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Mercedes-benz A vs Mercedes-benz C: reliability comparison

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

Mercedes-benz A
89%
MOT pass rate · 97,424 vehicles
More reliable
Mercedes-benz C
78%
MOT pass rate · 675,043 vehicles
Verdict: On MOT pass rate, the Mercedes-benz A is the more reliable of the two — 89% pass first time versus 78%. It's one signal among several; check the full breakdown below.

Head to head

Measure Mercedes-benz A Mercedes-benz C
MOT pass rate 89% ✓ 78%
MOT failure rate 11% ✓ 22%
Faults & advisories per test 1.0 ✓ 1.7
Dangerous-fault share 6% 3% ✓
Average mileage 45,419 mi 112,156 mi
Sample size (vehicles) 97,424 675,043

Most common faults

Mercedes-benz A

  1. Nearside Front Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))
  2. Offside Front Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))
  3. Front Brake pad(s) wearing thin (1.1.13 (a) (ii))
  4. Rear Brake pad(s) wearing thin (1.1.13 (a) (ii))
  5. Offside Rear Tyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishing (5.2.3 (d) (ii))
  6. Nearside Rear Tyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishing (5.2.3 (d) (ii))

Mercedes-benz C

  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. Under-trays fitted obscuring some underside components
  6. Nearside Front Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)

Reliability FAQ

On MOT pass rate, the Mercedes-benz A is the more reliable of the two — 89% pass first time versus 78%. It's one signal among several; check the full breakdown below.

Full Mercedes-benz A report Full Mercedes-benz C 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.