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

2,784 Mercedes-Benz GLs are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 81.9% of initial MOT tests, 9.6 points above the 72.3% UK average.

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

Mercedes-Benz GL at the MOT

81.9% of 3,455 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the GL 173rd of 575 models. Mercedes-Benz GLs aged 6 to 10 years passed 84.5% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 80.2%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Mercedes-Benz GL81.9%
  • All Mercedes-Benz modelsThe GL is 4.8 pts ahead77.1%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Mercedes-Benz GL tests in 2025.

  • 6 to 10 years1,212 tests84.5%
  • 11 years and over2,146 tests80.2%

Where GLs fail

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

  • Tyres22%
  • Brakes20.5%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment19.3%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks9.2%
  • Suspension9.1%

The items testers recorded most often were tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (8.6%), rigid brake pipes excessively corroded (6%) and malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction (5.6%).

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

Full Mercedes-Benz GL MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

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

  1. 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.22% of GL failure items

  2. 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.20.5% of GL failure items

  3. 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.19.3% of GL failure items

Mercedes-Benz GLs in the UK

2,784 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 28% since the end of 2014, and 38% from its peak of 4,516 at the end of 2016.

Change since 2014
−28%from 3,862 licensed
Typical year of first use
2013half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2013 or earlier
Declared off the road
84023% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Mercedes-Benz GLs since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 20143,862
End of 20154,438
End of 20164,516
End of 20174,404
End of 20184,232
End of 20193,982
End of 20203,906
End of 20213,795
End of 20223,604
End of 20233,363
End of 20243,116
End of 20252,901
End of June 20262,784

How old they are

Licensed Mercedes-Benz GLs by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year
Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
2016194264
2015584760
2014489
2013470
201299
2011237
2010154
2009126
2008161
2007287
200654

584 GLs first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 77% of the 760 first registered that year.

GL engines and fuel

3.0 litre engines made up 76% of Mercedes-Benz GL MOT tests in 2025, followed by 4.0 litre at 9.6%. Diesel accounts for 91% of licensed GLs and petrol for 8.6%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 3,449 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 3.0 litre75.6%
  • 4.0 litre9.6%
  • 5.5 litre8.2%
  • 1.6 litre1.7%
  • 2.0 litre1.3%

Fuel type, licensed GLs

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol2399%
Diesel2,54491%
Gas1<0.1%

Mercedes-Benz GL recalls

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

  1. Feb 2023 R/2023/023

    On affected vehicles the aluminium bolts of the steering gear could corrode and break due to the intrusion of moisture

    GLs built Sep 2011 to Feb 2017 · 51,251 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Replace the steering gear mounting bolts on the affected vehicles with steel bolts. Should the bolts break or already be broken change the steering gear.

  2. Sep 2022 R/2022/279

    The function of the brake booster might be affected due to advanced corrosion in the joint area of its housing

    GLs built Mar 2005 to Feb 2013 · 218 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Replace brake booster in vehicles that have not passed XENTRY test and require part replacement.

  3. Sep 2022 R/2022/278

    The function of the brake booster might be affected due to advanced corrosion in the joint area of its housing

    GLs built Mar 2005 to Feb 2013 · 6,442 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Replace brake booster in vehicles that have not passed XENTRY test and require part replacement.

  4. May 2022 R/2022/140

    The function of the brake booster might be affected due to advanced corrosion in the joint area of its housing

    GLs built Mar 2005 to Feb 2013 · 1,631 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Check the brake booster on the affected vehicles and - depending on the result of this inspection - replace it where necessary.

  5. May 2022 R/2022/137

    The function of the brake booster might be affected due to advanced corrosion in the joint area of its housing

    GLs built Mar 2005 to Feb 2013 · 31,666 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Check the brake booster on the affected vehicles and - depending on the result of this inspection - replace it where necessary.

  6. Dec 2021 R/2021/130

    The behaviour of the emergency call system might not meet specifications

    GLs built Jan 2016 to Jan 2021 · 21 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Update the software of the communication module for the emergency call system.

  7. Dec 2021 R/2021/106

    The behaviour of the emergency call system might not meet specifications

    GLs built Jan 2016 to Jan 2021 · 23 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Update the software of the communication module for the emergency call system.

  8. Nov 2021 R/2021/376

    The behaviour of the emergency call system might not meet specifications

    GLs built Jan 2016 to Jan 2021 · 50,390 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Update the software of the communication module for the emergency call system.
How to check a specific GL for recalls

Other Mercedes-Benz models

The most-tested Mercedes-Benz models in 2025, against the GL's 81.9% MOT pass rate.

All 35 Mercedes-Benz models

Mercedes-Benz GL FAQs

How many Mercedes-Benz GLs are there in the UK?

2,784 Mercedes-Benz GLs were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 840 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Mercedes-Benz GL 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 81.9% first-time pass rate for the Mercedes-Benz GL across 3,455 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Mercedes-Benz GL had any recalls?

16 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Mercedes-Benz GL. The most recent was published in February 2023. 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 GL?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: tyres, brakes and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment. 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 GL'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 GL?

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.