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

4,042 Mercedes-Benz GLS cars are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 86.5% of initial MOT tests, 14.2 points above the 72.3% UK average.

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

Mercedes-Benz GLS at the MOT

86.5% of 3,127 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the GLS 97th of 575 models. Mercedes-Benz GLS cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 85.7% of MOT tests in 2025; examples aged 6 to 10 years did better, at 87.2%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Mercedes-Benz GLS86.5%
  • All Mercedes-Benz modelsThe GLS is 9.4 pts ahead77.1%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Mercedes-Benz GLS tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years1,098 tests85.7%
  • 6 to 10 years1,702 tests87.2%

Where GLS cars fail

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

  • Tyres54.8%
  • Brakes8.8%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment8.4%
  • Identification of the vehicle5.5%
  • Body, chassis, structure5.1%

The items testers recorded most often were tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (17%), condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (14.7%) and condition has ply or cords exposed (13.9%).

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

Full Mercedes-Benz GLS MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The GLS'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.54.8% of GLS 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.8.8% of GLS 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.8.4% of GLS failure items

Mercedes-Benz GLS cars in the UK

4,042 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 211% since the end of 2017.

Change since 2017
+211%from 1,299 licensed
Typical year of first use
2020half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2020 or earlier
First registered in 2025
361against 925 in 2017
Declared off the road
2816.5% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Mercedes-Benz GLS cars since 2016

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 2016554
End of 20171,299
End of 20181,895
End of 20192,105
End of 20202,559
End of 20212,985
End of 20223,267
End of 20233,544
End of 20243,718
End of 20253,939
End of June 20264,042

How old they are

Licensed Mercedes-Benz GLS cars 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
2025341361
2024269324
2023357413
2022386495
2021332456
2020380473
2019363483
2018536753
2017581925
2016380595

GLS engines and fuel

3.0 litre engines made up 53% of Mercedes-Benz GLS MOT tests in 2025, followed by 2.9 litre at 35%. Diesel accounts for 71% of licensed GLS cars and hybrid electric for 24%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 3,126 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 3.0 litre52.8%
  • 2.9 litre35.5%
  • 5.5 litre7.5%
  • 4.0 litre4.2%

Fuel type, licensed GLS cars

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol2115%
Diesel2,86171%
Hybrid electric97024%

Mercedes-Benz GLS recalls

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

  1. Jul 2025 R/2025/217

    SRPC2509 - Mounting of Multi-Purpose Camera & Interior Mirror

    GLS cars built Sep 2024 · 4 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.

  2. Apr 2024 R/2024/173

    SRPC2405 - Bolting of 48V ground connection

    GLS cars built Oct 2019 to Dec 2022 · 2,157 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the 48V ground connection under the passenger seat might have come loose.
    Remedy
    Check the bolting of the ground connection and correct it if necessary.

  3. Mar 2024 R/2024/131

    SRPC 2402 - Downshift operation transmission software

    GLS cars built Nov 2018 to Mar 2023 · 1,708 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On certain vehicles the software of the transmission control unit might not meet specifications.
    Remedy
    Update the transmission control unit software on the affected vehicles.

  4. Aug 2023 R/2023/223

    On affected vehicles the fuel pump impeller might not meet specifications and may deform

    GLS cars built Mar 2022 to Dec 2022 · 9,947 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Replace the fuel pump module.

  5. Apr 2023 R/2023/092

    Installation of A/C drain hoses

    GLS cars built Nov 2018 to Jun 2020 · 243 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On certain vehicles the air conditioning drain hoses might be incorrectly fitted in the vehicle.
    Remedy
    Check the air conditioning drain hoses and correct their installation if necessary.

  6. Apr 2023 R/2023/091

    Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain GLE and GLS vehicles (167 platform) the air conditioning drain hoses might be incorrectly fitted in the vehicle. In this case condensation water from the air conditioning might enter the passenger compartment

    GLS cars built Mar 2020 to Jun 2020 · 6,961 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On certain vehicles the air conditioning drain hoses might be incorrectly fitted in the vehicle.
    Remedy
    Check the air conditioning drain hoses and correct their installation if necessary.

  7. Feb 2023 R/2023/023

    On affected vehicles the aluminium bolts of the steering gear could corrode and break due to the intrusion of moisture

    GLS cars built Sep 2011 to Feb 2017 · 51,251 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Replace the steering gear mounting bolts on the affected vehicles with steel bolts. Should the bolts break or already be broken change the steering gear.

  8. Nov 2022 R/2022/309

    The springs in the locking mechanism of the seat backrest of the third seat row may not have been installed in accordance with the specifications

    GLS cars built Jun 2019 to Jun 2022 · 1,088 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Check the springs in the seat backrest of the 3rd seat row on the affected vehicles and replace the seat backrest if necessary.
How to check a specific GLS for recalls

Other Mercedes-Benz models

The most-tested Mercedes-Benz models in 2025, against the GLS's 86.5% MOT pass rate.

All 35 Mercedes-Benz models

Mercedes-Benz GLS FAQs

How many Mercedes-Benz GLS cars are there in the UK?

4,042 Mercedes-Benz GLS cars were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 281 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Mercedes-Benz GLS 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 86.5% first-time pass rate for the Mercedes-Benz GLS across 3,127 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Mercedes-Benz GLS had any recalls?

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

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 GLS'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 GLS?

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.