Is the Mercedes-Benz GLC reliable?

On MOT evidence the Mercedes-Benz GLC is well above average. It passes 85.9% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 62% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Mercedes-Benz GLC?

The item recorded most often is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", which appears in 28.2% of failed Mercedes-Benz GLC tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.

What do testers most often warn about on a Mercedes-Benz GLC?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 25.1% of all Mercedes-Benz GLC tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Mercedes-Benz GLC usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 55,353 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Does a Mercedes-Benz GLC get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 90.4% of Mercedes-Benz GLC tests pass. By 9 to 11 years, that falls to 82.8%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Mercedes-Benz GLC models petrol or diesel?

Of the Mercedes-Benz GLC cars tested, 75% are diesel, 15% are petrol, 7% are hybrid. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Mercedes-Benz GLC MOT pass rate & common failures

From 84,268 recorded MOT tests of the Mercedes-Benz GLC, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Mercedes-Benz GLC passes 85.9% of MOT tests once results are adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, against a national average of 72.3%. That is well above average. Based on 84,268 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, which appears in 28.2% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 55,353 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

85.9%national average72.3%unadjusted86.4%range covered62%

The GLC is 13.6 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well above average. The unadjusted figure is 86.4%; the difference is what the age and mileage of this model’s fleet was hiding.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Mercedes-Benz GLC tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn28.2%
2,822 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
2.A tyre seriously damaged19.9%
1,989 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements18.1%
1,809 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
4.A tyre cords visible or damaged12.0%
1,204 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
5.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc9.4%
943 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained
6.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm8.2%
818 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
7.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened6.3%
634 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
8.Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction6.2%
618 occurrencesEngine management light on, or not working explained
9.Brake lining or pad worn down to wear indicator4.7%
465 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
10.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen3.8%
375 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Mercedes-Benz GLC tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements25.1%
21,183 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm9.8%
8,237 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
3.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn7.4%
6,274 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged7.4%
6,199 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured7.0%
5,921 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
6.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn5.5%
4,660 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
7.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements3.9%
3,266 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
8.Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt3.3%
2,811 tests

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs90%

6–8 yrs85%

9–11 yrs83%

Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The GLC fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 55,353
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel75.2%
Petrol15.0%
Hybrid7.5%
Diesel hybrid2.4%

Trim names grouped into this model (40)

Recorded exactly as DVSA holds them. Trim-level names are rolled up so one model is not split across a dozen thin pages.

AMG GLC 63 4MATIC + AUTO
AMG GLC 63 PREMIUM 4MATIC + A
AMG GLC 63 S
AMG GLC 63 S 4MATIC + AUTO
AMG GLC 63 S PREMIUM + 4M+ A
GLC 200
GLC 220
GLC 220 AMG LINE D MHEV 4MAT A
GLC 220 AMG LN PREM D MHEV4M A
GLC 220 AMG LN PRM+ D MHEV4M A
GLC 220 D
GLC 220 D 4M AMG LINE PREM A
GLC 220 D 4MATIC AMG LINE AUTO
GLC 220 D 4MATIC SPORT COUPE
GLC 220D
GLC 220D 4M AMG LINE PREMIUM
GLC 220D 4MATIC
GLC 220D AMG
GLC 250
GLC 250 4 MATIC AMG
GLC 250 4-MATIC
GLC 250 AMG
GLC 250 AMG LINE PREM + 4M A
GLC 250 D
GLC 250 D 4-MATIC
GLC 250D
GLC 300
GLC 300 AMG LINE 4MATIC AUTO
GLC 300 AMG LINE DE 4MATIC A
GLC 300 AMG LINE E 4MATIC AUTO
GLC 300 AMG LINE MHEV 4MATIC A
GLC 300 AMG LINE PREM + 4M A
GLC 300 AMG LINE PREM + D 4M A
GLC 300 AMG LINE PREM + E 4M A
GLC 300 AMG LINE PREM D 4M A
GLC 300 AMG LINE PREM D 4M A COUPE
GLC 300 AMG LINE PREM DE 4M A
GLC 300 AMG LINE PREM E 4MAT A
GLC 300 AMG LINE PREM+ E 4M A
GLC 300 AMG LINE PREMIUM 4M A

Check a specific Mercedes-Benz GLC

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other Mercedes-Benz models

Mercedes-Benz A-Class — 73.3% adjusted
Mercedes-Benz C-Class — 77.0% adjusted
Mercedes-Benz E-Class — 78.5% adjusted
Mercedes-Benz GLA — 82.3% adjusted
Mercedes-Benz Vito — 71.0% adjusted
Mercedes-Benz CLA — 78.6% adjusted
All Mercedes-Benz models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Fiat Panda — 65.2% adjusted, ranked 220
Dacia Duster — 66.7% adjusted, ranked 208
Vauxhall Meriva — 62.2% adjusted, ranked 245
Land Rover Range Rover — 82.4% adjusted, ranked 33

Common questions

Is the Mercedes-Benz GLC reliable?: On MOT evidence the Mercedes-Benz GLC is well above average. It passes 85.9% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 62% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Mercedes-Benz GLC?: The item recorded most often is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", which appears in 28.2% of failed Mercedes-Benz GLC tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.
What do testers most often warn about on a Mercedes-Benz GLC?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 25.1% of all Mercedes-Benz GLC tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Mercedes-Benz GLC usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 55,353 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.
Does a Mercedes-Benz GLC get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 90.4% of Mercedes-Benz GLC tests pass. By 9 to 11 years, that falls to 82.8%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Mercedes-Benz GLC models petrol or diesel?: Of the Mercedes-Benz GLC cars tested, 75% are diesel, 15% are petrol, 7% are hybrid. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. The adjusted rate is directly standardised across twenty-five age and mileage bands and reweighted onto the national distribution, so this model is compared against cars that have lived a similar life rather than against a younger or lighter-used fleet.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.