2009 Mercedes-Benz Cls: MOT pass rate and reliability

68.1% of 2009 Mercedes-Benz Cls pass the MOT first time, measured across 1,112 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 114,678 miles.

How the 2009 compares

  • Against all Mercedes-Benz Cls (76.9%, 23,621 tests): -8.8 points
  • Against all 2009 cars (66.1%): +2 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Mercedes-Benz Cls model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2009 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Mercedes-Benz Cls:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
2005 74.9% 951 108,390
2006 72.9% 1,369 118,744
2007 71% 1,707 124,209
2008 70% 1,367 121,616
2009 68.1% 1,112 114,678
2010 69.8% 1,062 112,131
2011 75.7% 1,154 102,006
2012 76% 1,116 99,050
2013 76.2% 3,041 97,544
2014 77.7% 1,788 86,881
2015 81.4% 2,898 81,948
2016 81.5% 2,109 71,118
2017 82.3% 1,507 60,975
2018 83.1% 992 50,345
2019 85.2% 1,091 42,822
2020 80.1% 292 35,309

What this means if you are buying a 2009 Cls

The 2009 is a weaker year for this model, passing 8.8 points less often than the Mercedes-Benz Cls average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 2009 figure for all cars above rather than against newer examples. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.

What a 17-year-old car fails on

A 2009 car is 17 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:

  • Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
  • Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
  • Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
  • Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
  • Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
  • Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested

That is high mileage, so timing belts, clutches, suspension bushes and corrosion are the items worth budgeting for rather than the MOT itself. On a 2009 Mercedes-Benz Cls the average at test was 114,678 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.

The strongest year for this model is 2019 at 85.2%, and the weakest in our data is 2009 at 68.1%. That 17.1 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2009 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All Mercedes-Benz Cls MOT data · Every model