Mercedes-Benz Citan common problems and MOT pass rate

In 2025, DVSA recorded 19,951 initial MOT tests on the Mercedes-Benz Citan in Great Britain, and 60.4% passed first time. Here is where the rest failed.

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Mercedes-Benz Citan at the MOT, 2025

Initial MOT tests: 19,951
Passed first timeAll cars and vans: 72.1%: 60.4%
Failed at firstIncluding 9.7% repaired at the test and passed (PRS): 39.6%
Had a dangerous defectAll cars and vans: 7.3%: 11.6%
Licensed in the UKEnd of 2026 Q2, plus 1,314 off the road (SORN): 20,273

Contains DVSA MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0, year 2025.

Failure areas

Where the Citan fails its MOT

The share of initial tests in 2025 with at least one fail or PRS item in each part of the MOT. A test can fail in more than one area, so these do not add up to the fail rate.

1Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
21.7%
Headlamps and their aim, brake lights, indicators, fog and reversing lamps, warning lights, battery and wiringAll cars and vans: 10.8%
2Brakes
10.3%
Pedal and handbrake, pipes and hoses, discs, pads and drums, and how well the car stopsAll cars and vans: 6.4%
3Body, chassis and structure
8.7%
Corrosion and damage to the structure, the exhaust system, fuel system, doors, seats, towbar, bumpers and engine mountingsAll cars and vans: 3.3%
4Suspension
7.8%
Springs, shock absorbers, suspension arms and bushes, anti-roll bars, wheel bearings and axlesAll cars and vans: 9.0%
5Tyres
7.7%
Tread depth, cuts and bulges, the right size and type, valves and tyre pressure warning systemsAll cars and vans: 6.2%
6Visibility
7.0%
The driver's view, windscreen damage, wipers, washers and mirrorsAll cars and vans: 4.4%
7Steering
5.5%
Steering rack, joints and linkages, power steering, the steering wheel and columnAll cars and vans: 2.0%
8Noise, emissions and leaks
2.8%
Exhaust emissions and smoke, exhaust noise and fluid leaksAll cars and vans: 3.2%
9Seat belts and airbags
0.6%
Seat belts, airbags and the airbag warning lightAll cars and vans: 1.0%
10Road wheels
0.5%
Damaged or loose wheels, wheel nuts and hubsAll cars and vans: 0.4%

This modelAll cars and vans

Parts

The parts that fail most

Share of initial tests with a fail or PRS item on each part, 2025.

Stop lampLamps and electrics8.7%
TransmissionBody and structure7.5%
Position lampsLamps and electrics6.2%
Registration plate lamp(s)Lamps and electrics5.7%
Mechanical brake componentsBrakes5.3%
Steering linkage componentsSteering5.2%
Tread depthTyres4.4%
WashersVisibility4.0%

By age

Pass rate by year first used

Older cars fail more often, so compare a car with others of its year. Cars up to 25 years old; years with fewer than 250 tests are left out.

First used	Tests	Passed first time	Dangerous defect
2021	995	71.3%	8.7%
2020	1,325	69.5%	9.2%
2019	1,914	65.8%	11.3%
2018	3,517	62.0%	11.3%
2017	3,191	60.5%	10.6%
2016	3,252	58.1%	12.5%
2015	2,338	57.3%	11.9%
2014	2,001	53.3%	13.5%
2013	1,373	51.9%	13.9%

Mileage

Citan mileage by age

The median reading at the test: half the cars of that age had covered more, half less. Estimated from 1,000-mile bands, for cars up to 25 years old.

A car well above or below the typical figure is not a problem in itself, but the readings should rise steadily from one MOT to the next. A fall, or a long gap, is worth asking about.

Check a car's mileage record

Age at test	Median mileage	Readings
3 years	59,100 miles	673
4 years	64,600 miles	1,212
5 years	80,600 miles	1,578
6 years	87,900 miles	2,894
7 years	94,000 miles	3,298
8 years	104,900 miles	3,205
9 years	110,300 miles	2,813
10 years	117,500 miles	2,010
11 years	125,500 miles	1,546
12 years	129,800 miles	608

Checking a particular Citan?

Averages tell you what to look at. The registration tells you about this car: every MOT since 2005 with its failures and advisories, each mileage reading, and whether it is taxed.

Questions

Mercedes-Benz Citan: common questions

Contains DVSA MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0, year 2025.

What is the most common MOT failure on the Mercedes-Benz Citan?

In DVSA's 2025 test records, the area that failed most often on the Mercedes-Benz Citan was lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: 21.7% of initial tests had at least one fail or PRS item there, against 10.8% for all cars and vans. Next came brakes (10.3%) and body, chassis and structure (8.7%).

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

60.4% of 19,951 initial MOT tests on the Mercedes-Benz Citan in 2025 were a pass first time. Another 9.7% passed after small repairs made at the test station within the hour (PRS). Across all cars and vans, 72.1% passed first time.

Does a lower pass rate mean the Mercedes-Benz Citan is unreliable?

Not on its own. MOT results depend on age, mileage and upkeep as much as on design, so a model with many older cars on the road will usually fail more often. The table by year compares cars of a similar age. What matters most is the record of the car you are looking at, so check its MOT history before you buy.

What counts as a dangerous defect?

One the tester judges to be a direct and immediate risk to road safety, or to have a serious impact on the environment. The car fails and should not be driven until it is repaired. 11.6% of initial tests on the Mercedes-Benz Citan found at least one, against 7.3% for all cars and vans.

Where do these figures come from?

From DVSA's anonymised MOT test data for 2025, published under the Open Government Licence. We count initial tests on cars and light vans in Great Britain, as DVSA does in its own statistics: retests, appeals and abandoned tests are left out, and so are advisories and minor defects.

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