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BMW 1 Series vs Mercedes A-Class

Both are family hatchbacks. First-time MOT failure at age 7, and what each one is known to fail on.

The BMW 1 Series is the more reliable of the two. It fails its first MOT at age 7 17.3% of the time, against 20.1% for the Mercedes A-Class.

BMW 1 Series

17.3%

fail at age 7

Rank 101 of 239 · 63k miles at 7 · 343,189 tests

Mercedes A-Class

20.1%

fail at age 7

Rank 149 of 239 · 61k miles at 7 · 326,126 tests

What each one fails on

Measured

The faults each records most at ages 6 to 9. Same figures as each full report.

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively wornAdvisory4.1%

Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road usersAdvisory3.9%

A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakageAdvisory3.8%

A wheel badly distorted or wear between wheel and hub at spigot mountingAdvisory1.9%

A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LEDFail1.4%

A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakageFail1.3%

A suspension joint dust cover severely deterioratedMinor3.1%

A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakenedFail3.0%

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively wornAdvisory1.9%

A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etcFail1.7%

Brake pipe damaged or excessively corrodedAdvisory1.4%

An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunctionFail1.4%