Top three failure systems, annotated from 26 failed first-time tests. Arrows point to where the defect is found on the car.
The Mercedes-Benz EQE has the third-lowest MOT failure rate of any electric car tested
939 inspections in a single year make the EQE the best-documented electric car in the data. Tyres cause 93.9% of its failures; tyres take 4.0× the share they take on petrol and diesel cars of the same age.
First-time failure rate
Overall first-time failure rate.
All electric cars in the data.
The Mercedes-Benz EQE fails 2.8% of first-time inspections. Tyres cause 93.9% of its failures.
The tyre that wears from the inside
Tyres take 93.9% of the defects that fail this car, 4.0× the share seen on petrol and diesel cars of the same age. The most common item in that group is "A tyre seriously damaged", recorded 20 times in 2024.
Where it concentrates
The EQE stays under the petrol fleet at every age we can measure. What it does fail on is unusually concentrated.
What to check
Check tyre age and tread across the full width, inner edge included. Electric cars wear tyres faster; a cheap mismatched set on a used car tells you how it was run. Ask for the full MOT history by registration on the free DVSA service: advisories are next year's failures.
Points hidden where fewer than 50 cars of that age were tested. Dashed lines are the same-age petrol and diesel fleets.
- Inspections
- 939
- Passed
- 912
- Failed
- 26
- Passed after repair
- 1
- Failure rate
- 2.8% (all EV 12.0%)
- Average age
- 0.0 years
- Top cause
- Tyres 93.9%
| System | This car (mark = petrol/diesel) | Share | vs petrol/diesel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 93.9% | 4.0× more | |
| Suspension | 0.0% | in line | |
| Brakes | 0.0% | in line | |
| Visibility | 0.0% | in line | |
| Lighting | 0.0% | in line | |
| Steering | 0.0% | in line | |
| Body | 0.0% | in line |
- A tyre seriously damaged20
- A tyre cords visible or damaged5
- Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements3
- A tyre has a lump, bulge or tear caused by separation or partial failure of its structure. This includes any lifting of the tread rubber2
- Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements1
- An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction1
Wording as printed by the tester, from the DVSA inspection manual.
- Suspension fail less often than on petrol and diesel cars (0.0% of defects vs 13.6%)
- Brakes fail less often than on petrol and diesel cars (0.0% of defects vs 18.7%)
- Visibility fail less often than on petrol and diesel cars (0.0% of defects vs 11.9%)
- Lighting fail less often than on petrol and diesel cars (0.0% of defects vs 16.5%)
- Tyres take a bigger share of failures than on petrol and diesel cars of the same age (93.9% vs 23.7%)
- EQE 300 AMG LINE PREMIUM464
- EQE 300 AMG LINE130
- EQE 300 AMG LINE PREMIUM +125
- EQE 300 SPORT EDITION81
- EQE 350+ AMG LINE PREMIUM75
- EQE 350+ EXCLUSIVE LUXURY29
- EQE 300 EXCLUSIVE LUXURY20
- EQE 350 AMG LINE PREMIUM +6
Summaries written by us, never quotes; every entry links to its source. Owner reports have no denominator and never feed the failure rate.
- 939 inspections in 2024 make this one of the adequately-documented electric cars in the data.
- Tyres take 4.0× the share of failures they take on petrol and diesel cars of the same age.
- It ranks 3 of 81 electric cars by first-time failure rate.
No battery health, no motor, no charging performance. The test covers brakes, suspension, steering, tyres, lights, visibility and structure. A car with a badly degraded battery passes as long as it stops and steers. Read this page as evidence about the chassis, not the powertrain. Cars are tested from their third year, so the newest model years are missing; every figure carries its sample size for that reason. Full methodology.