Mercedes Benz SL MOT failures and reliability

In 2023 the Mercedes Benz SL took 22,321 MOT tests in Britain and passed 83% 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: 22,321
First-time pass rate: 83%
All cars: 71%

What the SL fails on

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

Lights and electrics5.0% (all cars 11.3%)
Suspension4.7% (all cars 9.0%)
Tyres4.2% (all cars 6.4%)
Brakes3.5% (all cars 6.8%)
Visibility2.3% (all cars 4.8%)
Exhaust and emissions1.9% (all cars 3.1%)
Body and structure1.0% (all cars 3.5%)
Seat belts and airbags0.8% (all cars 1.0%)

Most common failure items

Share of tests on which each item was recorded.

Coil spring: fractured or broken 1.2%
Tyres, condition: has ply or cords exposed 1.1%
Tyres, condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords 1.0%
Suspension arms, ball joint: ball joint excessively worn 1.0%
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 1.0%
Ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt 0.9%
Headlamp aim: too low 0.8%
Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded 0.8%

Most common advisories

Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 9.8%
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 8.4%
Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 6.3%
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 4.9%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 4.9%
Brake pads: wearing thin 3.5%
Suspension arms, ball joint: ball joint has slight play 2.7%
Wheel bearings: has slight play 2.5%

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
1994	409	77%
1995	566	79%
1996	598	80%
1997	702	81%
1998	713	82%
1999	553	81%
2000	507	81%
2002	1,046	81%
2003	2,501	81%
2004	1,959	82%
2005	1,191	83%
2006	850	82%
2007	822	82%
2008	783	83%
2009	491	80%
2010	363	80%
2012	425	79%
2013	1,144	84%
2014	1,068	86%
2015	816	90%
2016	786	89%
2017	659	90%
2018	418	91%
2019	427	92%

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	12,726 miles
4 years	16,217 miles
5 years	21,875 miles
6 years	26,573 miles
7 years	31,660 miles
8 years	36,830 miles
9 years	43,092 miles
10 years	45,371 miles
11 years	46,307 miles
12 years	48,780 miles
13 years	56,839 miles
14 years	59,560 miles
15 years	62,805 miles
16 years	68,752 miles
17 years	72,922 miles
18 years	73,713 miles
19 years	75,259 miles
20 years	75,292 miles

Check a particular SL

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.