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

25,731 Mercedes-Benz GLBs are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 90% of initial MOT tests, 17.7 points above the 72.3% UK average.

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

Mercedes-Benz GLB at the MOT

90% of 12,352 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the GLB 41st of 575 models.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Mercedes-Benz GLB90%
  • All Mercedes-Benz modelsThe GLB is 12.9 pts ahead77.1%
  • All cars72.3%

Where GLBs fail

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

  • Tyres42.1%
  • Brakes17.6%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment14.8%
  • Visibility9.6%
  • Suspension4.3%

The items testers recorded most often were condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (20.3%), brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick (9.3%) and condition has ply or cords exposed (8.2%).

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

Full Mercedes-Benz GLB MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The GLB'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.42.1% of GLB 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.17.6% of GLB 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.14.8% of GLB failure items

Mercedes-Benz GLBs in the UK

25,731 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 281% since the end of 2021.

Change since 2021
+281%from 6,746 licensed
Typical year of first use
2023half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2023 or earlier
First registered in 2025
3,760against 5,357 in 2022
Declared off the road
6852.6% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Mercedes-Benz GLBs since 2020

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 20203,373
End of 20216,746
End of 202211,772
End of 202315,672
End of 202419,700
End of 202522,973
End of June 202625,731

How old they are

Licensed Mercedes-Benz GLBs 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
20253,6543,760
20243,7794,272
20234,0844,314
20225,0005,357
20213,9214,411
20202,5183,574

GLB engines and fuel

1.3 litre engines made up 58% of Mercedes-Benz GLB MOT tests in 2025, followed by 2.0 litre at 42%. Petrol accounts for 38% of licensed GLBs and diesel for 30%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 12,352 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 1.3 litre58.2%
  • 2.0 litre41.8%

Fuel type, licensed GLBs

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol9,87238%
Diesel7,75830%
Battery electric1,2615%
Hybrid electric6,84027%

Mercedes-Benz GLB recalls

31 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Mercedes-Benz GLB. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every GLB is affected.

  1. Oct 2026 R/2026/380

    SRPC2610 - eCall Function

    GLBs built Dec 2025 to Mar 2026 · 52 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain CLA (174 178 platform) GLB (244 platform) and GLC (540 platform) vehicles the emergency call function within the communication module might not be enabled.
    Remedy
    As a remedy Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will update the software of the communication module on the affected vehicles.

  2. Aug 2026 R/2026/315

    SRPC-2608 Electric drive unit power electronics

    GLBs built Mar 2025 · 4 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that in certain CLA (174 platform) and GLB (244 platform) vehicles the circuit board for the power electronics of the rear electric drive unit might not meet the specifications.
    Remedy
    As a remedy Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will replace the rear axle.

  3. Jun 2026 R/2026/203

    Software version of communication module

    GLBs built Nov 2025 to Feb 2026 · 37 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain CLA (174 platform) and GLB (244 platform) vehicles the software of the communication module might not meet the intended specification.
    Remedy
    As a remedy Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will update the software on the affected vehicles.

  4. Nov 2024 R/2024/441

    SRPC2418 - Surface inner tyre side wall

    GLBs built Jun 2024 to Jul 2024 · 466 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that the surface of the inner side wall of right-side installed tyres on certain GLB (247 platform) vehicles might be damaged.
    Remedy
    As a precautionary measure Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will check the tyres on the affected vehicles and replace it if necessary.

  5. May 2024 R/2024/166

    SRPC2404 - Backup function of steering software

    GLBs built Jun 2019 to Jan 2024 · 314,515 vehicles across the whole recall

    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.

  6. Jul 2023 R/2023/185

    On affected vehicles the corrosion protection of the integral carrier of the front axle might not be sustained over the lifetime of the vehicle

    GLBs built Jun 2019 to Jul 2020 · 4,148 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Replace the front axle carrier.

  7. Oct 2022 R/2022/284

    Mechanical damage to the ESP unit

    GLBs built Oct 2020 · 6 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The Electronic stability program (ESP) unit might be mechanically damaged.
    Remedy
    Replace the ESP unit on the affected vehicles.

  8. Jun 2022 R/2022/146

    The level sensor linkage on the rear axle might not have been installed correctly

    GLBs built Apr 2021 · 14 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Check the level sensor linkage on the affected vehicles and install it correctly if necessary.
How to check a specific GLB for recalls

Other Mercedes-Benz models

The most-tested Mercedes-Benz models in 2025, against the GLB's 90% MOT pass rate.

All 35 Mercedes-Benz models

Mercedes-Benz GLB FAQs

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

25,731 Mercedes-Benz GLBs were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 685 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Mercedes-Benz GLB 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 a 90% first-time pass rate for the Mercedes-Benz GLB across 12,352 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Mercedes-Benz GLB had any recalls?

31 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Mercedes-Benz GLB. The most recent was published in October 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 GLB?

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 GLB'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 GLB?

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.