Mercedes-Benz CLA, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls
125,274 Mercedes-Benz CLAs are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 80.8% of initial MOT tests, 8.5 points above the 72.3% UK average.
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Mercedes-Benz CLA at the MOT
80.8% of 76,233 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the CLA 188th of 575 models. Mercedes-Benz CLAs aged 3 to 5 years passed 85.6% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 70.6%.
First-time pass rate, 2025
Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.
Pass rate by age at test
Mercedes-Benz CLA tests in 2025.
Where CLAs fail
Share of all failure items recorded on Mercedes-Benz CLA tests in 2025.
The items testers recorded most often were tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (8.8%), condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (8.1%) and condition has ply or cords exposed (8%).
The MOT page lists every common CLA MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.
What to look at on a viewing
The CLA's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.
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Tyres
Check tread depth across the full width of every tyre (the legal minimum is 1.6mm), and look for cuts, bulges and uneven wear.33.8% of CLA failure items
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Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.15.6% of CLA failure items
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Brakes
Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing.12.6% of CLA failure items
Mercedes-Benz CLAs in the UK
125,274 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 301% since the end of 2017.
- Change since 2017
- +301%from 31,214 licensed
- Typical year of first use
- 2021half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2021 or earlier
- First registered in 2025
- 14,734against 15,650 in 2024
- Declared off the road
- 2,7432.1% of those registered, under SORN
Licensed Mercedes-Benz CLAs since 2014
Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.
Show the figures
| Date | Licensed |
|---|---|
| End of 2014 | 7,782 |
| End of 2015 | 15,234 |
| End of 2016 | 23,236 |
| End of 2017 | 31,214 |
| End of 2018 | 39,634 |
| End of 2019 | 48,527 |
| End of 2020 | 55,198 |
| End of 2021 | 64,487 |
| End of 2022 | 75,257 |
| End of 2023 | 88,777 |
| End of 2024 | 102,714 |
| End of 2025 | 114,949 |
| End of June 2026 | 125,274 |
How old they are
Licensed Mercedes-Benz CLAs by year of first use.
- Licensed at the end of 2025
- First registered that year
Show the figures
| First used | Licensed, end 2025 | First registered that year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 11,366 | 14,734 |
| 2024 | 14,450 | 15,650 |
| 2023 | 13,838 | 14,866 |
| 2022 | 10,945 | 11,817 |
| 2021 | 9,406 | 10,480 |
| 2020 | 7,349 | 8,534 |
| 2019 | 7,855 | 9,771 |
| 2018 | 8,073 | 9,260 |
| 2017 | 7,991 | 9,313 |
| 2016 | 7,478 | 8,610 |
| 2015 | 6,712 | 7,864 |
| 2014 | 4,201 | |
| 2013 | 1,995 |
6,712 CLAs first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 85% of the 7,864 first registered that year.
CLA engines and fuel
1.3 litre engines made up 35% of Mercedes-Benz CLA MOT tests in 2025, followed by 2.1 litre at 29%. Petrol accounts for 38% of licensed CLAs and diesel for 25%.
Engine size at MOT, 2025
Share of 76,231 initial MOT tests in 2025.
Fuel type, licensed CLAs
DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.
| Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 47,017 | 38% |
| Diesel | 31,627 | 25% |
| Battery electric | 8,416 | 7% |
| Plug-in hybrid | 12,568 | 10% |
| Hybrid electric | 25,646 | 20% |
Mercedes-Benz CLA recalls
71 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Mercedes-Benz CLA. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every CLA is affected.
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Jan 2026 R/2025/533
Bolting of front seats and belt buckles
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain CLA (174 platform) vehicles the bolting of the front seats and/or belt buckles might not meet specifications.
- Remedy
- As a remedy Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will rework the front seat and belt buckle bolting on the affected vehicles.
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Jan 2026 R/2025/556
SRPC2523 - Variant of 48V Wiring Harness
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain CLA (178 platform) vehicles with 4-cylinder gasoline engine the 48V wiring harness might not meet specifications.
- Remedy
- As a remedy Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will check the wiring harness on the affected vehicles and rework it if necessary.
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Dec 2025 R/2025/462
Composition of window-airbag fabric
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain CLA (174 platform) vehicles the composition of the window-airbag fabric might not meet specifications.
- Remedy
- As a remedy Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will replace the window-airbags on the affected vehicles.
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Dec 2025 R/2025/461
SRPC2517 - Software of driving assistance system
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain CLA (174 platform) vehicles the software of the driving assistance system might not meet specifications.
- Remedy
- As a remedy Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will update the software of the driving assistance system on the affected vehicles.
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Dec 2025 R/2025/460
SRPC2518 - Routing of window-airbag wiring harness
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain CLA (174 platform) vehicles the routing of a window-airbag wiring harness in the area of the D-pillar might not meet specifications.
- Remedy
- As a remedy Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will check the routing of the wiring harness on the affected vehicles and rework it if necessary.
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Dec 2025 R/2025/459
SRPC2516 - Mechanics of the seat belt buckle
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain CLA (174 platform) vehicles the belt buckles of the driver and passenger seats might not meet specifications respectively.
- Remedy
- As a remedy Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will replace the seat belt buckles on the affected vehicles.
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Oct 2025 R/2025/408
SRPC2514 - Driving Assistance System Software
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain CLA (174 platform) vehicles the software of the driving assistance system might not meet specifications.
- Remedy
- As a remedy Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will update the software of the driving assistance system on the affected vehicles.
-
Apr 2025 R/2025/131
SRPC2503 - Variant of rear axle brake hose
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain A-Class (177 platform) and CLA (118 platform) vehicles the length of the brake hoses on the rear axle might not meet specifications.
- Remedy
- As a remedy Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will check the brake hoses on the rear axle on the affected vehicles and replace them if necessary.
Other Mercedes-Benz models
The most-tested Mercedes-Benz models in 2025, against the CLA's 80.8% MOT pass rate.
- Mercedes-Benz A-Class
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class
- Mercedes-Benz GLA
- Mercedes-Benz Vito
- Mercedes-Benz GLC
Mercedes-Benz CLA FAQs
How many Mercedes-Benz CLAs are there in the UK?
125,274 Mercedes-Benz CLAs were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 2,743 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.
Is the Mercedes-Benz CLA reliable?
MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is an 80.8% first-time pass rate for the Mercedes-Benz CLA across 76,233 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.
Has the Mercedes-Benz CLA had any recalls?
71 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Mercedes-Benz CLA. The most recent was published in January 2026. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.
What should I check before buying a used Mercedes-Benz CLA?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: tyres, suspension and brakes. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.
How do I check a Mercedes-Benz CLA's history?
Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.
Already found a CLA?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Across the 1,389 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Mercedes-Benz history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Mercedes-Benz VIN check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to July 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.