23,582 tests in 2025
Mercedes-Benz Clk reliability and MOT pass rate
68.7% passed first time. The 31.3% fail rate is 8.7 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 20 years old with 102,190 miles.
MOT pass rates / Mercedes-Benz
Pass rate
68.7%
22.6% of all cars failed; 31.3% of these did.
Fixed on the day
5.8%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
102,190 mi
20 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 0 | — |
| 6-9 years | 2 | — |
| 10-13 years | 13 | — |
| 14+ years | 23,566 | 31.3% |
What the Clk fails on
Share of failed tests with at least one fail item in each DVSA inspection section. A test can fail in several sections at once.
- Suspension158 dangerous57.8%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment30 dangerous32.2%
- Brakes760 dangerous30.6%
- Tyres1,869 dangerous23.1%
- Visibility3 dangerous14.6%
- Noise, emissions and leaks10 dangerous14.1%
- Steering47 dangerous9.7%
- Body, chassis, structure56 dangerous8.2%
Is the Clk getting worse?
The fail rate fell 0.8 points to 31.3% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (-0.2 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 35,835 | 17 | 32.1% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 32,371 | 18 | 32.4% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 25,469 | 19 | 32.1% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 23,540 | 20 | 31.3% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Clk at its test that year, and it is the number to watch: across the whole fleet each extra year of age adds roughly 1.9 points to the fail rate, so a model whose age and fail rate rise together is simply getting older.
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a Clk in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn1,623 tests
- 2Coil spring: fractured or broken1,429 tests
- 3Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect727 tests
- 4Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn716 tests
- 5Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm580 tests
- 6Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt543 tests
- 7Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction534 tests
- 8Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements495 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Clk collects 3.66 of them per test, and these are the ones that come up most. Treat it as the running-repairs list for the next year or two.
- 1Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded4,746 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm3,901 tests
- 3Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn2,517 tests
- 4Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened2,282 tests
- 5Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine2,225 tests
- 6Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure1,804 tests
- 7Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn1,783 tests
- 8Wheel bearings: has excessive play1,697 tests
Questions
What is the Mercedes-Benz Clk MOT pass rate?
68.7% of the 23,582 Mercedes-Benz Clk first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 31.3% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 5.8% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Mercedes-Benz Clk usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn", recorded on 1,623 failed tests, followed by "Coil spring: fractured or broken" and "Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect". By section, suspension appears in 57.8% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 32.2% of failures, brakes appears in 30.6% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was n/a%; at 14+ years it was 31.3%. The median Mercedes-Benz Clk tested in 2025 was 20 years old with 102,190 miles.
Is the Mercedes-Benz Clk getting less reliable?
The fail rate fell 0.8 points to 31.3% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (-0.2 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
First-attempt class 4 tests, 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data (OGL v3, retrieved 2026-09-12). DVSA records newer cars trim by trim; this page adds every Clk trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
DVSA has published 5 safety recalls naming the Mercedes-Benz Clk: Mercedes-Benz Clk recalls.
Other Mercedes-Benz models
Checking a particular Clk?
The odds above are the model. The car in front of you has its own record: every test, every advisory, the mileage at each one.
Due a test? Find an approved MOT station near you.