How reliable is the Mercedes-Benz SLC compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Mercedes-Benz SLC, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 85.1% across 8,979 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.

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

The item recorded most often is "A tyre cords visible or damaged", which appears in 22.5% of failed Mercedes-Benz SLC 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 SLC?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 22.0% of all Mercedes-Benz SLC 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 SLC usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 36,347 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 SLC get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 89.6% of Mercedes-Benz SLC tests pass. By 9 to 11 years, that falls to 83.7%. 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 SLC models petrol or diesel?

Of the Mercedes-Benz SLC cars tested, 69% are petrol, 31% are diesel. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Mercedes-Benz SLC MOT pass rate & common failures

From 8,979 recorded MOT tests of the Mercedes-Benz SLC, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 8,979 MOT tests, 85.1% of Mercedes-Benz SLC tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Mercedes-Benz SLC fleet does not yet cover a wide enough spread of ages and distances to compare it fairly against other models. Its most commonly recorded failure is tyre cords visible or damaged, which appears in 22.5% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 36,347 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

85.1%unadjusted, not comparable8,979 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the SLC. The examples tested do not cover a wide enough spread of ages and mileages to compare it fairly, and an unadjusted pass rate mostly sorts models by how recently they were bought rather than how well they were built. The failure and advisory patterns below come from the same 8,979 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

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

1.A tyre cords visible or damaged22.5%
267 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
2.A tyre seriously damaged17.5%
207 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
3.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened16.5%
196 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
4.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements12.7%
150 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
5.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn11.1%
131 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
6.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc6.1%
72 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
7.A tyre seriously damaged6.0%
71 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
8.Warning device shows system malfunction5.7%
67 occurrencesBrake system warning lamp on, or not working explained
9.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc5.3%
63 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
10.Any fracture or welding defect on a wheel4.4%
52 occurrencesRoad wheel damaged, distorted or cracked explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Mercedes-Benz SLC 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 requirements22.0%
1,977 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A tyre seriously damaged13.0%
1,163 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
3.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured5.1%
457 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged4.3%
389 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.A wheel bearing with excessive play3.8%
337 testsWheel bearing has excessive play or is rough explained
6.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements3.4%
306 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
7.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm3.2%
290 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
8.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn2.6%
233 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs90%

6–8 yrs85%

9–11 yrs84%

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

What gets tested

The SLC fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 36,347
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol68.9%
Diesel31.1%

Trim names grouped into this model (11)

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

AMG SLC 43 PREMIUM AUTO
SLC 180
SLC 200 FINAL EDITION
SLC 200 FINAL EDITION AUTO
SLC 200 FINAL EDITION PREMIUM
SLC 250
SLC 250 D AMG LINE AUTO
SLC 250D
SLC 300 FINAL EDITION AUTO
SLC 300 FINAL EDITION PREM A
SLC 43 AMG

Check a specific Mercedes-Benz SLC

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 GLC — 85.9% adjusted
All Mercedes-Benz models

Common questions

How reliable is the Mercedes-Benz SLC compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Mercedes-Benz SLC, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 85.1% across 8,979 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Mercedes-Benz SLC?: The item recorded most often is "A tyre cords visible or damaged", which appears in 22.5% of failed Mercedes-Benz SLC 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 SLC?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 22.0% of all Mercedes-Benz SLC 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 SLC usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 36,347 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 SLC get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 89.6% of Mercedes-Benz SLC tests pass. By 9 to 11 years, that falls to 83.7%. 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 SLC models petrol or diesel?: Of the Mercedes-Benz SLC cars tested, 69% are petrol, 31% are diesel. 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. No adjusted rate is shown because this model's tested examples do not cover enough of the national age and mileage range for standardisation to mean anything.

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.