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

48,423 Mercedes-Benz SLKs are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 71.9% of initial MOT tests, in line with the 72.3% UK average.

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

Mercedes-Benz SLK at the MOT

71.9% of 54,176 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the SLK 318th of 575 models. Mercedes-Benz SLKs aged 6 to 10 years passed 79.6% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 70.4%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Mercedes-Benz SLK71.9%
  • All Mercedes-Benz modelsThe SLK is 5.2 pts behind77.1%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Mercedes-Benz SLK tests in 2025.

  • 6 to 10 years8,509 tests79.6%
  • 11 years and over45,667 tests70.4%

Where SLKs fail

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

  • Suspension28.8%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment20.6%
  • Brakes16.2%
  • Tyres14.1%
  • Visibility6.4%

The items testers recorded most often were coil spring fractured or broken (9.2%), ball joint excessively worn (5.5%) and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (4.3%).

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

Full Mercedes-Benz SLK MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

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

  1. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.28.8% of SLK failure items

  2. 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.20.6% of SLK 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.16.2% of SLK failure items

Mercedes-Benz SLKs in the UK

48,423 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 24% since the end of 2014, and 28% from its peak of 67,549 at the end of 2016.

Change since 2014
−24%from 63,327 licensed
Typical year of first use
2010half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2010 or earlier
First registered in 2025
7against 5,284 in 2015
Declared off the road
10,98318% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Mercedes-Benz SLKs since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 201463,327
End of 201567,197
End of 201667,549
End of 201764,966
End of 201862,929
End of 201960,488
End of 202058,445
End of 202156,796
End of 202254,831
End of 202351,978
End of 202449,214
End of 202547,187
End of June 202648,423

How old they are

Licensed Mercedes-Benz SLKs by year of first use.

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

A further 396 were first used before 1998.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
20161,2241,342
20154,6575,284
20144,591
20134,280
20125,130
20112,335
20101,833
20092,155
20082,728
20072,755
20062,791
20053,524
20042,137
20031,177
20021,201
20011,352
20001,014
1999736
1998586

4,657 SLKs first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 88% of the 5,284 first registered that year.

SLK engines and fuel

1.8 litre engines made up 27% of Mercedes-Benz SLK MOT tests in 2025, followed by 2.1 litre at 24%. Petrol accounts for 74% of licensed SLKs and diesel for 26%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 54,153 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 1.8 litre26.7%
  • 2.1 litre24.2%
  • 2.0 litre17.5%
  • 2.3 litre11.2%
  • 3.5 litre8%

Fuel type, licensed SLKs

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol35,70274%
Diesel12,71326%
Gas8<0.1%

Mercedes-Benz SLK recalls

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

  1. Nov 2021 R/2021/376

    The behaviour of the emergency call system might not meet specifications

    SLKs built Jan 2016 to Jan 2021 · 50,390 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Update the software of the communication module for the emergency call system.

  2. Aug 2021 R/2021/279

    The driver's air bag may have a chemical change to its propellant over time

    SLKs built Aug 2004 to Dec 2013 · 61 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The driver's airbag may have a chemical change to its propellant over time.
    Remedy
    Replace the driver's airbag

  3. Aug 2021 R/2021/277

    The driver's air bag may have a chemical change to its propellant over time

    SLKs built Aug 2004 to Dec 2013 · 108,486 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The driver's airbag may have a chemical change to its propellant over time.
    Remedy
    Replace the driver's airbag.

  4. May 2021 R/2021/110

    The behaviour of the emergency call system might not meet specifications

    SLKs built Jan 2016 to Jan 2021 · 108,971 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Update the software of the communication module for the emergency call system.

  5. May 2021 R/2021/120

    The behaviour of the emergency call system might not meet specifications

    SLKs built Jan 2016 to Jan 2021 · 86,604 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Update the software of the communication module for the emergency call system.

  6. May 2021 R/2021/111

    The behaviour of the emergency call system might not meet specifications

    SLKs built Jan 2016 to Jan 2021 · 90,716 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Update the software of the communication module for the emergency call system.

  7. May 2021 R/2021/134

    The behaviour of the emergency call system might not meet specifications

    SLKs built Jan 2016 to Jan 2021 · 162,581 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Update the software of the communication module for the emergency call system.

  8. May 2021 R/2021/133

    The emergency call system might not meet specifications

    SLKs built Jan 2016 to Jan 2021 · 106,665 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The behaviour of the emergency call system might not meet specifications.
    Remedy
    Update the software of the communication module for the emergency call system.
How to check a specific SLK for recalls

Other Mercedes-Benz models

The most-tested Mercedes-Benz models in 2025, against the SLK's 71.9% MOT pass rate.

All 35 Mercedes-Benz models

Mercedes-Benz SLK FAQs

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

48,423 Mercedes-Benz SLKs were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 10,983 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Mercedes-Benz SLK 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 71.9% first-time pass rate for the Mercedes-Benz SLK across 54,176 tests in 2025, in line with the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Mercedes-Benz SLK had any recalls?

25 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Mercedes-Benz SLK. The most recent was published in November 2021. 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 SLK?

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

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.