Photo: Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mercedes Benz
2,581 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Gla 250 Exclusive Edition E As pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 13.3 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
90.8%
Pass-after-fix
2.1%
Fail
6.7%
Avg miles
30,101
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Petrol cars first registered from January 2006 meet Euro 4 — compliant in London ULEZ, Birmingham CAZ, Bristol CAZ, and Glasgow LEZ.
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 2,581 tests
Pass rate drops 2.7 points across the cohorts — recent Gla 250 Exclusive Edition E A examples are doing worse than the early cars at the same tested age.
Pass
93.0%
Fail
5.5%
PRS
1.3%
Avg mileage at test
34,118 mi
Pass
90.3%
Fail
7.1%
PRS
2.3%
Avg mileage at test
29,033 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 2,581 MOT tests, the Gla 250 Exclusive Edition E A returns 90.8% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a seriously damaged tyre. Tyre tread under the limit and a defective wiper blade round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 30,101, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.
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A tyre seriously damaged
71 occurrences · 2.8% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
42 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
Wiper blade defective
33 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
29 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
A tyre cords visible or damaged
14 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
Seat belt buckle missing, damaged or not functioning as intended
13 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements
12 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
11 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction
5 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
A tyre cords visible or damaged
5 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.
Worst-case fix budget · top 3 failures
£140–£235
If every one of this Gla 250 Exclusive Edition E A's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →
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Build your own retest budget.
Year-band analysis
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 2.7-point gap between bands is modest — the year you buy Mercedes Benz Gla 250 Exclusive Edition E A makes a small but real difference to MOT outcomes.
Best band to buy
93.0%
2018–2020 registration
the 2018–2020 band climbs to 93.0% — a 2.7-point improvement. Failures here are mostly wear items: has a cut in excess of the…, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band.
Band to be cautious about
90.3%
2021+ registration
On the 2021-on band, the data shows a 90.3% pass rate against a fleet average of 93.0% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: has a cut in excess of the…, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, and blade defective. Average mileage on test for this band is 29,033 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (93.0% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2021+ (90.3% pass). That's a 2.7-point spread across 2,040 older tests and 541 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.
Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.
Item 01 · Amazon UK
Digital tyre-tread depth gauge
Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · Amazon UK
Bosch Aerotwin wiper blades
Cheap wipers fail the test on smear streaks. Bosch Aerotwins last a winter and clear a screen properly.
Search Amazon UK
My Motor World · affiliate
Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.
Click Mechanic · affiliate
Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.
Mobile mechanic · UK-wide
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Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.
If you own a Gla 250 Exclusive Edition E A and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.
