2005 Mercedes-Benz Sl: MOT pass rate and reliability

83.6% of 2005 Mercedes-Benz Sls pass the MOT first time, measured across 1,102 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 76,290 miles.

How the 2005 compares

  • Against all Mercedes-Benz Sls (85.4%, 20,919 tests): -1.8 points
  • Against all 2005 cars (64.2%): +19.4 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Mercedes-Benz Sl model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2005 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Mercedes-Benz Sl:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
1994 86.2% 390 95,196
1995 84.9% 523 98,511
1996 87.5% 569 94,001
1997 86.1% 657 94,343
1998 83.9% 677 89,194
1999 85% 545 83,347
2000 84.2% 487 84,892
2001 86.8% 281 77,728
2002 84.1% 957 76,398
2003 82.5% 2,359 76,524
2004 85.2% 1,817 76,764
2005 83.6% 1,102 76,290
2006 81.3% 792 75,138
2007 82.7% 770 71,064
2008 85.1% 776 65,040
2009 83.4% 469 62,259
2010 83.6% 347 60,560
2011 87.9% 256 51,839
2012 86.4% 419 49,733
2013 84.3% 1,121 49,046
2014 88.2% 1,061 47,671
2015 87.2% 818 40,951
2016 91.7% 779 35,261
2017 90.7% 646 29,870
2018 90.6% 406 25,390
2019 93.9% 343 20,095

What this means if you are buying a 2005 Sl

The 2005 sits close to the Mercedes-Benz Sl average, so there is no strong model-year signal either way. Judge the individual car on its own history. 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 21-year-old car fails on

A 2005 car is 21 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 a shade above the middle of the range, still ordinary wear rather than a red flag, but worth checking against the service book for the car's age. On a 2005 Mercedes-Benz Sl the average at test was 76,290 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 93.9%, and the weakest in our data is 2006 at 81.3%. That 12.6 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2005 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All Mercedes-Benz Sl MOT data · Every model