Mercedes-Benz Slk: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Mercedes-Benz Slk fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 1.7 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 57,021 individual Mercedes-Benz Slk tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 75% first-time pass rate means roughly 25 in every 100 Mercedes-Benz Slks 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 Slk tested had covered 70,222 miles and was built around 2008.

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 Slk 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 Slk 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 Slks actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Mercedes-Benz Slk

1. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 0.9% of tests (3.26x the national rate for this defect)
2. An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction, 0.8% of tests (2.44x the national rate for this defect)
3. Warning device shows system malfunction, 0.7% of tests (2.39x the national rate for this defect)
4. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 3.9% of tests (2.37x the national rate for this defect)
5. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 1.7% of tests (2.03x the national rate for this defect)
6. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 1.8% of tests (1.3x the national rate for this defect)
7. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 1.4% of tests (1.18x the national rate for this defect)
8. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 3.6% of tests
9. A tyre seriously damaged, 2% of tests
10. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 1.9% of tests

From 106,130 DVSA-tracked Mercedes-Benz Slk tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.08% of these flagged Mercedes-Benz Slk defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Mercedes-Benz Slk 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 Slk year:

• 1997 Mercedes-Benz Slk - 76.1% first-time pass, 656 tests
• 1998 Mercedes-Benz Slk - 73.2% first-time pass, 1,013 tests
• 1999 Mercedes-Benz Slk - 75.7% first-time pass, 1,367 tests
• 2000 Mercedes-Benz Slk - 75.9% first-time pass, 1,775 tests
• 2001 Mercedes-Benz Slk - 76.8% first-time pass, 2,082 tests
• 2002 Mercedes-Benz Slk - 77.4% first-time pass, 1,897 tests
• 2003 Mercedes-Benz Slk - 72.7% first-time pass, 1,701 tests
• 2004 Mercedes-Benz Slk - 70% first-time pass, 3,035 tests
• 2005 Mercedes-Benz Slk - 70.9% first-time pass, 4,720 tests
• 2006 Mercedes-Benz Slk - 71.9% first-time pass, 3,654 tests
• 2007 Mercedes-Benz Slk - 70.8% first-time pass, 3,493 tests
• 2008 Mercedes-Benz Slk - 71.4% first-time pass, 3,148 tests
• 2009 Mercedes-Benz Slk - 73.4% first-time pass, 2,474 tests
• 2010 Mercedes-Benz Slk - 72.7% first-time pass, 2,075 tests
• 2011 Mercedes-Benz Slk - 78.8% first-time pass, 2,501 tests
• 2012 Mercedes-Benz Slk - 76.6% first-time pass, 5,532 tests
• 2013 Mercedes-Benz Slk - 77% first-time pass, 4,526 tests
• 2014 Mercedes-Benz Slk - 80.6% first-time pass, 4,822 tests
• 2015 Mercedes-Benz Slk - 82.6% first-time pass, 4,857 tests
• 2016 Mercedes-Benz Slk - 83.9% first-time pass, 1,239 tests

Mercedes-Benz Slk 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 Slk - 74.8% first-time pass, 43,323 tests
• Diesel Mercedes-Benz Slk - 77.8% first-time pass, 13,286 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

• Volvo S80 - 75.1%
• Vauxhall Combo 2300 Sportive Td S/S - 75.1%
• Dacia Sandero - 75%
• Suzuki Sx4 - 75%
• Austin MINI Mayfair - 74.9%
• Mercedes-Benz 220 - 74.9%

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