Mercedes Benz CL MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Mercedes Benz CL took 3,385 MOT tests in Britain and passed 78% of them first time, above the national average of 71% for all cars. The figures below come from the DVSA's record of every test, so they show what testers actually found on these cars rather than what owners report.
- MOT tests in 2023
- 3,385
- First-time pass rate
- 78%
- All cars
- 71%
What the CL fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Suspension7.1% (all cars 9.0%)
- Brakes6.9% (all cars 6.8%)
- Lights and electrics6.9% (all cars 11.3%)
- Tyres4.8% (all cars 6.4%)
- Exhaust and emissions2.9% (all cars 3.1%)
- Visibility2.9% (all cars 4.8%)
- Seat belts and airbags1.5% (all cars 1.0%)
- Body and structure1.5% (all cars 3.5%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Suspension arms, ball joint: ball joint excessively worn 2.3%
- Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded 1.7%
- Tyres, condition: has ply or cords exposed 1.5%
- Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak 1.5%
- Position lamp: not working 1.5%
- Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction 1.4%
- SRS malfunction indicator lamp: warning lamp indicates a fault 1.3%
- Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 1.3%
Most common advisories
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 16.1%
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 13.6%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 10.0%
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 6.8%
- Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil 5.9%
- Brake pads: wearing thin 5.9%
- Suspension arms, ball joint: ball joint has slight play 5.7%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 5.0%
Pass rate by year of registration
Older cars fail more often whatever the model, so compare a car with others of the same age.
| First registered | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 429 | 75% |
| 2003 | 315 | 75% |
| 2007 | 469 | 83% |
Typical mileage by age
Average odometer reading at the MOT, by the car's age in years at the test.
| Age at test | Average mileage |
|---|---|
| 10 years | 66,757 miles |
| 11 years | 67,749 miles |
| 12 years | 74,568 miles |
| 13 years | 79,947 miles |
| 14 years | 83,379 miles |
| 15 years | 83,060 miles |
| 16 years | 89,195 miles |
| 18 years | 93,380 miles |
| 19 years | 95,653 miles |
| 20 years | 103,856 miles |
Check a particular CL
Model figures tell you what to look out for. To see one car's own MOT history, mileage and tax, enter its registration.
Other Mercedes Benz models
- Mercedes Benz C Class
- Mercedes Benz A Class
- Mercedes Benz E Class
- Mercedes Benz Vito
- Mercedes Benz GLA
- Mercedes Benz GLC
- Mercedes Benz B Class
- Mercedes Benz SLK
- Mercedes Benz CLA
- Mercedes Benz ML
- Mercedes Benz CLK
- Mercedes Benz S Class
- Mercedes Benz GLE
- Mercedes Benz CLS
- Mercedes Benz Sprinter
- Mercedes Benz SL
- Mercedes Benz Citan
- Mercedes Benz V Class
- Mercedes Benz CLC
- Mercedes Benz SLC
- Mercedes Benz Viano
- Mercedes Benz GL
- Mercedes Benz X Class
- Mercedes Benz 190
- Mercedes Benz 300
- Mercedes Benz GLS
- Mercedes Benz R Class
- Mercedes Benz A 200
- Mercedes Benz G Class
- Mercedes Benz C 320
- Mercedes Benz GT
- Mercedes Benz 500
- Mercedes Benz 280
Source: Department for Transport, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023, cars and light vans, normal tests only. Pass rates are first-time passes; a pass after repair at the test station counts as a fail. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.