Mercedes Benz
12,213 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Sprinter 314 Progressive Cdis pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 4.0 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
81.5%
Pass-after-fix
3.1%
Fail
14.3%
Avg miles
93,250
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Diesel cars registered from September 2015 generally meet Euro 6 — compliant in London ULEZ, Birmingham CAZ, Bristol CAZ, and Glasgow LEZ.
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 12,213 tests
Pass rate climbs 3.3 points across the cohorts — newer Sprinter 314 Progressive Cdi examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
78.8%
Fail
15.6%
PRS
4.3%
Avg mileage at test
97,149 mi
Pass
82.1%
Fail
14.1%
PRS
2.8%
Avg mileage at test
92,384 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 2,167 MOT tests, the Sprinter 314 Progressive Cdi returns 77.7% first-time pass — roughly in line with the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a missing CV-joint boot. A weak handbrake and windscreen damage round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 78,035, 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.
ABI Insurance Group
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 →
30–42
out of 50
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Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
552 occurrences · 4.5% of tests
Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
387 occurrences · 3.2% of tests
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
267 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
264 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
Parking brake lever has excessive movement indicating incorrect adjustment
169 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
164 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
151 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
Wiper blade defective
131 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
A lamp with a multiple light source up to 1/2 not functioning
118 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
111 occurrences · 0.9% 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.
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Year-band analysis
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 3.4-point gap between bands means the year you buy Mercedes Benz Sprinter 314 Progressive Cdi has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.
Best band to buy
82.1%
2021+ registration
the 2021-on band climbs to 82.1% — a 3.4-point improvement. Failures here are mostly wear items: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, efficiency below 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
78.8%
2018–2020 registration
On the 2018–2020 band, the data shows a 78.8% pass rate against a fleet average of 82.1% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, constant velocity boot split or insecure, no…, and efficiency below requirements. Average mileage on test for this band is 97,149 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2021+ (82.1% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2018-2020 (78.8% pass). That's a 3.4-point spread across 2,224 older tests and 9,989 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.
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Owner reports · Honest John
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
**The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter remains the benchmark by which all other large vans should be judged. Easy to drive, comfortable and capable of shifting gargantuan loads, this Sprinter follows the successful trend of its predecessors while also setting new standards for usability, technology and driver safety.**
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 a Sprinter 314 Progressive Cdi 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.
