Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 496,441 tests

Pass rate climbs 8.8 points across the cohorts — newer E examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 406,201

Pass

81.1%

Fail

15.5%

PRS

2.6%

Avg mileage at test

101,482 mi

2018–2020 cohort 85,456

Pass

88.7%

Fail

9.4%

PRS

1.4%

Avg mileage at test

55,030 mi

2021+ cohort 4,784

Pass

89.9%

Fail

7.9%

PRS

1.9%

Avg mileage at test

35,399 mi

Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.

Generations on file · 5

Mercedes Benz E · UK market

Photos: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA / CC BY / public domain.

The picture

Best pass rate in the batch, with caveats

80.24% first-time pass from 285,334 tests puts the E-Class at the top end of this group, which may partly reflect cars being better maintained at this price point. Average test mileage of 90,853 means they're well-used when they arrive. Tyre tread and windscreen damage lead the failures, with tyre cords visible — the hard fail — appearing in third. Owner reports point to two known diesel headaches: AdBlue system failure on the E220d, where MBUK declined to assist one owner who'd serviced outside the dealer network, and the 400d's over-revving from cold on a 2018 example. Alloy wheel coating peeling on the 18-inch optional fitment has also been flagged and rejected under warranty. The pass rate is genuine; the running costs on a high-spec diesel trim are less forgiving.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 34–48

A high-group car — insurance costs will be significantly above average. Lower groups cost less to insure; UK fleet average is around Group 22.

Source: ABI Group Rating Panel · administered by Thatcham Research · groups cover standard variants; performance trims may sit higher. Browse all insurance groups →

34–48

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

Hide wear items to see the model's real defects.

01

Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view

11,010 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
02

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

10,387 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
03

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

8,409 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
04

A tyre cords visible or damaged

7,755 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
05

Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded

6,795 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
06

A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

6,758 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
07

A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened

6,232 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
08

A tyre seriously damaged

5,487 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
09

A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources

4,621 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
10

Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement

3,353 occurrences · 0.7% 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 4 failures

£240–£520

If every one of this E'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

Best year to buy. Worst to avoid.

First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 8.8-point gap between bands means the year you buy Mercedes Benz E has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

89.9%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 89.9% — a 8.8-point improvement. Tests in this band average 35,399 miles — roughly 66K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, fractured — 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

81.1%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 81.1% pass rate against a fleet average of 89.9% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, and ball joint excessively worn. Average mileage on test for this band is 101,482 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme. Honest John records: "Report of vibration while braking on approved used W213 Mercedes E220d AMG Line after 5,000 miles. Dealer changed discs and brakes but after driving for 2,000 same problem again so…"

Best band to buy: 2021+ (89.9% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (81.1% pass). That's a 8.8-point spread across 406,201 older tests and 4,784 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.

Year-spread leaderboard →

Tools that pre-empt a retest.

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

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Denso

Denso W14E Spark Plug (Single)

£1.09

View at My Motor World →

Denso

Denso W16EX-U Spark Plug (Single)

£1.09

View at My Motor World →

Denso

Denso W16FSR Spark Plug (Single)

£1.09

View at My Motor World →

Denso

Denso W9LM-US Spark Plug (Single)

£1.09

View at My Motor World →

Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

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Mobile mechanic · UK-wide

Book a mechanic at your door.

Fixed-price quotes upfront. No garage needed. Click Mechanic sends a vetted local mechanic to you — home, work, or roadside.

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Owner reports · Honest John

What owners actually report.

Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.

What's good

Lots of safety kit and tech is on the options list, best-riding air suspension a high-priced option, many are used as executive taxis which harms the classy image.

Recent owner-reported faults

5 Feb 2021
Report of AdBlue system failure on 2016 E220d at 38,250 miles. AdBlue was topped up from just a touch below half to full. MBUK will not offer any financial help because the owner has had car serviced outside of the Mercedes-Benz dealer network.
20 Oct 2020
Report of alloy wheel peeling on 2017 E Class. Owner had upgraded to 18-inch wheels in tremolite grey. At worst the coating is peeling off and at best the wheels have white blemishes. The dealer has applied for a goodwill warranty with Mercedes-Benz UK, but this has been rejected.
9 Jan 2020
Report of December 2018 Mercedes Bez E400D over-revving "approx 40-50% of the time, always from cold but also when the engine is hot. Occurs when the car is idling and also whilst driving. Gear changes during a journey are at much higher revs than when the car is revving normally. Fuel consumption is poor." Car has done 9,500 miles and problem started after 1,000 miles.
5 Jan 2020
Report of 2019 Mercedes-Benz W213 E250d BlueEfficiency cabriolet needing fresh brake discs and pads after 1500 miles. Owner's previous identical car was replaced because it went through two sets of discs and pads in a fortnight. First symptom is after driving for more than about an hour you owner feels the car judder under braking both heavy and light.
12 Nov 2019
Report of just-purchased 7500 mile 2017 Mercedes Benz E43AMG suffering front tyre 'jumping' when on lock. Currently has Continental 245/35 R20 tyres fitted.
31 Oct 2019
Report of erratic oil usage of July 2018 Mercedes-Benz E220 D 1,950cc estate. Car was purchased in February 2019 with 3,000 miles, which indicates it had been sitting around. A day or two after purchase, the oil warning light lit. The light would appear every day or every other day but not until the the engine reached normal operating temperature.
11 Sep 2019
Report of "brand new" (presumed 59 reg) Mercedes Benz E300 D catching fire. It broke down. Owner called Mercedes roadside assistance, which sent RAC to check the car. After 2hours of checking could not find a fault, then RAC man drove the car and it was fine again so he said take it to Mercedes tomorrow and left. Owner was 40 miles from home so got back on the motorway, but after roughly 15 miles it started jerking again so he pulled over and opened the bonnet and saw fire underneath the engine. By the time the fire brigade arrived 50% of the car was on fire.
3 Aug 2019
Report of engine warning lights appearing repeatedly in leased 2017 Mercedes-Benz E Class 3.0 E350d BlueTEC 9G-Tronic Auto. Car has been back to MB dealer 6 times, stayed with them for 1 month on one occasion, but problem still returns. MB FInance is asking for a £5,000 penalty for early return of the car.
21 May 2019
Irritating issue reported with 2017 Mercedes-Benz E350d BlueTEC 9G-Tronic Auto. Car drives well but from new has displayed an amber engine warning light. Owner took it back few times to Mercedes Benz service to check. Twice he was told it is due bumps in the road, until the automatic transmission failed late in 2018. Mercedes emergency service took the car, kept it for almost one month and reassured owner that the fault was in the exhaust and was eliminated. A few weeks later the amber warning light is permanently on again. Will require AdBlue. Could be that the owner simply isn't driving it far enough to trigger active regeneration of the DPF.
19 Oct 2018
Report of vibration while braking on approved used W213 Mercedes E220d AMG Line after 5,000 miles. Dealer changed discs and brakes but after driving for 2,000 same problem again so they changed discs and pads again. Now they are saying may be problem in hubs. Car is at 25,000 miles.
7 Sep 2018
Fault with September 2016 Mercedes Benz E220d (12-4-2018) turned out to be that stop start does not work is that electrical power diverted to aircon which was set at low temperature thus prioritising power to air con. Oil leak now from camshaft cover.
28 Aug 2018
Report of crease appearing in offside front wing of March 2018 Mercedes Benz E-Class after 3 months; no abrasions or markings on the paintwork. Owner paid £300 to have it rectified. Now, in August 2018, a similar crease has appeared in the nearside wing in exactly the same place.

Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 16 reports indexed, top 12 shown

Buying or keeping an E?

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 E 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.