74.6%
Mercedes-Benz CLS
Mercedes-Benz CLS MOT pass rate and common problems
The Mercedes-Benz CLS passed 74.6% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 2.3 percentage points above the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was coil spring fractured or broken.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the CLS compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
77.1%
Mercedes-Benz average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The CLS runs 2.5 points behind the Mercedes-Benz average. It is 23rd of the 35 Mercedes-Benz models in the data. The average CLS arrived at its test 12.2 years old with 94,532 miles recorded.
A pass rate records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day. It is not a reliability score, and part of any gap reflects how old the tested cars were.
CLS MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
Mercedes-Benz CLS cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 81.1% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 70.5%, a drop of 10.6 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 1,067 | 81.1% | 8.8 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 8,753 | 79.6% | 7.3 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 12,514 | 70.5% | 1.8 pts below |
That is a typical decline as cars age. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where CLS failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Mercedes-Benz CLS cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Tyres and suspension together account for 47.8% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common CLS MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Mercedes-Benz CLS cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 47.4% of everything testers recorded against failed Mercedes-Benz CLS cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a CLS
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Tyres
Recorded most often: condition has ply or cords exposed, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm and condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords. 17.9% of failure items.
2
Suspension
Recorded most often: coil spring fractured or broken, ball joint excessively worn, ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt and linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. 17.3% of failure items.
3
Brakes
Recorded most often: rigid brake pipes excessively corroded. 5.8% of failure items.
4
Noise, emissions and leaks
Recorded most often: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction. 3.7% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific CLS has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Mercedes-Benz CLS buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Mercedes-Benz CLS MOT FAQs
What is the Mercedes-Benz CLS MOT pass rate?
74.6% of Mercedes-Benz CLS cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 22,393 tests. That is 2.3 percentage points above the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 270th of 575 models.
What does a Mercedes-Benz CLS most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Mercedes-Benz CLS cars failing their 2025 MOT was coil spring fractured or broken, on 7.4% of failure items. Next were condition has ply or cords exposed (6.9%) and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (6.8%).
Which area causes the most Mercedes-Benz CLS MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was tyres at 24.8%, followed by suspension at 23%.
Do older Mercedes-Benz CLS cars fail their MOT more often?
Mercedes-Benz CLS cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 81.1% of MOT tests in 2025, against 70.5% for cars aged 11 years and over.
Does this mean every Mercedes-Benz CLS has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Mercedes-Benz CLS that failed in 2025. They show where the model most often needs attention, not the condition of any individual car.
How do I see a specific Mercedes-Benz CLS's MOT history?
Enter its registration on the free Carpeep MOT history check to see that car's own test results, failures, advisories and recorded mileages.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025: class 4 initial tests, retests excluded, with failure items from failed tests (advisories and minor defects excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.