Mercedes Benz CLS MOT failures and reliability

In 2023 the Mercedes Benz CLS took 25,188 MOT tests in Britain and passed 75% 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: 25,188
First-time pass rate: 75%
All cars: 71%

What the CLS fails on

Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.

Tyres9.9% (all cars 6.4%)
Suspension7.7% (all cars 9.0%)
Brakes6.3% (all cars 6.8%)
Lights and electrics5.1% (all cars 11.3%)
Exhaust and emissions2.9% (all cars 3.1%)
Visibility2.0% (all cars 4.8%)
Wheels1.5% (all cars 0.4%)
Steering1.2% (all cars 1.8%)

Most common failure items

Share of tests on which each item was recorded.

Tyres, condition: has ply or cords exposed 3.2%
Coil spring: fractured or broken 3.1%
Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 2.6%
Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded 2.4%
Suspension arms, ball joint: ball joint excessively worn 2.1%
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction 2.0%
Tyres, condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords 2.0%
Tyres, condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure 1.5%

Most common advisories

Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 19.6%
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 12.5%
Brake pads: wearing thin 7.5%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 7.2%
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 4.7%
Wheel bearings: has slight play 4.4%
Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 4.0%
Suspension arms, ball joint: ball joint has slight play 3.4%

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
2005	1,047	72%
2006	1,692	69%
2007	1,970	67%
2008	1,536	68%
2009	1,215	65%
2010	1,166	65%
2011	1,274	76%
2012	1,177	75%
2013	3,190	75%
2014	1,867	76%
2015	2,956	82%
2016	2,155	81%
2017	1,526	83%
2018	1,001	83%
2019	1,117	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
3 years	25,572 miles
4 years	34,098 miles
5 years	42,246 miles
6 years	52,035 miles
7 years	62,356 miles
8 years	73,973 miles
9 years	80,452 miles
10 years	90,825 miles
11 years	92,583 miles
12 years	98,206 miles
13 years	108,321 miles
14 years	111,281 miles
15 years	118,827 miles
16 years	120,747 miles
17 years	118,575 miles
18 years	105,593 miles

Check a particular CLS

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

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.