81.9%
Mercedes-Benz GL
Mercedes-Benz GL MOT pass rate and common problems
The Mercedes-Benz GL passed 81.9% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 9.6 percentage points above the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the GL 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 GL runs 4.9 points ahead of the Mercedes-Benz average. It is 15th of the 35 Mercedes-Benz models in the data. The average GL arrived at its test 12.6 years old with 105,433 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.
GL MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
Mercedes-Benz GL cars aged 6 to 10 years passed 84.5% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 80.2%, a drop of 4.3 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years (small sample) | 95 | 87.4% | 15.1 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 1,212 | 84.5% | 12.2 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 2,146 | 80.2% | 7.9 pts above |
That is a smaller decline than most cars show. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where GL failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Mercedes-Benz GL cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Tyres and brakes together account for 42.5% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common GL MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Mercedes-Benz GL cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 45.4% of everything testers recorded against failed Mercedes-Benz GL cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a GL
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Tyres
Recorded most often: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, condition has ply or cords exposed and condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords. 17.9% of failure items.
2
Brakes
Recorded most often: rigid brake pipes excessively corroded and brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick. 8.6% of failure items.
3
Noise, emissions and leaks
Recorded most often: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction. 5.6% of failure items.
4
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: position lamp not working. 4.4% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific GL has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Mercedes-Benz GL buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Mercedes-Benz GL MOT FAQs
What is the Mercedes-Benz GL MOT pass rate?
81.9% of Mercedes-Benz GL cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 3,455 tests. That is 9.6 percentage points above the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 173rd of 575 models.
What does a Mercedes-Benz GL most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Mercedes-Benz GL cars failing their 2025 MOT was tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, on 8.6% of failure items. Next were rigid brake pipes excessively corroded (6%) and malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction (5.6%).
Which area causes the most Mercedes-Benz GL MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was tyres at 22%, followed by brakes at 20.5%.
Do older Mercedes-Benz GL cars fail their MOT more often?
Mercedes-Benz GL cars aged 6 to 10 years passed 84.5% of MOT tests in 2025, against 80.2% for cars aged 11 years and over.
Does this mean every Mercedes-Benz GL has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Mercedes-Benz GL 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 GL'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.