Reliability Report · European Market

Mercedes-Benz CLK Reliability

The Mercedes-Benz CLK (current generation) scores 71/100 on our composite reliability index — good territory — drawn from DVSA, NHTSA data.

Composite Score
71
/ 100
Good
Sources: DVSA · NHTSA · latest 2026
European Market Snapshot
Documented issues0
Listings in catalogue0
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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=101
101 complaints across 3 sampled year(s); resolved model="CLK-CLASS"
View source ↗
69
/ 100
DVSA MOT (UK Inspections)
Model years 2003–2013 · 2023 report · n=24752
24,752 UK MOT tests · overall 35.6% fail rate vs UK fleet baseline
View source ↗
73
/ 100

UK MOT Reliability Detail

Based on 24,752 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 10–14 yrs
64
36.7% fail vs 32.1% fleet
3,004 tests
Age 15–20 yrs
74
35.4% fail vs 38.8% fleet
21,748 tests

Most Common MOT Failure Categories

#1
Headlamp
3,218
24.3%
#2
Ball joint
2,992
22.6%
#3
Coil spring
2,714
20.5%
#4
Condition
2,375
17.9%
#5
Headlamp aim
1,963
14.8%

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 CLK stacks up against direct rivals — same segment, similar price band, side-by-side risk + reliability.

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