All generations and engines together · 326,126 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 61k
Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 155,859 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
On W177 cars (2018 on) the digital driver display behind the wheel can go completely black, sometimes clearing itself after a software update, sometimes needing the LVDS cable or connector behind the dash replaced. It has turned up on cars only a few thousand miles old and can come back. Mercedes has issued a formal recall for the same kind of MBUX display fault on later C-Class, E-Class and GLC models, but nothing confirmed for the A-Class itself, so a dealer denying any known issue is worth pushing back on.
The M270 1.6 and 2.0-litre turbo petrol engines (A180, A200, A250, W176) can develop a rattly cold start as the timing chain stretches and the plastic guides wear, usually from around 50,000 to 80,000 miles and worse on cars used mainly for short urban runs. Because the engine sits transversely, a full chain, guide and tensioner kit is a labour-heavy job, and independent specialists quote roughly £1,400-£2,000. No confirmed manufacturer recall covers this specific wear pattern on the A-Class.
Cars fitted with the 7G-DCT dual-clutch automatic (W176, roughly 2013-2020) can develop hesitation, jerky take-up from a stop, and occasional 'reverse not available' warnings as the clutch packs and mechatronic unit wear. It tends to show up from about 70,000 miles, and gearbox specialists quote roughly £900-£2,000 for clutch pack work or £1,200-£3,000 if the mechatronic unit needs replacing. Manuals and the later 9G-Tronic automatic are not affected by this particular gearbox's faults.
Diesel A-Classes used mainly for short journeys often can't get the DPF hot enough to self-clean, leading to warning lights, a real-world mpg drop, and on some cars diesel getting past the injectors into the sump during failed regeneration attempts, raising the oil level. It's a diesel-specific, mostly usage-pattern problem rather than a build defect, and it has cropped up on both the older W169 and the later W176/W177 diesels.
On W176 cars a pressure-equalisation vent flap between the rear load area and the bumper can fail or clog, letting water into the boot floor and rear footwells. Owners have reported soaked carpets and damp electrics on cars from a few years old up to over six years old, with Honest John's owner reports listing repair quotes of roughly £790-£1,500 to fix the flap and dry the car out. It's not something a routine MOT check will pick up.
Owners across both W176 and W177 report brake judder returning within a few thousand miles of fitting new discs and pads, in some cases three sets within a year, usually put down to hot-spotting from heavy braking or use of the brake-hold function rather than a parts defect. This lines up with brakes being the measured signature MOT fault for this segment: the folklore matches the data, though forum posters mostly blame driving style and fitment rather than the discs themselves.
Built from the two sections above.
Same segment (Family hatchbacks), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.
Head to head with the other popular cars in its class on reliability and common faults.