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Mercedes-benz 300se vs Mercedes-benz E: reliability comparison

MOT pass rates, common faults and mileage compared from real UK MOT data.

Mercedes-benz 300se
79%
MOT pass rate · 6 vehicles
Mercedes-benz E
79%
MOT pass rate · 429,719 vehicles
Verdict: On MOT pass rate the Mercedes-benz 300se (79%) and Mercedes-benz E (79%) are very close — weigh the individual measures below, and remember condition depends on age, mileage and upkeep.

Head to head

Measure Mercedes-benz 300se Mercedes-benz E
MOT pass rate 79% 79%
MOT failure rate 21% 21%
Faults & advisories per test 2.3 1.6 ✓
Dangerous-fault share 0% ✓ 3%
Average mileage 120,997 mi 124,278 mi
Sample size (vehicles) 6 429,719

Most common faults

Mercedes-benz 300se

  1. Steering box has seepage (2.1.1 (e) (i))
  2. Nearside Front Power steering pipe/hose has slight seepage (2.1.5 (a))
  3. Nearside Rear Suspension arm pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement bush beginning to separate from arm (5.3.4 (a) (i))
  4. Nearside Rear Inner Drive shaft joint constant velocity boot severely deteriorated (6.1.7 (g) (i))
  5. Nearside Rear Outer Drive shaft joint constant velocity boot severely deteriorated (6.1.7 (g) (i))
  6. Offside Front Lower Suspension arm ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (5.3.4 (b) (ii))

Mercedes-benz E

  1. Nearside Rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)
  2. Offside Rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)
  3. Offside Rear Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))
  4. Nearside Rear Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))
  5. Nearside Front Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)
  6. Offside Front Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)

Reliability FAQ

On MOT pass rate the Mercedes-benz 300se (79%) and Mercedes-benz E (79%) are very close — weigh the individual measures below, and remember condition depends on age, mileage and upkeep.

Full Mercedes-benz 300se report Full Mercedes-benz E report Most reliable cars

Pass rates are computed over completed (pass/fail) MOT tests. Reliability also depends on age, mileage and upkeep — see each model's page for the full picture.