Mercedes Benz CLA MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Mercedes Benz CLA took 54,508 MOT tests in Britain and passed 81% 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
- 54,508
- First-time pass rate
- 81%
- All cars
- 71%
What the CLA fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Tyres9.1% (all cars 6.4%)
- Lights and electrics3.0% (all cars 11.3%)
- Brakes3.0% (all cars 6.8%)
- Visibility3.0% (all cars 4.8%)
- Suspension2.7% (all cars 9.0%)
- Exhaust and emissions1.6% (all cars 3.1%)
- Seat belts and airbags1.1% (all cars 1.0%)
- Wheels0.8% (all cars 0.4%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 2.5%
- Tyres, condition: has ply or cords exposed 2.5%
- Tyres, condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords 2.2%
- Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick 1.7%
- Coil spring: fractured or broken 1.6%
- Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction 1.5%
- Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid 1.4%
- Tyres, condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure 1.1%
Most common advisories
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 19.4%
- Brake pads: wearing thin 8.5%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 6.6%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 6.4%
- Brake discs: worn, but not excessively 3.2%
- Tyres, condition: has a cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords 2.7%
- Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt 2.1%
- Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre 2.0%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 2,153 | 71% |
| 2014 | 4,439 | 76% |
| 2015 | 6,951 | 78% |
| 2016 | 7,799 | 79% |
| 2017 | 8,316 | 81% |
| 2018 | 8,437 | 83% |
| 2019 | 8,424 | 84% |
| 2020 | 7,580 | 86% |
| 2021 | 399 | 91% |
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 |
|---|---|
| 3 years | 27,694 miles |
| 4 years | 33,474 miles |
| 5 years | 43,585 miles |
| 6 years | 55,654 miles |
| 7 years | 65,740 miles |
| 8 years | 74,371 miles |
| 9 years | 80,864 miles |
| 10 years | 86,185 miles |
Check a particular CLA
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 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 CL
- 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.