Mercedes-Benz Slk-Class MOT pass rate and common failures
In 2025, 71.9% of Mercedes-Benz Slk-Class MOT tests were a first-time pass, across 54,178 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
79.6%
All cars: 76.1% (3.5 points better). 8,503 tests.
At 11 years and over
70.4%
All cars: 61.3% (9.1 points better). 45,669 tests.
Pass rate by age
Figures by age, with typical mileage
| Age (years) | Tests | First-time pass | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 461 | 84.6% | 76.3% | 41,250 miles |
| 9 | 3,278 | 80.7% | 73.1% | 46,250 miles |
| 10 | 4,764 | 78.4% | 70.0% | 51,250 miles |
| 11 | 4,606 | 74.7% | 66.9% | 58,750 miles |
| 12 | 5,452 | 73.9% | 64.4% | 63,750 miles |
| 13 | 4,003 | 74.5% | 62.1% | 61,250 miles |
| 14 | 1,866 | 72.9% | 60.2% | 63,750 miles |
| 15 | 2,299 | 69.2% | 58.6% | 68,750 miles |
| 16 | 2,691 | 68.1% | 57.5% | 71,250 miles |
| 17 | 3,357 | 67.8% | 57.2% | 76,250 miles |
| 18 | 3,313 | 67.3% | 57.0% | 78,750 miles |
| 19 | 3,847 | 68.2% | 57.2% | 81,250 miles |
| 20+ | 14,235 | 68.8% | 61.4% | 83,750 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 Slk-Class 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 | Slk-Class | All cars |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 17.6% | 13.7% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 12.5% | 16.6% |
| Brakes | 9.8% | 10.2% |
| Tyres | 8.7% | 8.4% |
| Visibility | 4.0% | 5.2% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 3.3% | 4.0% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 1.7% | 4.2% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 1.4% | 1.1% |
Most common reasons for failing
- Coil spring: fractured or broken failed 5.7% of tests · what this means
- Ball joint excessively worn failed 3.4% of tests · what this means
- Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm failed 2.7% of tests
- Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded failed 2.2% of tests · what this means
- Condition: has ply or cords exposed failed 2.0% of tests
- Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn failed 1.7% of tests · what this means
- Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction failed 1.7% of tests · what this means
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively failed 1.6% of tests · what this means
- Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords failed 1.6% of tests
- Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt failed 1.6% of tests · what this means
Checking a particular Slk-Class?
See its own MOT history, mileage record and advisories in plain English. Free, no sign-up.
About these figures
- They cover every Slk-Class 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 75.7%, diesel 24.3%, 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.