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Mercedes-Benz G-Class, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

4,591 Mercedes-Benz G-Classes are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 87.4% of initial MOT tests, 15.1 points above the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific G-Class? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Mercedes-Benz G-Class at the MOT

87.4% of 3,595 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the G-Class 82nd of 575 models. Mercedes-Benz G-Classes aged 3 to 5 years passed 91.5% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 78.9%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Mercedes-Benz G-Class87.4%
  • All Mercedes-Benz modelsThe G-Class is 10.3 pts ahead77.1%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Mercedes-Benz G-Class tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years1,499 tests91.5%
  • 6 to 10 years1,209 tests84.9%
  • 11 years and over582 tests78.9%

Where G-Classes fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Mercedes-Benz G-Class tests in 2025.

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment25.1%
  • Tyres20.1%
  • Brakes13.6%
  • Steering8.3%
  • Visibility7.3%

The items testers recorded most often were condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (8.6%), registration plates does not conform to the specified requirements (6.5%) and coil spring fractured or broken (4%).

The MOT page lists every common G-Class MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Mercedes-Benz G-Class MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The G-Class's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

    Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting.25.1% of G-Class failure items

  2. 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.20.1% of G-Class failure items

  3. 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.13.6% of G-Class failure items

Mercedes-Benz G-Classes in the UK

4,591 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 329% since the end of 2017.

Change since 2017
+329%from 1,071 licensed
Typical year of first use
2020half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2020 or earlier
First registered in 2025
466against 953 in 2021
Declared off the road
1,00618% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Mercedes-Benz G-Classes since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 2014513
End of 2015655
End of 2016838
End of 20171,071
End of 20181,305
End of 20192,004
End of 20202,327
End of 20212,979
End of 20223,313
End of 20233,737
End of 20244,009
End of 20254,303
End of June 20264,591

How old they are

Licensed Mercedes-Benz G-Classes by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year

A further 26 were first used before 2011.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
20256466
2024148420
2023604820
2022485853
2021514953
2020371666
2019494937
2018233395
2017206291
2016137222
2015113183
201491
201377
201261
201160

G-Class engines and fuel

4.0 litre engines made up 42% of Mercedes-Benz G-Class MOT tests in 2025, followed by 2.9 litre at 18%. Petrol accounts for 54% of licensed G-Classes and diesel for 27%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 3,589 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 4.0 litre42%
  • 2.9 litre18.3%
  • 3.0 litre18.2%
  • 5.5 litre14.7%
  • 5.4 litre1.7%

Fuel type, licensed G-Classes

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol2,46154%
Diesel1,25227%
Battery electric4089%
Hybrid electric47010%

Mercedes-Benz G-Class recalls

37 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every G-Class is affected.

  1. May 2026 R/2026/140

    SRPC2602 - Wheel Bolt Variant

    G-Classes built Jul 2024 to Aug 2025 · 230 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain G-Class (465 platform) vehicles with fully electric drive the wheel bolts might not meet the requirements.
    Remedy
    As a remedy Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will replace the wheel bolts on the affected vehicles.

  2. Mar 2025 R/2025/083

    SRPC2502 - Manufacturing of automatic Transmission AMG SPEEDSHIFT

    G-Classes built Feb 2025 · 2 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Mercedes-Benz has determined that on certain G-Class (465 platform) vehicles the inner surface of the housing of the automatic transmission AMG SPEEDSHIFT might not meet specifications.
    Remedy
    As a remedy Mercedes-Benz via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will replace the automatic transmission and oil cooler on the affected vehicles.

  3. Aug 2024 R/2023/358

    SRPC2341 - Housing of the rear axle transmission

    G-Classes built Jun 2023 to Jul 2023

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the housing of the rear axle transmission might not meet the strength requirements.
    Remedy
    Replace axle centrepiece of rear axle.

  4. Apr 2024 R/2024/150

    SRPC2403 - Filling of Air Conditioning Refrigerant

    G-Classes built Apr 2022 · 1 vehicle across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the air-conditioning might not have been filled with the designated refrigerant.
    Remedy
    Replace the air-conditioning refrigerant with the correct type.

  5. Aug 2023 R/2023/223

    On affected vehicles the fuel pump impeller might not meet specifications and may deform

    G-Classes built Jul 2021 to Jan 2023 · 9,947 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Replace the fuel pump module.

  6. Jul 2023 R/2023/171

    On affected vehicles the oil supply for the rear axle drive shaft bearing might not meet specifications

    G-Classes built Sep 2008 to Jul 2011 · 5 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Replace the rear axle differential housing cover.

  7. Apr 2023 R/2023/070

    On certain vehicles the front axle wiring harness might come in contact with the auxiliary oil cooler

    G-Classes built May 2018 to Apr 2022 · 2,841 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Check the front axle wiring harness on the affected vehicles and replace it if necessary as well as install a protective sleeve.

  8. May 2022 R/2022/113

    One or more control unit vehicle configurations might not meet specifications

    G-Classes built Sep 2008 to Jun 2012 · 3 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Vehicles configurations were written into one or more control units that might not meet specifications.
    Remedy
    Update the configuration of the affected control units on the vehicles.
How to check a specific G-Class for recalls

Other Mercedes-Benz models

The most-tested Mercedes-Benz models in 2025, against the G-Class's 87.4% MOT pass rate.

All 35 Mercedes-Benz models

Mercedes-Benz G-Class FAQs

How many Mercedes-Benz G-Classes are there in the UK?

4,591 Mercedes-Benz G-Classes were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 1,006 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Mercedes-Benz G-Class 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 87.4% first-time pass rate for the Mercedes-Benz G-Class across 3,595 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Mercedes-Benz G-Class had any recalls?

37 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. The most recent was published in May 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 G-Class?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, tyres 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 G-Class'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 G-Class?

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.