Mercedes Benz GLA MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Mercedes Benz GLA took 78,901 MOT tests in Britain and passed 86% 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
- 78,901
- First-time pass rate
- 86%
- All cars
- 71%
What the GLA fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Tyres4.8% (all cars 6.4%)
- Brakes2.4% (all cars 6.8%)
- Visibility2.3% (all cars 4.8%)
- Suspension2.3% (all cars 9.0%)
- Lights and electrics2.3% (all cars 11.3%)
- Exhaust and emissions1.0% (all cars 3.1%)
- Body and structure1.0% (all cars 3.5%)
- Seat belts and airbags0.4% (all cars 1.0%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 1.8%
- Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick 1.5%
- Tyres, condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords 1.2%
- Coil spring: fractured or broken 1.2%
- Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction 1.0%
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 0.9%
- Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid 0.9%
- Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt 0.8%
Most common advisories
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 16.3%
- Brake pads: wearing thin 8.8%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 7.5%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 5.0%
- Brake discs: worn, but not excessively 3.0%
- Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt 2.6%
- Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre 2.5%
- Tyres, condition: has a cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords 1.4%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 3,472 | 82% |
| 2015 | 8,867 | 81% |
| 2016 | 10,617 | 83% |
| 2017 | 12,845 | 86% |
| 2018 | 16,405 | 87% |
| 2019 | 16,938 | 89% |
| 2020 | 9,318 | 91% |
| 2021 | 438 | 95% |
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 | 21,918 miles |
| 4 years | 28,943 miles |
| 5 years | 37,649 miles |
| 6 years | 47,169 miles |
| 7 years | 56,676 miles |
| 8 years | 63,968 miles |
| 9 years | 68,852 miles |
Check a particular GLA
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 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 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.