Mercedes-Benz CL MOT pass rate and common failures
In 2025, 78.9% of Mercedes-Benz CL MOT tests were a first-time pass, across 2,857 tests in Great Britain. For all cars it was 71.5%.
Compared with cars of the same age
Older cars fail more often, so a model that’s mostly a few years old will look better than one that’s mostly 12. These figures compare like with like.
At 3–5 years
–
Too few tests at this age to say.
At 6–10 years
–
Too few tests at this age to say.
At 11 years and over
78.7%
All cars: 61.3% (17.4 points better). 2,790 tests.
Pass rate by age
Figures by age, with typical mileage
| Age (years) | Tests | First-time pass | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 117 | 74.4% | 66.9% | 66,250 miles |
| 12 | 105 | 81.9% | 64.4% | 73,750 miles |
| 13 | 94 | 78.7% | 62.1% | 76,250 miles |
| 14 | 135 | 77.8% | 60.2% | 86,250 miles |
| 15 | 155 | 78.7% | 58.6% | 83,750 miles |
| 16 | 204 | 80.9% | 57.5% | 86,250 miles |
| 17 | 310 | 80.3% | 57.2% | 91,250 miles |
| 18 | 236 | 80.1% | 57.0% | 88,750 miles |
| 19 | 124 | 84.7% | 57.2% | 93,750 miles |
| 20+ | 1,310 | 77.4% | 61.4% | 101,250 miles |
Typical mileage is the median reading at the test, to the nearest 2,500 miles.
What fails most often
The share of Mercedes-Benz CL MOT tests that failed on at least one item in each area, against all cars. A test can fail on several areas at once.
| Area | CL | All cars |
|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 12.3% | 10.2% |
| Suspension | 11.7% | 13.7% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 9.8% | 16.6% |
| Tyres | 5.7% | 8.4% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 3.5% | 4.0% |
| Visibility | 3.0% | 5.2% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 1.5% | 1.1% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 1.4% | 4.2% |
Most common reasons for failing
- Ball joint excessively worn failed 4.2% of tests · what this means
- Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm failed 2.2% of tests
- Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded failed 2.2% of tests · what this means
- Position lamp: not working failed 2.0% of tests · what this means
- Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn failed 1.6% of tests · what this means
- Condition: has ply or cords exposed failed 1.6% of tests
- Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak failed 1.6% of tests · what this means
- Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements failed 1.3% of tests
- Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction failed 1.3% of tests · what this means
- Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt failed 1.2% of tests · what this means
Checking a particular CL?
See its own MOT history, mileage record and advisories in plain English. Free, no sign-up.
About these figures
- They cover every CL version DVSA records under this name (engines, trims and generations together), on its first MOT test of each visit. A “pass with rectification” (fixed within an hour) counts as a fail, as in DVSA’s own statistics.
- Cars under three years old are left out, because the few tested that young are mostly taxis.
- Fuel mix of the cars tested: petrol 99.2%, diesel 0.6%, liquefied petrolum gas (lpg) 0.3%.
- A pass rate describes the model, not any one car. How a car has been looked after matters more.
Download these figures (CSV) · Other Mercedes-Benz models · All makes
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data for 2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Our own analysis; not produced or endorsed by DVSA.