Mercedes-Benz GLE MOT failure rate and common faults
33,026 Mercedes-Benz GLE cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 12.9% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 18.1% of the time, which makes the Mercedes-Benz GLE 28% less likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
12.9%
failed first time
33,026 MOT tests in 2025
-28%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 18.1%
24 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
84.2
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 75.8
What fails on a Mercedes-Benz GLE MOT
Failure items recorded per 1,000 tests, by part of the car, set against an average car with exactly the same spread of ages. A figure well above average is a weak spot worth checking before you buy.
The most common Mercedes-Benz GLE MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 44.1 |
| Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 26.1 |
| Tyres: has ply or cords exposed | Tyres | 18.1 |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 9.4 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | Engine, emissions and leaks | 9.1 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 8.4 |
| Registration plates: does not conform to the specified requirements | Number plates and VIN | 8.1 |
| Headlamp aim: too high | Lights and electrics | 6.7 |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts | 5.8 |
| Ball joint excessively worn | Suspension | 5.7 |
Mercedes-Benz GLE MOT failure rate by year
Every car fails more often as it ages, so each registration year is compared with the average for all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 500 tests are left out.
| First registered | Tests | Failed | Same age average | Average mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 3,525 | 12.8% | 11.4% | 34,500 |
| 2021 | 4,530 | 12.6% | 12.8% | 42,500 |
| 2020 | 4,816 | 11.4% | 14.1% | 47,800 |
| 2019 | 3,409 | 12.4% | 16.5% | 53,500 |
| 2018 | 5,704 | 13.8% | 19.1% | 63,700 |
| 2017 | 4,457 | 13.5% | 21.8% | 70,000 |
| 2016 | 5,319 | 14.0% | 25.1% | 77,800 |
| 2015 | 1,255 | 11.2% | 28.1% | 84,400 |
Advisories to look for in a Mercedes-Benz GLE's MOT history
An advisory is a tester's warning that something is wearing but has not failed yet. These are the ones written most often on the Mercedes-Benz GLE, per 1,000 tests. If the car you are looking at has one of these, ask whether it has been fixed since.
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge361.2
- Brake pads: wearing thin79.7
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened47.0
- Brake discs: worn, but not excessively46.6
- Tyres: has a cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords29.5
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing27.8
Checking a used Mercedes-Benz GLE before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Mercedes-Benz GLE fails more often than average on tyres. Start there.
Tyres
Check the tread across the full width of every tyre, inner edge included. Uneven wear points to worn suspension or out of line steering geometry.
Averages only take you so far. The specific car's MOT history shows whether it has already failed on any of these, how often advisories were ignored, and whether the mileage climbs steadily from test to test. Read our guide to reading a car's MOT history before you go to view it.
Fuel mix of the Mercedes-Benz GLE cars tested: Diesel 83%, Diesel hybrid 8%, Petrol 5%, Hybrid 4%. Average age at test 6.3 years, average recorded mileage 58,200.
Mercedes-Benz GLE MOT questions
What is the Mercedes-Benz GLE MOT failure rate?
12.9% of Mercedes-Benz GLE cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 33,026 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 18.1% of the time, so the Mercedes-Benz GLE was 28% less likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Mercedes-Benz GLE MOT?
Tyres caused the most failure items, at 102 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm", recorded 44.1 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Mercedes-Benz GLE year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2015 registrations did best: 11.2% failed against an average of 28.1% for cars that age. Older cars always fail more often, so compare a year with its age group rather than with newer cars.
Does this tell me whether a particular Mercedes-Benz GLE will pass?
No. These are averages across every Mercedes-Benz GLE tested in 2025. The car in front of you has its own record: its full MOT history shows every pass, failure and advisory it has had, and it is free to view by registration.
Other Mercedes-Benz models
- Mercedes-Benz A-Class21.5% failed
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class24.8% failed
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class22.3% failed
- Mercedes-Benz GLA16.8% failed
- Mercedes-Benz GLC13.7% failed
- Mercedes-Benz Vito32.5% failed
Ranked close to the Mercedes-Benz GLE
- Audi Q5rank 21
- BMW X5rank 22
- Volvo XC40rank 25
- Range Rover Sportrank 26
How these figures are calculated
Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 release. We count first tests of cars and small vans (class 4) aged 3 to 20, so a car that fails and is retested is counted once. A failure includes faults fixed and passed within the same visit. The same age average weights the national failure rate for each age by how many Mercedes-Benz GLE cars of that age were tested, so a model is never penalised for having an older fleet. Make and model are as recorded at the test; trim levels are combined. Full method and rankings.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.