Mercedes Benz GL MOT failures and reliability

In 2023 the Mercedes Benz GL took 3,766 MOT tests in Britain and passed 79% 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: 3,766
First-time pass rate: 79%
All cars: 71%

What the GL fails on

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

Lights and electrics7.0% (all cars 11.3%)
Tyres5.5% (all cars 6.4%)
Brakes5.0% (all cars 6.8%)
Exhaust and emissions3.3% (all cars 3.1%)
Suspension2.7% (all cars 9.0%)
Body and structure2.0% (all cars 3.5%)
Visibility1.9% (all cars 4.8%)
Seat belts and airbags1.4% (all cars 1.0%)

Most common failure items

Share of tests on which each item was recorded.

Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction 2.1%
Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 2.1%
Position lamp: not working 1.6%
Tyres, condition: has ply or cords exposed 1.4%
Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded 1.2%
Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt 1.2%
Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak 1.1%
Tyres, condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords 1.1%

Most common advisories

Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 18.8%
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 9.3%
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 7.9%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 7.2%
Brake pads: wearing thin 5.4%
Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil 3.8%
Brake discs: worn, but not excessively 3.2%
Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 3.0%

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
2007	522	74%
2013	503	83%
2014	535	83%
2015	638	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
7 years	65,714 miles
8 years	72,390 miles
9 years	82,005 miles
10 years	93,716 miles
11 years	101,514 miles
12 years	109,304 miles
13 years	113,731 miles
14 years	119,085 miles
15 years	123,469 miles
16 years	128,303 miles
17 years	128,233 miles

Check a particular GL

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.