Mercedes Benz SLC MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Mercedes Benz SLC took 8,854 MOT tests in Britain and passed 88% 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
- 8,854
- First-time pass rate
- 88%
- All cars
- 71%
What the SLC fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Tyres7.1% (all cars 6.4%)
- Suspension2.1% (all cars 9.0%)
- Lights and electrics1.8% (all cars 11.3%)
- Brakes1.2% (all cars 6.8%)
- Exhaust and emissions1.0% (all cars 3.1%)
- Visibility0.6% (all cars 4.8%)
- Wheels0.4% (all cars 0.4%)
- Number plates and VIN0.3% (all cars 0.4%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Tyres, condition: has ply or cords exposed 2.4%
- Tyres, condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords 2.4%
- Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 1.5%
- Coil spring: fractured or broken 0.9%
- Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction 0.6%
- Headlamp aim: too low 0.6%
- Tyres, condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure 0.6%
- Suspension arms, ball joint: ball joint excessively worn 0.5%
Most common advisories
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 15.1%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 7.2%
- Tyres, condition: has a cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords 3.2%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 2.3%
- Brake pads: wearing thin 1.9%
- Wheel bearings: has slight play 1.6%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged 1.4%
- Road Wheels, condition: slightly distorted 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2,274 | 85% |
| 2017 | 3,458 | 86% |
| 2018 | 1,507 | 90% |
| 2019 | 1,006 | 93% |
| 2020 | 594 | 91% |
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 | 13,958 miles |
| 4 years | 17,129 miles |
| 5 years | 23,842 miles |
| 6 years | 30,473 miles |
| 7 years | 36,077 miles |
Check a particular SLC
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 GLA
- 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 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.