 R/2026/201

    Coolant pump control software

    E-Classes built May 2017 · 1 vehicle across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain GLE/GLS (167 platform) C-Class (205 platform) E-Class (213 platform) S-Class (223 platform) GLC (253 platform) and CLS (257 platform) vehicles with diesel engine the vacuum-controlled coolant pump might exhibit a leakage between the vacuum system and the coolant circuit.
    Remedy
    As a remedy Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will update the software of the coolant pump and replace the electrical switch valve on the affected vehicles.

  2. Jan 2026 R/2025/534

    SRPC2521 - Routing of transmission wiring harness

    E-Classes built Sep 2024 to Jan 2025 · 5 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain E-Class AMG (214 platform) vehicles with 4-wheel-drive the routing of the transmission wiring harness might not meet specifications.
    Remedy
    As a precautionary measure Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will check the routing of the transmission wiring harness on the affected vehicles and rework it if necessary.

  3. May 2025 R/2025/155

    SRPC2504 - Ground connection bolting

    E-Classes built Feb 2024 to May 2024 · 4 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain E-Class (214 platform) and GLC (254 platform) vehicles the bolts of certain 12V- and 48V- ground connections might not have been fastened with the specified torque.
    Remedy
    As a remedy Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will check the bolting of the ground connections and perform according repairs if necessary.

  4. Dec 2024 R/2024/502

    SRPC2421 - Welding of rear axle carrier

    E-Classes built Aug 2024 to Sep 2024 · 2 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain E-Class 214 platform and GLC 254 platform vehicles the welding of consoles to the rear axle carrier might not meet specifications.
    Remedy
    As a remedy a Mercedes-Benz service partner will replace the rear axle carrier of the affected vehicles.

  5. Dec 2024 R/2024/474

    SRPC2419 Misfire Detection M264

    E-Classes built Jan 2021 to Sep 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.

  6. Nov 2024 R/2024/399

    SRPC2417 - Function Cross Traffic Alert

    E-Classes built Apr 2023 to Oct 2023 · 25 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The manufacturer has determined on affected vehicles the software of the MBUX multi media system might not meet specifications. In this case a permanent deactivation of certain functions of assistance systems might occur.
    Remedy
    Update the parking control unit settings

  7. Nov 2024 R/2024/398

    SRPC2414 - Function Cross Traffic Alert

    E-Classes built May 2023 to Oct 2023 · 90 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The manufacturer has determined on affected vehicles the software of the MBUX multi media system might not meet specifications. In this case a permanent deactivation of certain functions of assistance systems might occur.
    Remedy
    Update the parking control unit settings

  8. Oct 2024 R/2024/307

    SRPC2412 - Tightness of Transmission Wiring Harness Connector

    E-Classes built Feb 2018 to Apr 2022 · 299 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The manufacturer has determined on affected vehicles the electrical connector of the transmission wiring harness might not have been correctly remedied.
    Remedy
    Replace the two-part wiring harness including the connector a with a new one-part variant
How to check a specific E-Class for recalls

Other Mercedes-Benz models

The most-tested Mercedes-Benz models in 2025, against the E-Class's 77.4% MOT pass rate.

All 35 Mercedes-Benz models

Mercedes-Benz E-Class FAQs

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

213,521 Mercedes-Benz E-Classes were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 43,325 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Mercedes-Benz E-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 77.4% first-time pass rate for the Mercedes-Benz E-Class across 231,440 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

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

130 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The most recent was published in June 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 E-Class?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: tyres, 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 E-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 an E-Class?

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.