Mercedes Benz
4,937 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where GTs pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 18.0 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
95.5%
Pass-after-fix
0.7%
Fail
3.1%
Avg miles
22,832
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
This model's production run straddles the January 2006 Euro 4 cutoff. Individual cars vary — check your registration plate on the government's ULEZ checker. Daily charges if driven in the zone: London £12.50 · Birmingham £8.00 .
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 4,841 tests
Pass rate is broadly flat across the cohorts — new and old GT examples track each other at the test bay.
Pass
95.3%
Fail
3.0%
PRS
1.0%
Avg mileage at test
25,874 mi
Pass
95.7%
Fail
3.6%
PRS
0.4%
Avg mileage at test
17,709 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 1,403 MOT tests, the Gt returns 92.2% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a tyre with the cords showing. Windscreen damage and tyre tread under the limit round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 20,473, 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.
ABI Insurance Group
A high-group car — insurance costs will be significantly above average. Lower groups cost less to insure; UK fleet average is around Group 22.
Source: ABI Group Rating Panel · administered by Thatcham Research · groups cover standard variants; performance trims may sit higher. Browse all insurance groups →
28–46
out of 50
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Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
59 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
A tyre cords visible or damaged
50 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
28 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements
20 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
17 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
Wiper blade defective
13 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
12 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
Windscreen or window excessively tinted but not adversely affecting driver's view
12 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer
9 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
6 occurrences · 0.1% 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
£135–£225
If every one of this GT'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 →
Try the calculator
Build your own retest budget.
Year-band analysis
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. Pass rates barely move across bands here, so the year you buy Mercedes Benz GT makes little measurable difference to MOT outcomes.
Best band to buy
95.7%
2018–2020 registration
the 2018–2020 band climbs to 95.7% — a 0.3-point improvement. Tests in this band average 17,709 miles — roughly 8K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: has ply or cords exposed, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. The stricter post-2018 MOT test rules meant manufacturers had to tighten up emissions and electrical checks, but this band still shows far fewer major failures on suspension and bodywork than the older fleet.
Band to be cautious about
95.3%
Pre-2018 registration
On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 95.3% pass rate against a fleet average of 95.7% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, has ply or cords exposed, and has a cut in excess of the…. Average mileage on test for this band is 25,874 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (95.7% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (95.3% pass). That's a 0.3-point spread across 3,129 older tests and 1,712 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
MOT-spec replacement number plate
Faded or non-standard plates fail outright. Replacements take ten minutes online with V5C details.
Search Amazon UK
My Motor World · affiliate
Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.
Click Mechanic · affiliate
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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 GT 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.
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