AutoCensus
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Makes / Mercedes-Benz / B Class

B Class

Mercedes-Benz · on record 2005 to 2025

DECLINING

Red List classification, from population, five year trajectory and survival against peak. Reviewed each census.

69,028 licensed vehicles
2025 census

90.9% of the peak fleet remains licensed

3,203
declared SORN
 
total surviving

peak 75,973 in 2021  ·  −1,792 vehicles a year, five year trend

Population history

Licensed and SORN vehicles at each census. Filters apply to the population, MOT and registration figures together.

Licensed SORN Latest census observation SOURCE DVLA VEH0120 / VEH0220

At the average decline recorded over the latest five years, the licensed fleet would reach zero around 2063.

Illustrative projection only; vehicle populations rarely decline linearly. Late fleets typically flatten as surviving examples enter preservation.

Inside the surviving fleet

AutoCensus parses every DVLA variant description, so the fleet can be read by fuel and specification rather than as one number.

First registrations by year

When surviving examples first joined the British fleet.

New registrations

Vehicles first registered each year. A fleet still being sold shows here; a finished one shows only imports.

MOT reliability

DVSA test results for this family, 2008 to 2025.

 
Pass rate by year
Failure reason Failures Share of all tests
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated 23 3.9%
A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated 18 3.0%
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view 14 2.4%
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened 14 2.4%
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc 12 2.0%
The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements 11 1.9%
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn 10 1.7%
A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative 8 1.4%

Counted across every recorded test, 2008 to 2025. Advisories are excluded.

Where the B Class remains

Based on MOT test locations, 2025. Test location is a proxy: a vehicle is counted where it was last tested, not where it is kept.

Postcode area Vehicles tested Pass rate
TW 4 50%
HU 4 50%
NG 4 50%
TN 3 33%
OX 2 50%
RH 2 50%
SS 2 50%
IP 2 50%
CB 1 100%
BR 1 100%
EN 1 100%
BN 1 100%
UB 1 100%
SE 1 100%
SK 1 100%
Show all 21 areas

How this record was calculated

LATEST CENSUS2025
POPULATION SOURCEDVLA VEH0220 quarterly
HISTORY SOURCEDVLA VEH0120 GB · to 2013
MOT SOURCEDVSA results · to 2025
FAMILY DEFINITIONMERCEDES B CLASS
PROCESSED20 Jul 2026
Full methodology

Population figures count vehicles recorded as licensed or SORN in the DVLA quarterly extract. Figures before 2014 cover Great Britain only. Vehicles are grouped into this family by the DVLA GenModel key shown above, with routing rules for known inconsistencies.

Variant figures are parsed from raw DVLA model descriptions and the original string is always retained. Blank transmission fields are shown as manual because DVLA records the field for automatic vehicles.

MOT figures count tests, not vehicles, and geographic figures count each vehicle at its most recent test location. The decline projection is a straight line fitted to the latest five years and is illustrative only.