Mercedes Benz ML MOT failures and reliability

In 2023 the Mercedes Benz ML took 35,890 MOT tests in Britain and passed 71% of them first time, close to 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: 35,890
First-time pass rate: 71%
All cars: 71%

What the ML fails on

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

Lights and electrics12.7% (all cars 11.3%)
Brakes8.4% (all cars 6.8%)
Suspension8.2% (all cars 9.0%)
Tyres5.3% (all cars 6.4%)
Exhaust and emissions4.1% (all cars 3.1%)
Body and structure3.2% (all cars 3.5%)
Visibility3.1% (all cars 4.8%)
Steering2.2% (all cars 1.8%)

Most common failure items

Share of tests on which each item was recorded.

Coil spring: fractured or broken 5.1%
Position lamp: not working 3.1%
Stop lamp: not working 2.9%
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction 2.2%
Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 2.0%
Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded 1.9%
Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick 1.5%
Tyres, condition: has ply or cords exposed 1.4%

Most common advisories

Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 20.0%
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 14.9%
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 11.0%
Brake pads: wearing thin 7.3%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 6.3%
Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 3.9%
Coil spring: corroded 3.4%
Brake discs: worn, but not excessively 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
2000	524	60%
2001	629	63%
2002	1,150	61%
2003	1,255	56%
2004	1,732	58%
2005	1,247	59%
2006	2,255	67%
2007	2,546	66%
2008	2,605	66%
2009	2,234	68%
2010	2,847	68%
2011	2,771	71%
2012	2,359	78%
2013	4,316	81%
2014	3,902	82%
2015	3,216	85%

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
8 years	70,080 miles
9 years	80,039 miles
10 years	90,314 miles
11 years	95,048 miles
12 years	103,522 miles
13 years	111,498 miles
14 years	117,469 miles
15 years	123,400 miles
16 years	127,997 miles
17 years	129,811 miles
18 years	128,460 miles
19 years	130,522 miles
20 years	130,706 miles

Check a particular ML

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.