Mercedes-Benz Gls MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Pass rate, every year

89.6% Above average

8,694 tests across 7 model years, 2016–2022.

+8.6 pts vs the national average

MOT PASS RATES

How the Mercedes-Benz Gls really fares

89.6% of its MOTs pass — over 8,694 class-4 tests, 2023–2025

Pass rates

Every figure on this page comes from the DVSA's MOT test record.

The Mercedes-Benz Gls MOT pass rate is 89.6%, +8.6 percentage points above the UK average. That is 8,694 DVSA MOT tests recorded between 2016 and 2022. This page lists the most common Mercedes-Benz Gls MOT failures by category, names the best and worst model years, and finishes with a pre-MOT checklist you can run at home.

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MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Mercedes-Benz Gls MOT pass rates does in your corner of the country.

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Mercedes-Benz Gls MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Mercedes-Benz Gls passed on its first attempt in 88.5%, and its overall record sits +8.6 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Mercedes-Benz Gls in the 2023–2025 data: 8,694 tests across 7 model years (2016–2022). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

MeasureThis model
Tests analysed8,694
Overall pass rate89.6%
Passed on first attempt88.5%
Average mileage at test50,386 mi
Model years covered2016–2022 (7 years)
Versus UK national average+8.6 pts above

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Mercedes-Benz Gls MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Mercedes-Benz Gls, the Tyres section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Inspection section Share of failures Est. recorded instances
Tyres 38% 480
Visibility 26% 321
Body, chassis, structure 22% 273
Brakes 5% 67
Noise, emissions and leaks 3% 35
Identification of the vehicle 2% 27
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 2% 23
Suspension 2% 21

Shares are over the Mercedes-Benz Gls's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Tyres

Around 38% of the recorded Mercedes-Benz Gls failures fall in the Tyres section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (2.2%), "Has ply or cords exposed" (1.6%), "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" (1.5%) among the Mercedes-Benz Gls's tyres faults.

Visibility

Around 26% of the recorded Mercedes-Benz Gls failures fall in the Visibility section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (3.0%), "Wipers blade defective" (0.6%), "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (0.1%) among the Mercedes-Benz Gls's visibility faults.

Body, chassis, structure

Around 22% of the recorded Mercedes-Benz Gls failures fall in the Body, chassis, structure section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated" (2.6%), "Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (0.5%) among the Mercedes-Benz Gls's body, chassis, structure faults.

Top Recorded Mercedes-Benz Gls DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Mercedes-Benz Gls, each with how many of the model's 8,694 tests it was noted on.

  • "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 263 Mercedes-Benz Gls tests, 3.0% of the model's MOT record.
  • "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 229 Mercedes-Benz Gls tests, 2.6% of the model's MOT record.
  • "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (Major) — noted on about 187 Mercedes-Benz Gls tests, 2.2% of the model's MOT record.
  • "Has ply or cords exposed" (Major) — noted on about 138 Mercedes-Benz Gls tests, 1.6% of the model's MOT record.
  • "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" (Major) — noted on about 131 Mercedes-Benz Gls tests, 1.5% of the model's MOT record.
  • "Wipers blade defective" (Minor) — noted on about 53 Mercedes-Benz Gls tests, 0.6% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Mercedes-Benz Gls Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Mercedes-Benz Gls model year on record is 2017 (90.7% across 1,982 tests), and the weakest is 2021 (87.9%). The gap between them is 2.8 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Year Tests Pass rate First attempt Avg mileage Most common failure
2022 Gls 373 87.9% 86.4% 34,311 mi Has ply or cords exposed
2021 Gls 626 87.9% 86.4% 37,889 mi Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting drive
2020 Gls 1,314 89.0% 87.8% 41,094 mi Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough
2019 Gls 1,287 90.6% 89.7% 46,372 mi Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated
2018 Gls 1,841 88.9% 87.6% 55,180 mi Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated
2017 Gls 1,982 90.7% 89.9% 64,711 mi Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated
2016 Gls 1,271 89.6% 88.5% 73,145 mi Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting drive

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Mercedes-Benz Gls Owners

These checks follow this Mercedes-Benz Gls's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Mercedes-Benz Gls.

  • the windscreen — “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.

  • the tyre tread — “tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm”

    Check all four tyres cold, including the inner shoulder where wear hides — 1.6mm across the central three-quarters is the legal limit, and most testers fail at 1.6mm without argument.

  • the wipers and washers — “wipers blade defective”

    Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the screen.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Mercedes-Benz Gls. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Frequently Asked Questions: Mercedes-Benz Gls MOT & Reliability

What is the Mercedes-Benz Gls MOT pass rate?

89.6% of the 8,694 recorded Mercedes-Benz Gls MOT tests ended in a pass, +8.6 percentage points above the national average. 88.5% of those passed on the first attempt.

Which Mercedes-Benz Gls model years pass the MOT most often?

2017 is the strongest Mercedes-Benz Gls year on record at 90.7%, while 2021 is the weakest at 87.9%. The year-by-year table below lists every model year with at least 50 recorded tests.

What are the most common Mercedes-Benz Gls MOT failures?

The most recorded Mercedes-Benz Gls failures are "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" and "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated" — together around 6% of tests, mostly in the Visibility section.