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Mercedes-Benz GLC MOT pass rate and common problems

The Mercedes-Benz GLC passed 86.4% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 14.1 percentage points above the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was ball joint excessively worn.

Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.

How the GLC compares

Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.

86.4%

Mercedes-Benz GLC

77.1%

Mercedes-Benz average

72.3%

UK average, all cars

The GLC runs 9.3 points ahead of the Mercedes-Benz average. It is 7th of the 35 Mercedes-Benz models in the data. The average GLC arrived at its test 6.3 years old with 55,354 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.

GLC MOT pass rate by age

The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.

Mercedes-Benz GLC cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 89.3% of MOT tests. For cars aged 6 to 10 years that fell to 84%, a drop of 5.3 percentage points.

Age at testTestsPass ratevs UK average
3 to 5 years 30,770 89.3% 17 pts above
6 to 10 years 48,131 84% 11.7 pts above
11 years and over (small sample) 5 60% 12.3 pts below

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 GLC failures cluster

Every failure item recorded on Mercedes-Benz GLC cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.

  • Tyres34.1%
  • Suspension22.2%
  • Brakes10.5%
  • Visibility7.6%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment6.9%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks6.8%

Tyres and suspension together account for 56.4% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.

The 10 most common GLC MOT failures

Specific items recorded on Mercedes-Benz GLC cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.

  1. 1Ball joint excessively wornSuspension 16.3%
  2. 2Condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cordsTyres 11.3%
  3. 3Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mmTyres 10.5%
  4. 4Condition has ply or cords exposedTyres 6.8%
  5. 5Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunctionNoise, emissions and leaks 6.5%
  6. 6Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirtBody, chassis, structure 5.3%
  7. 7Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thickBrakes 4.8%
  8. 8Coil spring fractured or brokenSuspension 3.6%
  9. 9Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectivelyVisibility 3%
  10. 10Washers provides insufficient washer liquidVisibility 2.8%

Together these 10 items make up 70.9% of everything testers recorded against failed Mercedes-Benz GLC cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.

What to look at on a GLC

The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.

1

Tyres

Recorded most often: condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm and condition has ply or cords exposed. 28.6% of failure items.

2

Suspension

Recorded most often: ball joint excessively worn and coil spring fractured or broken. 19.8% of failure items.

3

Noise, emissions and leaks

Recorded most often: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction. 6.5% of failure items.

4

Visibility

Recorded most often: wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively and washers provides insufficient washer liquid. 5.8% of failure items.

The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific GLC has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Mercedes-Benz GLC buying guide.

Already found one?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Mercedes-Benz GLC MOT FAQs

What is the Mercedes-Benz GLC MOT pass rate?

86.4% of Mercedes-Benz GLC cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 84,270 tests. That is 14.1 percentage points above the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 99th of 575 models.

What does a Mercedes-Benz GLC most commonly fail its MOT on?

The item testers recorded most often on Mercedes-Benz GLC cars failing their 2025 MOT was ball joint excessively worn, on 16.3% of failure items. Next were 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%).

Which area causes the most Mercedes-Benz GLC MOT failures?

Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was tyres at 34.1%, followed by suspension at 22.2%.

Do older Mercedes-Benz GLC cars fail their MOT more often?

Mercedes-Benz GLC cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 89.3% of MOT tests in 2025, against 84% for cars aged 6 to 10 years.

Does this mean every Mercedes-Benz GLC has these problems?

No. These are the items testers recorded across every Mercedes-Benz GLC 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 GLC'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.