Reliability Report · Multi-Source Data

Mercedes-Benz Cl 500 Reliability

The Mercedes-Benz Cl 500 (current generation) scores 90/100 on our composite reliability index — excellent territory — drawn from DVSA, NHTSA data.

Composite Score
90
/ 100
Excellent
Sources: DVSA · NHTSA · latest 2026
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Reliability by Source

Each independent organization measures reliability differently. TÜV reports inspection defect rates by age band. ADAC reports pan-European breakdowns per 1,000 vehicles. NHTSA aggregates US consumer complaints. DVSA MOT data is the UK fleet's annual safety inspection — every car 3+ years old. Lower variance across sources = higher confidence in the composite.

NHTSA (US Complaints)
Model years 2003–2013 · 2026 report · n=46
46 complaints across 5 sampled year(s); resolved model="CL-CLASS"
View source ↗
89
/ 100
DVSA MOT (UK Inspections)
Model years 2004–2014 · 2024 report · n=2019
2,019 UK MOT tests · overall 15.7% fail rate vs UK fleet baseline
View source ↗
94
/ 100
DVSA MOT (UK Inspections)
Model years 2003–2013 · 2023 report · n=1262
1,262 UK MOT tests · overall 20.0% fail rate vs UK fleet baseline
View source ↗
88
/ 100

UK MOT Reliability Detail

Based on 2,019 MOT tests in the UK during the 2024reporting period. Score for each age band reflects this model's fail rate vs the UK-fleet baseline fail rate at the same age — a generation-aware metric.

Age 1014 yrs
92
14.5% fail vs 32.1% fleet
401 tests
Age 1520 yrs
94
16.0% fail vs 38.8% fleet
1,618 tests

Most Common MOT Failure Categories

#1
Ball joint dust cover
996
42.5%
#2
Windscreen
638
27.2%
#3
Position lamp
310
13.2%
#4
Ball joint
212
9.1%
#5
Condition
186
7.9%

Categories ranked across all MOT tests of this model in the UK during the 2024period. "Condition" covers cosmetic / wear issues; suspension and braking dominate the rest.

Compare Against Alternatives

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