2020 Mercedes-Benz C MOT pass rate: 89.1% (22,240 tests)

2020-registered Mercedes-Benz Cs passed 89.1% of 22,240 MOT tests in 2023–2025 — broadly in line with same-age cars (89.9%). This is one of the lower-scoring C years after correcting for vehicle age — inspect the individual car carefully.

89.1%Pass rate, 2020 cars

99.2Age-adjusted index (100 = average)

22,240Tests analysed

30,705 miMedian mileage at test

88.2% / 88.6%Petrol vs diesel pass rate

Is the 2020 C getting worse?

Pass rate of 2020-registered cars across recent test years:

Test year	Pass rate
2023	89.5% -1.4 vs same-age
2024	90.0% +0.0 vs same-age
2025	87.8% -1.2 vs same-age

The raw rate normally falls as cars age. The “vs same-age” figure compares this cohort with all UK cars registered in the same year, so normal ageing is not mistaken for a bad model year.

What fails on a 2020 C

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Tyres	2,537	63.6%
2	Brakes	368	9.2%
3	Visibility	245	6.1%
4	Suspension	230	5.8%
5	Road Wheels	208	5.2%
6	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	117	2.9%

All C years compared

Registration year	Tests	Pass rate	Vs same-age	Median mileage
2001	3,928	70.4%	+3.9 pts	95,942
2002	7,620	69.2%	+3.6 pts	97,981
2003	13,765	65.2%	+0.2 pts	106,702
2004	19,932	64.5%	+0.2 pts	111,997
2005	26,728	65.7%	+1.2 pts	116,417
2006	30,576	65.7%	+1.3 pts	112,864
2007	38,374	68.0%	+2.9 pts	114,690
2008	42,839	69.6%	+4.4 pts	116,300
2009	40,822	70.2%	+3.8 pts	114,357
2010	42,047	71.8%	+4.4 pts	106,426
2011	60,218	72.5%	+3.4 pts	105,237
2012	80,699	72.2%	+1.0 pts	98,799
2013	72,438	74.6%	+1.2 pts	92,208
2014	76,814	79.9%	+4.1 pts	85,486
2015	103,035	82.3%	+3.5 pts	80,236
2016	110,346	83.9%	+2.5 pts	69,279
2017	118,299	85.2%	+1.2 pts	56,785
2018	84,470	87.1%	+0.8 pts	47,061
2019	71,902	88.8%	+0.4 pts	37,683
2020 (this page)	22,240	89.1%	-0.8 pts	30,705
2021	3,431	89.4%	-1.0 pts	28,435

Weighing up which year to buy? See the full ranking: Mercedes-Benz C years to avoid.

Buying a 2020 C? Two checks first

Free MOT history checkThe exact car’s failures, advisories and mileage trail — sellers can’t edit it
Topdon OBD2 scannersTopdon diagnostic scanners with full-system readouts
XTOOL diagnostic toolsXTOOL code readers for petrol and diesel cars
Autel UK testersAutel professional-grade diagnostic testers

FAQs

Is a 2020 Mercedes-Benz C reliable?

2020-registered examples passed 89.1% of their MOT tests (22,240 tests, 2023–2025), -0.8 points versus all UK cars registered in the same year. At roughly 6 years old with a median 30,705 miles, condition now varies car by car — always check the individual MOT history.

What mileage is too high for a 2020 C?

The median tested example shows 30,705 miles. Anything far beyond that isn't automatically bad — a motorway-mile car with consistent service records often beats a low-mileage school-run car — but price accordingly and scrutinise the mileage trail for gaps or drops.

Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023–2025 extracts (96 million Class 4 initial tests; retests excluded). Only vehicles old enough for a routine first MOT are included. Age-adjusted figures compare the model-year cohort with all vehicles of the same registration year tested in the same calendar year. Contains public sector information licensed under OGL v3.0.