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

4,003 Mercedes-Benz Vianos are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 65.6% of initial MOT tests, 6.7 points below the 72.3% UK average.

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

Mercedes-Benz Viano at the MOT

65.6% of 5,004 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Viano 419th of 575 models. Mercedes-Benz Vianos aged 6 to 10 years passed 70.4% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 65.2%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Mercedes-Benz Viano65.6%
  • All Mercedes-Benz modelsThe Viano is 11.5 pts behind77.1%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Mercedes-Benz Viano tests in 2025.

  • 6 to 10 years425 tests70.4%
  • 11 years and over4,573 tests65.2%

Where Vianos fail

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

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment30%
  • Brakes20.4%
  • Suspension15.7%
  • Tyres8.1%
  • Body, chassis, structure6.9%

The items testers recorded most often were position lamp not working (3.9%), rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements (3.7%) and side repeaters not working (3.5%).

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

Full Mercedes-Benz Viano MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

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

  1. 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.30% of Viano failure items

  2. 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.20.4% of Viano failure items

  3. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.15.7% of Viano failure items

Mercedes-Benz Vianos in the UK

4,003 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 41% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−41%from 6,744 licensed
Typical year of first use
2011half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2011 or earlier
Declared off the road
1,20323% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Mercedes-Benz Vianos since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 20146,744
End of 20156,746
End of 20166,524
End of 20176,274
End of 20186,030
End of 20195,778
End of 20205,368
End of 20215,313
End of 20225,128
End of 20234,824
End of 20244,507
End of 20254,194
End of June 20264,003

How old they are

Licensed Mercedes-Benz Vianos by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year
Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
2015120166
2014597
2013571
2012493
2011405
2010349
2009337
2008374
2007308
2006231
2005203
200492

Viano engines and fuel

2.1 litre engines made up 64% of Mercedes-Benz Viano MOT tests in 2025, followed by 3.0 litre at 24%. Diesel accounts for 96% of licensed Vianos and petrol for 3.9%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 4,996 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 2.1 litre64%
  • 3.0 litre24.4%
  • 3.2 litre7%
  • 3.5 litre3.2%

Fuel type, licensed Vianos

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol1574%
Diesel3,83796%
Gas90.2%

Mercedes-Benz Viano recalls

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

  1. Aug 2025 R/2025/262

    SRX2502 - Variant of driver's airbag

    Vianos built Oct 2003 to Feb 2006 · 1,362 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain Vito/Viano (639 platform) vehicles an airbag module from Takata might have been installed during a driver airbag replacement.
    Remedy
    As a remedy Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will check the airbag on the affected vehicles and replace it if necessary.

  2. Aug 2025 R/2025/261

    SRX2501 - Variant of driver's airbag

    Vianos built Feb 2004 to Feb 2006 · 123 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain Vito/Viano (639 platform) vehicles an airbag module from Takata might have been installed during a driver airbag replacement.
    Remedy
    As a remedy Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will checkthe airbag on the affected vehicles and replace it if necessary.

  3. Sep 2022 R/2021/413

    The driver's airbag may not correctly deploy if activated

    Vianos built Feb 2006 to Sep 2010 · 2,824 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The drivers airbag may not correctly deploy if activated.
    Remedy
    Replace the drivers air bag assembly

  4. Jul 2022 R/2022/161

    The Takata driver's air bag might not deploy as specified

    Vianos built Jul 2010 to Aug 2014 · 3,548 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The driver's airbag might not deploy as specified.
    Remedy
    Replace the driver's airbag.

  5. Jul 2022 R/2022/162

    The driver's air bag may not deploy as specified

    Vianos built Mar 2006 to Sep 2010 · 133 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The driver's airbag might not deploy as specified.
    Remedy
    Replace the driver's airbag.

  6. Nov 2021 R/2021/393

    Software update to improve emissions

    Vianos built Jul 2010 to Mar 2013 · 2,438 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    As a result of a directive from Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) changes are required to certain specific calibration functions within the engine management systems of certain vehicles.
    Remedy
    Conduct an update to the diesel engine control unit software.

  7. Jan 2015 R/2014/184

    Oil may leak

    Vianos built Feb 2014 to Nov 2014 · 5,358 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On certain diesel engines the 'O' ring may not have been produced to the correct specification. This may allow oil to leak and contaminate the environment. If excessive oil is lost engine damage may occur.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles replace the chain tensioner sealing ring.

  8. Feb 2012 R/2012/007

    A pillar check strap may detach

    16 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    In a situation where the window airbag is deployed the trim that covers the airbag may not stay in a safe position and as such could present an additional risk of injury to the occupant.
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected to replace the A-pillar trim.
How to check a specific Viano for recalls

Other Mercedes-Benz models

The most-tested Mercedes-Benz models in 2025, against the Viano's 65.6% MOT pass rate.

All 35 Mercedes-Benz models

Mercedes-Benz Viano FAQs

How many Mercedes-Benz Vianos are there in the UK?

4,003 Mercedes-Benz Vianos were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 1,203 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Mercedes-Benz Viano 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 65.6% first-time pass rate for the Mercedes-Benz Viano across 5,004 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Mercedes-Benz Viano had any recalls?

31 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Mercedes-Benz Viano. The most recent was published in August 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 Viano?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, brakes and suspension. 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 Viano'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 Viano?

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.