Mercedes-Benz Clk: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Mercedes-Benz Clk fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 9.2 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 28,673 individual Mercedes-Benz Clk tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 67.5% first-time pass rate means roughly 33 in every 100 Mercedes-Benz Clks presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is worse than average, so budget for remedial work and treat a fresh 12-month MOT as a genuine selling point rather than a given. The average Mercedes-Benz Clk tested had covered 104,243 miles and was built around 2005.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Mercedes-Benz Clk bought as a repairable salvage, assume the mechanical side needs more than the visible accident damage, and pad your repair estimate accordingly.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Mercedes-Benz Clk rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see what damaged Mercedes-Benz Clks actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Mercedes-Benz Clk

1. An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction, 1.5% of tests (4.69x the national rate for this defect)
2. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 3% of tests (3.67x the national rate for this defect)
3. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 5.1% of tests (3.12x the national rate for this defect)
4. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 11% of tests (2.97x the national rate for this defect)
5. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 3.4% of tests (2.55x the national rate for this defect)
6. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 4.3% of tests (2.47x the national rate for this defect)
7. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 1.7% of tests (1.86x the national rate for this defect)
8. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 1.4% of tests (1.8x the national rate for this defect)
9. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 1.6% of tests (1.72x the national rate for this defect)
10. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 1.6% of tests (1.69x the national rate for this defect)

From 48,803 DVSA-tracked Mercedes-Benz Clk tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.81% of these flagged Mercedes-Benz Clk defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Mercedes-Benz Clk pass rate by model year

Pass rates fall steadily as cars age, so the model year matters as much as the model. First-time pass rate for each Mercedes-Benz Clk year:

• 1998 Mercedes-Benz Clk - 69.6% first-time pass, 227 tests
• 1999 Mercedes-Benz Clk - 72.2% first-time pass, 794 tests
• 2000 Mercedes-Benz Clk - 77.4% first-time pass, 1,041 tests
• 2001 Mercedes-Benz Clk - 74.3% first-time pass, 1,333 tests
• 2002 Mercedes-Benz Clk - 71.9% first-time pass, 1,627 tests
• 2003 Mercedes-Benz Clk - 69.8% first-time pass, 2,939 tests
• 2004 Mercedes-Benz Clk - 67.2% first-time pass, 3,919 tests
• 2005 Mercedes-Benz Clk - 67.1% first-time pass, 3,938 tests
• 2006 Mercedes-Benz Clk - 66.3% first-time pass, 3,254 tests
• 2007 Mercedes-Benz Clk - 66% first-time pass, 3,702 tests
• 2008 Mercedes-Benz Clk - 65.4% first-time pass, 2,628 tests
• 2009 Mercedes-Benz Clk - 65.9% first-time pass, 2,919 tests

Mercedes-Benz Clk by fuel type

Diesel and petrol versions of the same car fail on different things, so the fuel type moves the number:

• Petrol Mercedes-Benz Clk - 69.6% first-time pass, 22,911 tests
• Diesel Mercedes-Benz Clk - 61.7% first-time pass, 5,502 tests

Other Mercedes-Benz models

• Mercedes-Benz C - 77.4%
• Mercedes-Benz A-Class - 78.7%
• Mercedes-Benz E - 79.2%
• Mercedes-Benz A - 89.5%
• Mercedes-Benz Vito - 72.7%
• Mercedes-Benz Gla - 85.2%
• Mercedes-Benz Glc - 87.8%
• Mercedes-Benz B-Class - 74.7%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Vauxhall Agila - 67.7%
• Volvo 240 - 67.7%
• Ford Transit - 67.6%
• Chevrolet Trax - 67.5%
• Chrysler-Jeep Wrangler - 67.5%
• Smart City Passion 61 Auto - 67.5%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate