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

109,062 Mercedes-Benz GLCs are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 86.4% of initial MOT tests, 14.1 points above the 72.3% UK average.

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

Mercedes-Benz GLC at the MOT

86.4% of 84,270 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the GLC 99th of 575 models. Mercedes-Benz GLCs aged 3 to 5 years passed 89.3% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 6 to 10 years that fell to 84%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Mercedes-Benz GLC86.4%
  • All Mercedes-Benz modelsThe GLC is 9.3 pts ahead77.1%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Mercedes-Benz GLC tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years30,770 tests89.3%
  • 6 to 10 years48,131 tests84%

Where GLCs fail

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

  • Tyres34.1%
  • Suspension22.2%
  • Brakes10.5%
  • Visibility7.6%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment6.9%

The items testers recorded most often were ball joint excessively worn (16.3%), condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (11.3%) and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (10.5%).

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

Full Mercedes-Benz GLC MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The GLC'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.34.1% of GLC failure items

  2. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.22.2% of GLC failure items

  3. 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.10.5% of GLC failure items

Mercedes-Benz GLCs in the UK

109,062 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 313% since the end of 2017.

Change since 2017
+313%from 26,433 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
8,408against 22,199 in 2018
Declared off the road
2,6222.3% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Mercedes-Benz GLCs since 2015

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 20151,523
End of 201612,368
End of 201726,433
End of 201847,206
End of 201963,870
End of 202074,738
End of 202179,275
End of 202285,770
End of 202390,236
End of 202496,168
End of 2025103,361
End of June 2026109,062

How old they are

Licensed Mercedes-Benz GLCs 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
20258,2398,408
20246,7907,340
20236,2406,655
20226,6167,310
20216,3607,284
202011,08012,791
201916,84719,372
201818,53622,199
201712,32515,115
20169,00111,129
20151,2791,598

1,279 GLCs first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 80% of the 1,598 first registered that year.

GLC engines and fuel

2.1 litre engines made up 46% of Mercedes-Benz GLC MOT tests in 2025, followed by 2.0 litre at 45%. Diesel accounts for 57% of licensed GLCs and hybrid electric for 21%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 84,267 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 2.1 litre46.5%
  • 2.0 litre45.4%
  • 3.0 litre6.8%
  • 4.0 litre1.2%

Fuel type, licensed GLCs

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol12,03511%
Diesel62,60257%
Battery electric1310.1%
Plug-in hybrid11,23410%
Hybrid electric23,05421%
Gas6<0.1%

Mercedes-Benz GLC recalls

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

  1. Sep 2025 R/2025/333

    SRPC2512 - Bolting of Steering Coupling

    GLCs built Oct 2022 to Jul 2025 · 874 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain C-Class (206 platform) GLC (254 platform) and EQE (295 platform) vehicles the bolting of the steering coupling might not meet specifications.
    Remedy
    As a remedy Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will rework the bolting of the steering coupling on the affected vehicles.

  2. Jul 2025 R/2025/216

    SRPC2508 - Mounting of Multi-Purpose Camera & Interior Mirror

    GLCs built Feb 2025 · 62 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain GLE/GLS (167 platform) and GLC (254 platform) vehicles the bonding of the multi-purpose camera and/or the interior mirror on the windscreen might not meet specifications.
    Remedy
    As a precautionary measure Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will replace the windscreen on the affected vehicles.

  3. Apr 2025 R/2025/124

    SRPC2501 - Processor Starter/Generator

    GLCs built May 2023 to Nov 2024 · 235 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Mercedes-Benz has determined that on certain AMG GT Coupe (192 platform)S-Class (223 platform) SL (232 platform) GLC (254 platform) and AMG GT 4-doorsCoupe (290 platform) vehicles with hybrid powertrain the processor of the control unit of the high-voltage starter generator might experience sporadic overload.
    Remedy
    As a remedy Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will update the software of the high-voltage starter generator on the affected vehicles.

  4. Dec 2024 R/2024/474

    SRPC2419 Misfire Detection M264

    GLCs built Feb 2021 to Apr 2023 · 4,619 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The software of the engine control unit might not meet specifications regarding misfire detection.
    Remedy
    Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will update the software of the engine control unit on the affected vehicles.

  5. Mar 2024 R/2024/130

    SRPC2401 - System protection

    GLCs built Mar 2023 to Oct 2023 · 13,870 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On certain vehicles some 80A fuses installed might not meet requirements.
    Remedy
    Replace the respective main fuse boxes on the affected vehicles.

  6. 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

    GLCs built Oct 2015 to Apr 2017 · 45 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Check the front fixed element of the panoramic sliding sunroof and replace if necessary.

  7. Jan 2024 R/2024/013

    On affected vehicles the bolting of the high-pressure fuel pump might not meet specifications

    GLCs built Apr 2023 · 1 vehicle across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Replace the high-pressure fuel pump.

  8. Dec 2023 R/2023/328

    On affected vehicles the bonding of the front rear and fixed side windows might not meet specifications

    GLCs built Sep 2023 · 14 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Replace the windows.
How to check a specific GLC for recalls

Other Mercedes-Benz models

The most-tested Mercedes-Benz models in 2025, against the GLC's 86.4% MOT pass rate.

All 35 Mercedes-Benz models

Mercedes-Benz GLC FAQs

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

109,062 Mercedes-Benz GLCs were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 2,622 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Mercedes-Benz GLC 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 86.4% first-time pass rate for the Mercedes-Benz GLC across 84,270 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Mercedes-Benz GLC had any recalls?

70 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Mercedes-Benz GLC. The most recent was published in September 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 GLC?

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 GLC'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 GLC?

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.