Mercedes-Benz GLA, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls
118,762 Mercedes-Benz GLAs are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 83.3% of initial MOT tests, 11 points above the 72.3% UK average.
Looking at a specific GLA? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Mercedes-Benz GLA at the MOT
83.3% of 92,002 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the GLA 152nd of 575 models. Mercedes-Benz GLAs aged 3 to 5 years passed 89.4% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 77.3%.
First-time pass rate, 2025
Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.
Pass rate by age at test
Mercedes-Benz GLA tests in 2025.
Where GLAs fail
Share of all failure items recorded on Mercedes-Benz GLA tests in 2025.
The items testers recorded most often were tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (9.1%), coil spring fractured or broken (7.4%) and joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (7.2%).
The MOT page lists every common GLA MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.
What to look at on a viewing
The GLA's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.
-
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.24.7% of GLA failure items
-
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.20.6% of GLA failure items
-
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.12.4% of GLA failure items
Mercedes-Benz GLAs in the UK
118,762 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 386% since the end of 2016.
- Change since 2016
- +386%from 24,418 licensed
- Typical year of first use
- 2019half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2019 or earlier
- First registered in 2025
- 10,210against 18,447 in 2019
- Declared off the road
- 1,9251.6% of those registered, under SORN
Licensed Mercedes-Benz GLAs since 2014
Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.
Show the figures
| Date | Licensed |
|---|---|
| End of 2014 | 3,806 |
| End of 2015 | 13,146 |
| End of 2016 | 24,418 |
| End of 2017 | 37,119 |
| End of 2018 | 52,900 |
| End of 2019 | 69,876 |
| End of 2020 | 78,231 |
| End of 2021 | 85,858 |
| End of 2022 | 90,507 |
| End of 2023 | 95,721 |
| End of 2024 | 105,109 |
| End of 2025 | 114,617 |
| End of June 2026 | 118,762 |
How old they are
Licensed Mercedes-Benz GLAs 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 | 10,067 | 10,210 |
| 2024 | 9,873 | 10,322 |
| 2023 | 5,711 | 5,952 |
| 2022 | 4,545 | 4,877 |
| 2021 | 8,595 | 9,269 |
| 2020 | 8,804 | 9,654 |
| 2019 | 16,473 | 18,447 |
| 2018 | 15,917 | 17,365 |
| 2017 | 12,443 | 13,871 |
| 2016 | 10,362 | 11,620 |
| 2015 | 8,520 | 9,757 |
| 2014 | 3,244 |
8,520 GLAs first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 87% of the 9,757 first registered that year.
GLA engines and fuel
2.1 litre engines made up 42% of Mercedes-Benz GLA MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.6 litre at 33%. Diesel accounts for 40% of licensed GLAs and petrol for 38%.
Engine size at MOT, 2025
Share of 92,002 initial MOT tests in 2025.
Fuel type, licensed GLAs
DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.
| Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 45,634 | 38% |
| Diesel | 47,855 | 40% |
| Plug-in hybrid | 7,352 | 6% |
| Hybrid electric | 17,921 | 15% |
Mercedes-Benz GLA recalls
45 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Mercedes-Benz GLA. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every GLA is affected.
-
Nov 2025 R/2025/439
SRPC2515 - Short-range sensor front
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain A-Class (177 platform) C-Class (206 platform) EQA (243 platform) GLA (247 platform) GLC (254 platform) EQE (295 platform) V-Class (447 platform) and G-Class (465 platform) vehicles the circuit board of the front short-range sensor might not meet specifications.
- Remedy
- As a remedy Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will replace the short-range sensor on the affected vehicles
-
Oct 2024 R/2024/392
SRPC2415 - Sealing Ring of Exhaust Manifold
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- On affected vehicles the sealing ring between the exhaust manifold and turbocharger might be missing.
- Remedy
- Retrofit the sealing ring on the affected vehicles.
-
May 2024 R/2024/166
SRPC2404 - Backup function of steering software
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- On affected vehicles the backup function of the steering software might not meet specifications. As a result the steering power support might be impaired and a loss of steerability cannot be ruled out.
- Remedy
- Update the software of the electric steering on the affected vehicles.
-
Feb 2024 R/2024/024
On affected vehicles the panel located between the windshield and the panoramic sunroof might not have been bonded correctly during a prior service repair
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- Check the front fixed element of the panoramic sliding sunroof and replace if necessary.
-
Jan 2022 R/2021/437
Locking pawl spring of the left hand side door locks might not be greased correctly
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- On certain vehicles with an additional door lock the locking pawl spring of the left side door locks might not be greased according to specifications.
- Remedy
- Conduct greasing of the locking pawl spring on the affected vehicles.
-
Dec 2021 R/2021/130
The behaviour of the emergency call system might not meet specifications
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- Update the software of the communication module for the emergency call system.
-
Dec 2021 R/2021/107
The behaviour of the emergency call system might not meet specifications
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- Update the software of the communication module for the emergency call system.
-
Dec 2021 R/2021/106
The behaviour of the emergency call system might not meet specifications
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- Update the software of the communication module for the emergency call system.
GLA vs similar cars
Head-to-head comparisons on the same 2025 DVSA data.
Other Mercedes-Benz models
The most-tested Mercedes-Benz models in 2025, against the GLA's 83.3% MOT pass rate.
- Mercedes-Benz A-Class
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class
- Mercedes-Benz Vito
- Mercedes-Benz GLC
- Mercedes-Benz CLA
Mercedes-Benz GLA FAQs
How many Mercedes-Benz GLAs are there in the UK?
118,762 Mercedes-Benz GLAs were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 1,925 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.
Is the Mercedes-Benz GLA 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 83.3% first-time pass rate for the Mercedes-Benz GLA across 92,002 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.
Has the Mercedes-Benz GLA had any recalls?
45 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Mercedes-Benz GLA. The most recent was published in November 2025. 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 GLA?
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 GLA'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 GLA?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Across the 1,548 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 October 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.