UK vehicle statistics / Mercedes

How many Mercedes Sprinter cars are left?

At the end of 2026 Q1, DfT recorded 259,076 licensed and 55,379 SORN vehicles in the UK within the Mercedes Sprinter generic-model group.

Looking at a Sprinter?

Population figures cannot tell you whether one particular car is taxed, MOT-valid or safe to buy.

Check its registration free for the official tax, MOT and mileage record. If the car is still worth pursuing, the optional £9.99 full history check adds outstanding-finance, stolen and insurance write-off checks.

Wondering whether one particular Sprinter is off the road? A free SORN check shows whether it is currently SORN, taxed or untaxed.

Is the Sprinter disappearing?

Licensed numbers peaked at 262,339 in 2024 Q3 and stand at 259,076 in 2026 Q1, down 1%. That is up 5% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 55,379 are declared SORN — 1 in 6 of the 314,455 still on the DVLA record is off the road, laid up, part-restored or waiting to be sold.

A falling population is worth knowing before you buy: it usually means fewer donor cars, fewer specialists and slower parts supply, and it is why a good example of a scarce model can hold its price while a neglected one is hard to sell at any price.

Sprinter MOT pass rate

In 2024, 70.2% of 19,997 Mercedes Sprinter MOTs passed first time — below the 71.2% UK average. Pass rate moves with age: 84.1% of cars aged 3–5 years passed first time, against 62.4% aged 15–30 years.

  • Brake Performance — 9.8% of tests. The brakes underperformed on the rolling road. Expect brake work rather than an adjustment.
  • Headlamp Aim — 4.1% of tests. Headlights pointing too high or low. Cheap to adjust, and common on every make.
  • Exhaust Emissions — 3.6% of tests. The car exceeded its emissions limits. Can be a sensor or a service, but on a diesel it can also mean an expensive filter or catalyst.
  • Position Lamps — 3.2% of tests. A side or tail light out. Usually a bulb.

Full age bands and failure notes are on the Mercedes Sprinter MOT pass rate page.

Before you buy

  • Brake Performance — 9.8% of tests in 2024. The brakes underperformed on the rolling road. Expect brake work rather than an adjustment.
  • Headlamp Aim — 4.1% of tests in 2024. Headlights pointing too high or low. Cheap to adjust, and common on every make.
  • Exhaust Emissions — 3.6% of tests in 2024. The car exceeded its emissions limits. Can be a sensor or a service, but on a diesel it can also mean an expensive filter or catalyst.
  • Position Lamps — 3.2% of tests in 2024. A side or tail light out. Usually a bulb.
  • Check the actual Sprinter — These figures describe the model group. Enter the registration for that vehicle's free MOT, tax and mileage record before you pay a deposit.

Quarterly licensed and SORN counts

Every quarter DfT has published for this model group, newest first.

QuarterLicensedSORN
2026 Q1259,07655,379
2025 Q4260,03354,030
2025 Q3261,41651,186
2025 Q2261,39850,060
2025 Q1260,64550,170
2024 Q4262,20748,864
2024 Q3262,33947,154
2024 Q2261,28546,109
2024 Q1260,02445,486
2023 Q4260,29544,481
2023 Q3261,87441,600
2023 Q2262,28140,463
2023 Q1260,35740,152
2022 Q4260,55039,757
2022 Q3259,93437,068
2022 Q2259,27735,994
2022 Q1257,38036,257
2021 Q4257,26735,804
2021 Q3256,87533,585
2021 Q2253,41533,392
2021 Q1246,47735,083
2020 Q4243,54134,699
2020 Q3240,27632,843
2020 Q2229,55234,541
2020 Q1228,53634,659
2019 Q4233,07329,324
2019 Q3231,85626,748
2019 Q2228,70925,240
2019 Q1224,95424,671
2018 Q4224,34323,782
2018 Q3220,67121,499
2018 Q2218,75220,369
2018 Q1217,41320,187
2017 Q4217,33019,739
2017 Q3215,44118,027
2017 Q2211,60517,358
2017 Q1207,39016,769
2016 Q4205,78916,147
2016 Q3202,43214,121
2016 Q2198,94613,360
2016 Q1195,41813,515
2015 Q4193,57012,270
2015 Q3190,20010,898
2015 Q2185,43110,030
2015 Q1181,7489,645
2014 Q4180,2519,401
2014 Q3179,0108,182

Other Mercedes models

See how many of every Mercedes model are left

Common questions

How many Mercedes Sprinter cars are left in the UK?

259,076 were licensed and 55,379 were SORN at the end of 2026 Q1, according to DfT and DVLA statistics for this generic-model group.

How many Mercedes Sprinter cars are SORN?

55,379 are declared SORN — 1 in 6 of the 314,455 still on the DVLA record at the end of 2026 Q1.

Is the Sprinter disappearing?

Licensed numbers peaked at 262,339 in 2024 Q3 and stand at 259,076 in 2026 Q1, down 1%. That is up 5% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 55,379 are declared SORN — 1 in 6 of the 314,455 still on the DVLA record is off the road, laid up, part-restored or waiting to be sold.

What is the Mercedes Sprinter MOT pass rate?

In 2024, 70.2% of 19,997 Mercedes Sprinter MOTs passed first time — below the 71.2% UK average.

What does the Sprinter fail its MOT on?

The most common initial failure categories in 2024 are brake performance (9.8% of tests), headlamp aim (4.1% of tests), exhaust emissions (3.6% of tests).

Does this say whether one Sprinter is a good buy?

No. These are population figures for the model group. Enter that vehicle's registration for its own free MOT, tax and mileage record.

Source and limitations

Source: Department for Transport and DVLA, df_VEH0120_UK. Released 2026-07-15 under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

DVLA make and model fields are administrative data and can contain omissions or inconsistencies. These statistics describe model groups, not an individual registration.

Confidential cells marked [c] represent between 1 and 4 vehicles and are treated as zero in aggregates, so totals can be slightly understated.