Photo: Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mercedes Benz
1,789 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Amg A 45 S 4matic+ Plus Autos pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 15.4 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
92.9%
Pass-after-fix
0.9%
Fail
5.8%
Avg miles
25,308
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Petrol cars first registered from January 2006 meet Euro 4 — compliant in London ULEZ, Birmingham CAZ, Bristol CAZ, and Glasgow LEZ.
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 1,789 tests
Pass rate climbs 1.2 points across the cohorts — newer Amg A 45 S 4matic+ Plus Auto examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
92.5%
Fail
6.4%
PRS
0.9%
Avg mileage at test
28,141 mi
Pass
93.6%
Fail
4.9%
PRS
0.9%
Avg mileage at test
20,782 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 1,789 MOT tests, the Amg A 45 S 4matic+ Plus Auto returns 92.9% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a tyre with the cords showing. Windscreen damage and a seriously damaged tyre round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 25,308, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.
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A tyre cords visible or damaged
64 occurrences · 3.6% of tests
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
39 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
23 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements
16 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
15 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
Wiper blade defective
9 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer
9 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
3 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
Emissions levels exceed default limits
3 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen
2 occurrences · 0.1% of tests
Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.
Worst-case fix budget · top 3 failures
£135–£225
If every one of this Amg A 45 S 4matic+ Plus Auto's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →
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Build your own retest budget.
Year-band analysis
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 1.2-point gap between bands is modest — the year you buy Mercedes Benz Amg A 45 S 4matic+ Plus Auto makes a small but real difference to MOT outcomes.
Best band to buy
93.6%
2021+ registration
the 2021-on band climbs to 93.6% — a 1.2-point improvement. Tests in this band average 20,782 miles — roughly 7K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, does not conform to the specified requirements — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.
Band to be cautious about
92.5%
2018–2020 registration
On the 2018–2020 band, the data shows a 92.5% pass rate against a fleet average of 93.6% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: has ply or cords exposed, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, and has a cut in excess of the…. Average mileage on test for this band is 28,141 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2021+ (93.6% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2018-2020 (92.5% pass). That's a 1.2-point spread across 1,099 older tests and 690 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.
Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.
Item 01 · Amazon UK
Digital tyre-tread depth gauge
Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · Amazon UK
MOT-spec replacement number plate
Faded or non-standard plates fail outright. Replacements take ten minutes online with V5C details.
Search Amazon UK
My Motor World · affiliate
Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.
Click Mechanic · affiliate
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Mobile mechanic · UK-wide
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Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.
If you own an Amg A 45 S 4matic+ Plus Auto and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.
