Reliability Report · European Market

Mercedes-Benz Cl 500 Reliability

The Mercedes-Benz Cl 500 (current generation) scores 88/100 on our composite reliability index — excellent territory — drawn from DVSA, NHTSA data.

Composite Score
88
/ 100
Excellent
Sources: DVSA · NHTSA · latest 2026
European Market Snapshot
Documented issues0
Listings in catalogue0
Found a listing?
Get a personalized risk + price verdict in 30 seconds.

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 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 1,262 MOT tests in the UK during the 2023reporting 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
85
20.1% fail vs 32.1% fleet
359 tests
Age 1520 yrs
89
19.9% fail vs 38.8% fleet
903 tests

Most Common MOT Failure Categories

#1
Ball joint
85
22.3%
#2
Ball joint dust cover
83
21.7%
#3
Condition
80
20.9%
#4
Rigid brake pipes
77
20.2%
#5
Registration plate lamp(s)
57
14.9%

Categories ranked across all MOT tests of this model in the UK during the 2023period. "Condition" covers cosmetic / wear issues; suspension and braking dominate the rest.

Compare Against Alternatives

See how the Mercedes-Benz Cl 500 stacks up against direct rivals — same segment, similar price band, side-by-side risk + reliability.

Open the comparison tool →