Mercedes-Benz Citan MOT pass rate & common failures
The Mercedes-Benz Citan appears in 114,030 MOT tests spanning model years 2013–2021, and 78.0% of them passed. Against vans of a similar age (19.3% fail rate), the Citan comes out 2.7pp worse. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, brakes and tyres.
Best and worst Citan years
Ranked across Citan years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
Build year matters more than the headline suggests: 2019 cars pass 82.8% of the time while 2013 cars manage 72.7%, a 10.2-point spread.
Lighting & signalling dominates the failure mix at 15.9% of all tests — 8.0 points clear of brakes, so it is the first thing to check.
At component level the recurring items are stop lamp, joints and tread depth — stop lamp alone was recorded 8,218 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 25.9% versus 11.3%.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 13.7pp more often than petrol ones (22.2% vs 8.5%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: brakes was flagged on 30.1% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 19.1% of tests failed in 2021 against 24.3% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Citan model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 10,251 | 72.7% | 27.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 14,573 | 73.6% | 26.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 15,930 | 76.9% | 23.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 21,643 | 77.7% | 22.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 20,593 | 80.0% | 20.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2018 | 22,211 | 80.7% | 19.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2019 | 8,760 | 82.8% | 17.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2020 | 62 | 83.9% | 16.1% | Lighting & signalling |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 15.9% | 18,086 |
| 2 | Brakes | 7.8% | 8,933 |
| 3 | Tyres | 6.3% | 7,207 |
| 4 | Visibility | 6.3% | 7,128 |
| 5 | Body, structure & corrosion | 5.8% | 6,608 |
| 6 | Suspension | 4.6% | 5,266 |
| 7 | Steering | 3.6% | 4,155 |
| 8 | Emissions & environmental | 1.5% | 1,760 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stop lamp | 8,218 |
| 2 | Joints | 6,412 |
| 3 | Tread depth | 6,070 |
| 4 | Registration plate lamp(s) | 5,081 |
| 5 | Position lamp | 5,015 |
| 6 | Brake pads | 4,902 |
| 7 | Track rod end | 4,515 |
| 8 | Wipers | 4,281 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brakes | 30.1% | 34,317 |
| 2 | Tyres | 26.4% | 30,051 |
| 3 | Lighting & signalling | 12.8% | 14,642 |
| 4 | Visibility | 9.0% | 10,294 |
| 5 | Other defects | 6.6% | 7,464 |
| 6 | Suspension | 6.5% | 7,380 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 5,614 | 11.3% |
| 30-60k | 23,437 | 17.9% |
| 60-90k | 31,602 | 21.8% |
| 90-120k | 25,842 | 24.2% |
| 120-150k | 14,837 | 25.9% |
| 150k+ | 12,536 | 25.9% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 112,328 | 22.2% |
| Petrol | 1,702 | 8.5% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 21,032 | 19.1% |
| 2022 | 23,592 | 20.6% |
| 2023 | 23,638 | 22.2% |
| 2024 | 23,199 | 23.5% |
| 2025 | 22,569 | 24.3% |
What to check before buying a Mercedes-Benz Citan
- Lighting & signalling (15.9% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (7.8% of tests): Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair: £100–£350 per axle.
- Tyres (6.3% of tests): Usually a quick, known-cost fix, but check tread, age and uneven wear (which can hint at alignment or suspension issues). Typical repair: £50–£120 per tyre.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Mercedes-Benz Citan?
78.0% of the 114,030 Mercedes-Benz Citan MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 22.0% fail rate, across model years 2013–2021.
What does the Mercedes-Benz Citan most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 15.9% of tests, then brakes (7.8%).
Which Citan years are best and worst for MOT results?
2019 has the best pass rate at 82.8% and 2013 the weakest at 72.7%, from 8,760 and 10,251 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Citan MOT results?
Fail rates run at 11.3% for cars in the 0-30k band and 25.9% for 150k+, a 14.6-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Citan more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 8.5% of the time against 22.2% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 114,030 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.