Mercedes Benz
20,123 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where Sprinter 315 Progressive Cdis pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 1.2 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
78.7%
Pass-after-fix
4.6%
Fail
15.9%
Avg miles
83,805
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 · 20,123 tests
Pass rate drops 3.4 points across the cohorts — recent Sprinter 315 Progressive Cdi examples are doing worse than the early cars at the same tested age.
Pass
81.4%
Fail
14.3%
PRS
3.6%
Avg mileage at test
98,315 mi
Pass
78.0%
Fail
16.3%
PRS
4.9%
Avg mileage at test
80,055 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 3,833 MOT tests, the Sprinter 315 Progressive Cdi returns 79.0% first-time pass — roughly in line with the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a weak handbrake. Windscreen damage and parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 81,094, 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
1,033 occurrences · 5.1% of tests
Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
773 occurrences · 3.8% of tests
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
504 occurrences · 2.5% of tests
Parking brake lever has excessive movement indicating incorrect adjustment
300 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
Wiper blade defective
283 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
257 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
240 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
237 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value
230 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
A lamp with a multiple light source up to 1/2 not functioning
216 occurrences · 1.1% 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 2 failures
£40–£90
If every one of this Sprinter 315 Progressive Cdi'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 →
Try the calculator
Build your own retest budget.
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 315 Progressive Cdi has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.
Best band to buy
81.4%
2018–2020 registration
the 2018–2020 band climbs to 81.4% — 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.
Band to be cautious about
78.0%
2021+ registration
On the 2021-on band, the data shows a 78.0% pass rate against a fleet average of 81.4% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, efficiency below requirements, and does not clear the windscreen effectively. Average mileage on test for this band is 80,055 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (81.4% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2021+ (78.0% pass). That's a 3.4-point spread across 15,986 older tests and 4,137 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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Mobile mechanic · UK-wide
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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 315 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.
