Mercedes-Benz CLC MOT pass rate and common failures
In 2025, 55.8% of Mercedes-Benz CLC MOT tests were a first-time pass, across 7,924 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
55.8%
All cars: 61.3% (5.5 points worse). 7,903 tests.
Pass rate by age
Figures by age, with typical mileage
| Age (years) | Tests | First-time pass | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 133 | 63.9% | 62.1% | 83,750 miles |
| 14 | 1,730 | 56.2% | 60.2% | 91,250 miles |
| 15 | 2,781 | 54.5% | 58.6% | 101,250 miles |
| 16 | 2,683 | 56.1% | 57.5% | 106,250 miles |
| 17 | 576 | 58.2% | 57.2% | 108,750 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 CLC 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 | CLC | All cars |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 43.2% | 13.7% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 26.6% | 16.6% |
| Brakes | 19.1% | 10.2% |
| Tyres | 13.0% | 8.4% |
| Visibility | 9.0% | 5.2% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 6.8% | 4.0% |
| Steering | 5.3% | 2.5% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 3.1% | 4.2% |
Most common reasons for failing
- Ball joint excessively worn failed 14.1% of tests · what this means
- Coil spring: fractured or broken failed 9.3% of tests · what this means
- Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm failed 5.4% of tests
- Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn failed 4.9% of tests · what this means
- Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt failed 4.4% of tests · what this means
- Position lamp: not working failed 4.3% of tests · what this means
- Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded failed 4.2% of tests · what this means
- Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play failed 3.9% of tests · what this means
- Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid failed 3.5% of tests · what this means
- Individual direction indicators: incorrect colour failed 3.5% of tests
Checking a particular CLC?
See its own MOT history, mileage record and advisories in plain English. Free, no sign-up.
About these figures
- They cover every CLC 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 66.4%, diesel 33.6%, liquefied petrolum gas (lpg) 0.0%.
- 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.