Mercedes-Benz CLA MOT pass rate & common failures
The Mercedes-Benz CLA appears in 319,067 MOT tests spanning model years 2013–2025, and 86.4% of them passed. That is 1.3 percentage points worse than small family cars of a similar age, which fail at 12.2%. Its most common failure areas are tyres, lighting & signalling and brakes.
Best and worst CLA years
Ranked across CLA years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
Not every year is equal — 90.4% of 2022 examples pass against 81.3% of 2013 ones.
One area stands out: tyres, recorded in 7.6% of tests against 2.6% for the next-worst category.
At component level the recurring items are tread depth, brake pads and headlamp aim — tread depth alone was recorded 9,329 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 8.4% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 20.0% once past 150k — 2.4× the risk.
The hybrid cars hold up better: 10.3% fail against 14.8% for diesel, a 4.6-point gap across 157,167 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 25.9% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 12.0% of tests failed in 2021 against 14.2% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
Versions & engines
MOT records broken out by the engine designations buyers actually search for.
By model year
Every CLA model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 13,038 | 81.3% | 18.7% | Tyres |
| 2014 | 26,016 | 83.2% | 16.9% | Tyres |
| 2015 | 40,695 | 84.0% | 16.0% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 45,114 | 85.0% | 15.0% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 47,797 | 86.2% | 13.8% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 48,113 | 87.6% | 12.4% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 37,882 | 88.3% | 11.7% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 25,188 | 89.1% | 10.9% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 21,539 | 89.7% | 10.3% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 12,911 | 90.4% | 9.6% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 746 | 94.1% | 5.9% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 7.6% | 24,144 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 2.6% | 8,332 |
| 3 | Brakes | 2.5% | 8,131 |
| 4 | Visibility | 2.5% | 8,024 |
| 5 | Suspension | 2.5% | 7,892 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 1.5% | 4,742 |
| 7 | Seat belts & restraints | 0.9% | 2,940 |
| 8 | Road wheels | 0.7% | 2,323 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tread depth | 9,329 |
| 2 | Brake pads | 6,797 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 5,744 |
| 4 | Washers | 5,249 |
| 5 | Coil spring | 4,639 |
| 6 | Malfunction indicator lamp | 4,284 |
| 7 | Wipers | 3,535 |
| 8 | SRS malfunction indicator lamp | 2,531 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 25.9% | 82,579 |
| 2 | Brakes | 16.1% | 51,488 |
| 3 | Other defects | 6.0% | 19,131 |
| 4 | Visibility | 3.4% | 10,967 |
| 5 | Suspension | 3.4% | 10,760 |
| 6 | Road wheels | 1.4% | 4,420 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 68,663 | 8.4% |
| 30-60k | 131,354 | 12.8% |
| 60-90k | 77,569 | 16.5% |
| 90-120k | 29,983 | 18.9% |
| 120-150k | 8,676 | 19.4% |
| 150k+ | 2,767 | 20.0% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 161,900 | 12.6% |
| Diesel | 147,958 | 14.8% |
| Hybrid | 9,209 | 10.3% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 44,501 | 12.0% |
| 2022 | 53,751 | 12.8% |
| 2023 | 62,541 | 13.9% |
| 2024 | 72,805 | 14.2% |
| 2025 | 85,469 | 14.2% |
What to check before buying a Mercedes-Benz CLA
- Tyres (7.6% of tests): Usually a quick, known-cost fix, but check tread, age and uneven wear (which can hint at alignment or suspension issues). Typical repair: £50–£120 per tyre.
- Lighting & signalling (2.6% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (2.5% of tests): Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair: £100–£350 per axle.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Mercedes-Benz CLA?
86.4% of the 319,067 Mercedes-Benz CLA MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 13.6% fail rate, across model years 2013–2025.
What does the Mercedes-Benz CLA most often fail its MOT on?
Tyres, recorded in 7.6% of tests, then lighting & signalling (2.6%).
Which CLA years are best and worst for MOT results?
2022 has the best pass rate at 90.4% and 2013 the weakest at 81.3%, from 12,911 and 13,038 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect CLA MOT results?
Fail rates run at 8.4% for cars in the 0-30k band and 20.0% for 150k+, a 11.6-point difference.
Is the hybrid or diesel CLA more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 10.3% of the time against 14.8% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 319,067 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.