71.3%
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter MOT pass rate and common problems
The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter passed 71.3% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 1 percentage points below the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the Sprinter compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
77.1%
Mercedes-Benz average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The Sprinter runs 5.8 points behind the Mercedes-Benz average. It is 30th of the 35 Mercedes-Benz models in the data. The average Sprinter arrived at its test 13.1 years old with 127,066 miles recorded.
A pass rate records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day. It is not a reliability score, and part of any gap reflects how old the tested cars were.
Sprinter MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 85.2% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 64.2%, a drop of 20.9 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 2,801 | 85.2% | 12.9 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 6,813 | 76.7% | 4.4 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 13,819 | 64.2% | 8.1 pts below |
That is a steep decline with age, so the headline rate flatters older examples. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where Sprinter failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Mercedes-Benz Sprinter cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and brakes together account for 55.3% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common Sprinter MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Mercedes-Benz Sprinter cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 30.4% of everything testers recorded against failed Mercedes-Benz Sprinter cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a Sprinter
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Brakes
Recorded most often: rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements, rigid brake pipes excessively corroded and service brake performance excessively binding. 11.4% of failure items.
2
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: position lamp not working and headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect. 5.9% of failure items.
3
Suspension
Recorded most often: component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength and ball joint excessively worn. 5.4% of failure items.
4
Visibility
Recorded most often: wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively. 3.6% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific Sprinter has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Mercedes-Benz Sprinter buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter MOT FAQs
What is the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter MOT pass rate?
71.3% of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 24,406 tests. That is 1 percentage points below the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 329th of 575 models.
What does a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Mercedes-Benz Sprinter cars failing their 2025 MOT was rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements, on 5.5% of failure items. Next were rigid brake pipes excessively corroded (3.9%) and wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (3.6%).
Which area causes the most Mercedes-Benz Sprinter MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 28.3%, followed by brakes at 27%.
Do older Mercedes-Benz Sprinter cars fail their MOT more often?
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 85.2% of MOT tests in 2025, against 64.2% for cars aged 11 years and over.
Does this mean every Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Mercedes-Benz Sprinter that failed in 2025. They show where the model most often needs attention, not the condition of any individual car.
How do I see a specific Mercedes-Benz Sprinter's MOT history?
Enter its registration on the free Carpeep MOT history check to see that car's own test results, failures, advisories and recorded mileages.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025: class 4 initial tests, retests excluded, with failure items from failed tests (advisories and minor defects excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.