83.3%
Mercedes-Benz GLA
Mercedes-Benz GLA MOT pass rate and common problems
The Mercedes-Benz GLA passed 83.3% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 11 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 GLA 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 GLA runs 6.3 points ahead of the Mercedes-Benz average. It is 12th of the 35 Mercedes-Benz models in the data. The average GLA arrived at its test 6.9 years old with 52,955 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.
GLA MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
Mercedes-Benz GLA cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 89.4% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 77.3%, a drop of 12.1 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 29,597 | 89.4% | 17.1 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 56,971 | 79.8% | 7.5 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 1,421 | 77.3% | 5 pts above |
That is a steep decline with age, so the headline rate flatters older examples. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where GLA failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Mercedes-Benz GLA cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Tyres and suspension together account for 45.3% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common GLA MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Mercedes-Benz GLA cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 60.1% of everything testers recorded against failed Mercedes-Benz GLA cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a GLA
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Suspension
Recorded most often: coil spring fractured or broken, linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt and ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. 17.2% of failure items.
2
Tyres
Recorded most often: 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. 15.6% of failure items.
3
Visibility
Recorded most often: wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively and washers provides insufficient washer liquid. 7.8% of failure items.
4
Body, chassis, structure
Recorded most often: joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. 7.2% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific GLA has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Mercedes-Benz GLA buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Mercedes-Benz GLA MOT FAQs
What is the Mercedes-Benz GLA MOT pass rate?
83.3% of Mercedes-Benz GLA cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 92,002 tests. That is 11 percentage points above the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 152nd of 575 models.
What does a Mercedes-Benz GLA most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Mercedes-Benz GLA cars failing their 2025 MOT was tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, on 9.1% of failure items. Next were coil spring fractured or broken (7.4%) and joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (7.2%).
Which area causes the most Mercedes-Benz GLA MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was tyres at 24.7%, followed by suspension at 20.6%.
Do older Mercedes-Benz GLA cars fail their MOT more often?
Mercedes-Benz GLA cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 89.4% of MOT tests in 2025, against 77.3% for cars aged 11 years and over.
Does this mean every Mercedes-Benz GLA has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Mercedes-Benz GLA 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 GLA'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.