Pass rate
85.3%
Above average — 12.9 pts ahead of the 72.4% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 624 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £28–£72
2005 Mercedes-Benz Cl MOT pass rate
- 2005
- 2 trims combined
- typical 95,288 mi
Most common fault
Suspension
25.3% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Part only £40–£65 for Shock absorber leaking. What fitting it takes →
Which year to buy
- Best 2014 85.6% pass
- Avoid 2000 79.4% pass
Across the 15 years on record, a spread of 6.2 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 83.4%
- Typical mileage
- 95k mi
The 2005 Mercedes-Benz Cl MOT pass rate is 85.3% of its MOT tests — 12.9 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 25.3% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Mercedes-Benz Cl does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Beats its own age and mileage
Once you allow for how old and how far these cars have been driven, the expected pass rate is 72.4% and this one manages 85.3% — 12.9 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a Mercedes-Benz Cl? Get an email when these numbers change .
Every Mercedes-Benz Cl first registered in 2005 is combined here — 2 trim and body variants in total — so the sample is as large as the DVSA data allows.
How does the 2005 Mercedes-Benz Cl compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.4%, so this figure is 12.9 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 83.4%. The median 2005 Mercedes-Benz Cl in this dataset had covered 95,288 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 85.9% of the time, April–September 84.6%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 3.69% of tests.
- 624 recorded tests behind this page.
- 85.3% overall pass rate, 83.4% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Mercedes-Benz Cl, the average is 83.0% — best year 2014 (85.6%), worst 2000 (79.4%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 624
- Typical mileage (median)
- 95,288 mi
- Make and model
- Mercedes-Benz Cl
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Number Plate Lamp
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Cl MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 71% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the Cl
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 205 | 82.9% |
| London | 66 | 95.5% |
| North West | 66 | 78.8% |
| South West | 57 | 80.7% |
| East of England | 50 | 86.0% |
| West Midlands | 45 | 93.3% |
| Scotland | 33 | 75.8% |
| Yorkshire | 32 | 100.0% |
| Wales | 26 | 84.6% |
| East Midlands | 25 | 80.0% |
| North East | 19 | 89.5% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2005 Cl
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2005 Cl
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the lights 3.7% of tests
“registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”
Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.
-
Check the windscreen 3.4% of tests
“windscreen damaged”
Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.
-
Check the suspension joints 3.2% of tests
“ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated”
With the car parked on level ground, rock the top of each front wheel in and out while someone watches the suspension arm. Clunks, or rubber boots split and greasy, are what testers record here.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2005 Cl through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £28–£72 — and 37% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £28–£72
- Cheapest common item: mirrors slightly damaged
- £3–£15
- Dearest common item: windscreen damaged
- £80–£200
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 70%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 37%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 624 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the Cl, side by side
15 model years on record, from 2000 to 2014. Across them the pass rate runs from 79.4% to 85.6% — a spread of 6.2 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 79.4% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2001 81.8% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2002 80.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2003 82.0% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2004 84.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2005 85.3%registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2006 84.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2007 84.9% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2008 83.5% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
- 2009 82.2% ball joint excessively worn
- 2010 84.2% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
- 2011 83.2% ball joint excessively worn
- 2012 83.7% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2013 81.5% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2014 85.6% ball joint excessively worn
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2005 Mercedes-Benz Cl with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2005 cars with a similar record
- Porsche Boxster 84.6%
- Honda S2000 87.1%
- BMW M3 88.1%
- Porsche 911 88.6%
- Jaguar XK8 82.0%
- Porsche Cayenne 81.9%
Closest pass rates among 2005 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2005 Mercedes-Benz Cl 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 1,196 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 306 | 25.30% | 20.98% | +4.32 |
| Brakes | 299 | 24.70% | 20.89% | +3.81 |
| Tyres | 206 | 17.00% | 19.76% | −2.76 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 136 | 11.20% | 12.21% | −1.01 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 75 | 6.20% | 5.52% | +0.68 |
| Visibility | 51 | 4.20% | 4.97% | −0.77 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 50 | 4.10% | 5.57% | −1.47 |
| Steering | 31 | 2.60% | 2.57% | +0.03 |
| Non-component advisories | 30 | 2.50% | 4.18% | −1.68 |
| Road Wheels | 12 | 1.00% | 0.75% | +0.25 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 3.7% | £5–20 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 3.4% | £80–200 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 3.2% | £18–45 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 2.9% | £18–45 |
| Mirrors slightly damaged Visibility | Minor | 2.6% | £3–15 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 2.1% | £5–25 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Major | 1.3% | £80–180 |
| Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak Suspension | Major | 1.3% | £30–75 |
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Major | 1.1% | £45–95 |
| Headlamp aim too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Rectified | 1.1% | £30–80 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 17.0% | £45–95 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 13.9% | £80–180 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 11.4% | £45–110 |
| Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak Suspension | Advisory | 8.8% | £30–75 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 8.7% | £200–700 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 7.7% | £45–95 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 17 | 100.0% | 20,058 mi |
| 30-60k | 80 | 93.8% | 45,033 mi |
| 60-90k | 162 | 85.8% | 77,286 mi |
| 90-120k | 209 | 84.2% | 102,336 mi |
| 120k+ | 154 | 79.9% | 140,833 mi |
Source: 624 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2005 Cl MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2005 Mercedes-Benz Cl?
85.3% of the 624 2005 Mercedes-Benz Cl tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.4% for cars first used in 2005. First-attempt pass rate: 83.4%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2005 Mercedes-Benz Cl?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (3.69%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (3.37%), ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated (3.21%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2005 Mercedes-Benz Cl MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 100.0% of the time, falling to 79.9% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2005 Mercedes-Benz Cl in this dataset had covered 95,288 mi.
Does the season affect the 2005 Mercedes-Benz Cl MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 85.9% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 84.6%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.