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

16,686 Mercedes-Benz SLs are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 83% of initial MOT tests, 10.7 points above the 72.3% UK average.

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

Mercedes-Benz SL at the MOT

83% of 20,859 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the SL 158th of 575 models. Mercedes-Benz SLs aged 3 to 5 years passed 90.6% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 81.5%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Mercedes-Benz SL83%
  • All Mercedes-Benz modelsThe SL is 5.9 pts ahead77.1%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Mercedes-Benz SL tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years510 tests90.6%
  • 6 to 10 years3,300 tests89.3%
  • 11 years and over16,981 tests81.5%

Where SLs fail

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

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment21.2%
  • Suspension20.4%
  • Tyres17%
  • Brakes15.2%
  • Visibility7.6%

The items testers recorded most often were ball joint excessively worn (4.7%), ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (4.4%) and condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (4.1%).

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

Full Mercedes-Benz SL MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The SL's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. 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.21.2% of SL failure items

  2. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.20.4% of SL failure items

  3. 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.17% of SL failure items

Mercedes-Benz SLs in the UK

16,686 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 11% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−11%from 18,808 licensed
Typical year of first use
2007half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2007 or earlier
First registered in 2025
130against 915 in 2015
Declared off the road
6,20527% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Mercedes-Benz SLs since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 201418,808
End of 201518,924
End of 201619,117
End of 201718,930
End of 201818,579
End of 201918,388
End of 202017,738
End of 202117,186
End of 202216,844
End of 202316,102
End of 202415,340
End of 202515,085
End of June 202616,686

How old they are

Licensed Mercedes-Benz SLs by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year

A further 6,309 were first used before 2006.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
2025103130
2024151187
2023316383
202263114
20213049
2020198233
2019389451
2018370447
2017597699
2016703869
2015716915
2014953
2013989
2012370
2011189
2010278
2009357
2008542
2007534
2006540

716 SLs first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 78% of the 915 first registered that year.

SL engine sizes

3.5 litre engines made up 18% of Mercedes-Benz SL MOT tests in 2025, followed by 5.0 litre at 18%. Petrol accounts for 100% of licensed SLs.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 20,851 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 3.5 litre17.7%
  • 5.0 litre17.7%
  • 3.0 litre15.5%
  • 3.7 litre12.2%
  • 3.2 litre11.4%

Mercedes-Benz SL recalls

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

  1. Apr 2025 R/2025/124

    SRPC2501 - Processor Starter/Generator

    SLs built Nov 2022 to Jan 2025 · 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.

  2. Mar 2024 R/2024/130

    SRPC2401 - System protection

    SLs built Feb 2023 to Sep 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.

  3. Dec 2023 R/2023/307

    On affected vehicles the 12V-starter / generator wiring harness might not meet specifications

    SLs built Sep 2021 to Aug 2023 · 309 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Rework the routing of the wiring harness.

  4. Aug 2023 R/2023/223

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

    SLs built Jan 2022 to Nov 2022 · 9,947 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Replace the fuel pump module.

  5. Nov 2022 R/2022/289

    The roof frame panel above the windshield could have been insufficiently attached to the vehicle

    SLs built Nov 2021 to Apr 2022 · 56 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The roof frame panel above the windshield could be insufficiently attached to the vehicle.
    Remedy
    Inject an additional adhesive agent around the roof frame panel.

  6. Oct 2022 R/2022/300

    Software of the communication module may not correspond with the specifications

    SLs built Sep 2021 · 56 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The software of the communication module may not correspond with the specifications.
    Remedy
    Update the software of the communication module in the affected vehicles.

  7. May 2022 R/2022/152

    The bolting connections of the driver and passenger seat rail and body shell might not meet the requirements

    SLs built Sep 2021 to Apr 2022 · 15 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The bolting connections of the driver and passenger seat rail and the body shell might not meet the requirements.
    Remedy
    Rework the bolt connection between the seat rail and the body shell.

  8. May 2022 R/2022/114

    The hands-off detection might not detect when the driver's hands are away from the steering wheel

    SLs built Feb 2020 to Jan 2022 · 423 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Update the coding of the hand detection system on the affected vehicles.
How to check a specific SL for recalls

Other Mercedes-Benz models

The most-tested Mercedes-Benz models in 2025, against the SL's 83% MOT pass rate.

All 35 Mercedes-Benz models

Mercedes-Benz SL FAQs

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

16,686 Mercedes-Benz SLs were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 6,205 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Mercedes-Benz SL 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 83% first-time pass rate for the Mercedes-Benz SL across 20,859 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Mercedes-Benz SL had any recalls?

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

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, suspension and tyres. 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 SL'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 an SL?

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.