Mercedes-Benz Citan MOT pass rate: 68.6% (17,414 tests, 2025)

Name: Mercedes-Benz Citan MOT statistics 2025
Creator: OBDCode UK
License: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Last updated 24 August 2026 · OBDCode UK editorial

The Mercedes-Benz Citan passed 68.6% of its 17,414 MOT tests in 2025 — 8.9 points below the UK average of 77.5%. The median tested example was 9 years old with 103,072 miles on the clock.

68.6%Pass rate (2025)

17,414MOT tests analysed

103,072 miMedian mileage at test

9 yrsMedian age at test

How the Citan compares

Mercedes-Benz Citan

68.6%

UK average (all Class 4 vehicles)

77.5% across 33.1 million tests

Mercedes-Benz average (all models)

80.7%

What fails most on the Mercedes-Benz Citan

Across failed and rectified tests in 2025, these vehicle systems produced the most defects on the Citan:

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	4,166	25.9%
2	Brakes	3,455	21.5%
3	Suspension	1,990	12.4%
4	Tyres	1,854	11.5%
5	Body, chassis, structure	1,819	11.3%
6	Steering	1,272	7.9%

Pre-MOT checklist for Citan owners

Based on the failure profile above, ten minutes with a torch before your test removes the most likely fail items:

Walk round with all lights on: one blown bulb is the most avoidable fail there is
Feel for a spongy pedal or pulling to one side; check pad wear through the wheel spokes if visible
Bounce each corner and listen for clonks over speed bumps — suspension is this model’s (and the UK’s) top failure system
Check tread with the 20p test and inspect sidewalls for cracking — tyres close to the limit are the country’s most common advisory
Look underneath for corrosion around sills and subframes, especially on older cars

Engine management light on?

An illuminated engine management light is a Major MOT defect. Read the code, repair the cause, then confirm the light stays off — clearing a code alone is not a repair.

Understand the engine management light and MOT rules →

Citan pass rate by registration year

Registration year	Tests	Pass rate	Vs same-age	Median mileage	Pass-rate bar
2013	4,350	61.6%	-11.7 pts	121,766	61.6% visual scale
2014	6,288	63.1%	-12.8 pts	113,237	63.1% visual scale
2015	7,173	68.1%	-10.7 pts	104,458	68.1% visual scale
2016	9,959	68.9%	-12.4 pts	97,780	68.9% visual scale
2017	9,771	72.7%	-11.4 pts	90,166	72.7% visual scale
2018	10,650	74.0%	-12.4 pts	78,289	74.0% visual scale
2019	5,369	78.3%	-10.1 pts	72,764	78.3% visual scale

Same-vehicle follow-up

The defect groups above are a single-year count. The prognosis registry follows the same vehicle_id into the next MOT year. The extracts do not record the repair, a turbo part number, or a gearbox type.

Brakes: advisory follow-up · did the same fail item hold
Suspension: advisory follow-up · did the same fail item hold
Tyres: advisory follow-up · did the same fail item hold
Body, chassis, structure: advisory follow-up · did the same fail item hold
Steering: advisory follow-up · did the same fail item hold

On this model, these certificate lines have a published follow-up (cohort at least 200 cars):

Track rod end ball joint has slight play — 547 cars · 17.2% failed the same item the next year
Shock absorbers has light misting of oil — 215 cars · 11.2% failed the same item the next year
Rigid brake pipes corroded, covered in grease or other material — 1,034 cars · 10.1% failed the same item the next year
Brake pads wearing thin — 1,230 cars · 7.9% failed the same item the next year
Tread depth worn close to legal limit/worn on edge — 2,525 cars · 3.8% failed the same item the next year

Check a specific Citan before you buy

Pass rates describe the model; they can’t tell you about the one car you’re looking at. Run its plate through our free MOT history check to see its personal record of failures, advisories and mileage readings.

Other Mercedes-Benz models

C78.2% pass rate · 343,551 tests A-Class77.8% pass rate · 232,671 tests E79.7% pass rate · 215,896 tests A89.1% pass rate · 93,733 tests Vito73.4% pass rate · 81,263 tests GLC87.2% pass rate · 65,847 tests GLA83.1% pass rate · 64,404 tests CLA82.7% pass rate · 62,279 tests

FAQs

What is the MOT pass rate for a Mercedes-Benz Citan?

In 2025, 68.6% of 17,414 first MOT tests on the Mercedes-Benz Citan were passes (UK average: 77.5%). Data: DVSA anonymised MOT results.

What does the Citan fail its MOT on most?

The biggest defect group is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment (25.9% of its recorded defects), followed by brakes.

Is the Mercedes-Benz Citan reliable?

MOT pass rate is one lens on durability: at 68.6% it performs below the national average at a median age of 9 years and 103,072 miles. Always check the individual car's history too.

Before you agree to the work

A fault or an advisory is a quote waiting to happen. These pages set out what a garage has to tell you, what a comparable written quote should include, and what you can do if the bill is not what you agreed.

Estimates, quotes and extra work — what a price has to cover, and when a garage may charge more than it first said.
What a diagnostic test costs — what the fee should include, and when it should come off the repair.
Tools — when to buy and when to skip — how to choose a diagnostic tool, and when a garage visit is cheaper than owning one.
Choosing a garage you can check — what to verify before you hand over the keys.
Your rights after a car repair — what to do when the work is not right, and how to put it in writing.

Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 extract (Class 4 initial tests only; retests excluded). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures rounded to one decimal place.