Verdict
The Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class passes its MOT first time on 61.4% of tests, 5.6 points higher than a typical car of the same age and mileage (55.9%). That puts it ahead of 69% of cars on UK roads once age and mileage are taken into account.
By year of first registration, the 2002 CLK-Class does best (beats 78% of cars) and the 2009 worst (beats 59%).
Of its engines, the 3.2 Petrol does best (beats 79%) and the 2.1 Diesel worst (beats 57%).
Better than average on lights & electrics, brakes, visibility.
Watch these weak spots
MOT pass rate by age
First-time pass rate at each MOT by the car’s age in years.
Best and worst years
By year of first registration, ranked against all cars on UK roads after adjusting for age and mileage. Green = better than half of cars.
Engines
All years, most common first. Grades compare each car with cars of the same age and mileage (A = best 20% of cars on UK roads, E = worst 20%), so an older or higher-mileage car can grade above one with a higher pass rate.
| Engine | Pass rate | Rank | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.8 Petrol | 60.3% | Beats 61% | B |
| 3.2 Petrol | 63.7% | Beats 79% | B |
| 2.1 Diesel | 57.0% | Beats 57% | C |
| 3.0 Petrol | 64.0% | Beats 70% | B |
| 2.6 Petrol | 60.2% | Beats 69% | B |
| 2.3 Petrol | 63.4% | Beats 78% | B |
| 2.7 Diesel | 54.9% | Beats 61% | B |
| 3.5 Petrol | 64.9% | Beats 75% | B |
| 3.0 Diesel | 59.7% | Beats 65% | B |
| 2.0 Petrol | 64.0% | Beats 79% | B |
| 5.0 Petrol | 66.8% | Beats 87% | A |
| 4.3 Petrol | 69.2% | Beats 91% | A |
| 5.4 Petrol | 72.6% | Beats 96% | A |
Where it fails
Each area compared with a typical car of the same age and mileage, in points of pass rate. Tap or hover an area to see what to check.
Every MOT area
Share of tests failing on each area, against a typical car of the same age and mileage (black line).
Buying one or MOT due? Check these
- Suspension ball joints 2.6× typical
Listen for knocks over speed bumps and feel for wandering or vague steering. - Coil springs 1.9× typical
Look behind each wheel for a snapped coil (often the bottom one) and listen for clunks over bumps. - Headlight aim
Park facing a wall at night: both dipped beams should sit level and dip to the left. - Tyre damage & cracking
Look for cuts, bulges and cracking on both sidewalls of every tyre. - Headlight bulbs & units
Check dipped and main beam on both sides. - Tyre tread depth
Check every tyre, including the inner edge, has at least 3 mm of tread. Uneven wear can point to alignment or suspension problems.
Pass rate by mileage
First-time pass rate by mileage at the test.
Most common MOT failures
| Item | This car | Typical | vs typical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coil springs | 6.5% | 3.3% | 1.9× |
| Suspension ball joints | 6.2% | 2.4% | 2.6× |
| Headlight aim | 5.2% | 5.9% | 0.9× |
| Tyre damage & cracking | 4.6% | 3.8% | 1.2× |
| Headlight bulbs & units | 3.5% | 4.1% | 0.8× |
| Tyre tread depth | 3.3% | 3.3% | 1.0× |
| Sidelights | 2.6% | 5.5% | 0.5× |
| Brake pipes | 2.6% | 2.6% | 1.0× |
| Windscreen wipers | 2.5% | 3.4% | 0.7× |
| Engine warning light | 2.4% | 2.2% | 1.1× |
Specific defects found
Tester wording for the most frequent failure items, per 1,000 tests.
| Defect | per 1,000 |
|---|---|
| A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn | 90.9 |
| A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened | 65.1 |
| The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements | 52.2 |
| A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 35.8 |
| Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements | 33.4 |
| A tyre seriously damaged | 27.5 |
| Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction | 26.1 |
| Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded | 23.9 |
Pick a make and model to see its MOT pass rate, best and worst years and weak spots.
Every year and engine
Tap a year to see its engines. Grades compare each car with cars of the same age and mileage (A = best 20% of cars on UK roads, E = worst 20%), so an older or higher-mileage car can grade above one with a higher pass rate.
2009 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class6 engines62.2% passC
| Engine | Pass rate | Rank | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.8 Petrol | 62.0% | Beats 55% | C |
| 2.1 Diesel | 57.9% | Beats 51% | C |
| 3.0 Petrol | 66.2% | Beats 68% | B |
| 3.0 Diesel | 61.9% | Beats 64% | B |
| 3.5 Petrol | 71.1% | Beats 86% | A |
| 2.0 Petrol | 67.0% | Beats 72% | B |
2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class5 engines61.4% passB
| Engine | Pass rate | Rank | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.8 Petrol | 63.4% | Beats 63% | B |
| 2.1 Diesel | 56.9% | Beats 53% | C |
| 3.0 Petrol | 65.4% | Beats 71% | B |
| 3.0 Diesel | 59.2% | Beats 60% | C |
| 3.5 Petrol | 63.8% | Beats 66% | B |
2007 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class5 engines60.5% passB
| Engine | Pass rate | Rank | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.8 Petrol | 61.1% | Beats 60% | B |
| 2.1 Diesel | 56.9% | Beats 57% | C |
| 3.0 Petrol | 62.9% | Beats 66% | B |
| 3.0 Diesel | 59.5% | Beats 63% | B |
| 3.5 Petrol | 64.7% | Beats 71% | B |
2006 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class5 engines60.9% passB
| Engine | Pass rate | Rank | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.8 Petrol | 61.0% | Beats 64% | B |
| 3.0 Petrol | 63.3% | Beats 72% | B |
| 2.1 Diesel | 56.8% | Beats 61% | B |
| 3.5 Petrol | 63.9% | Beats 73% | B |
| 3.0 Diesel | 59.0% | Beats 66% | B |
2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class8 engines60.0% passB
| Engine | Pass rate | Rank | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.8 Petrol | 58.8% | Beats 62% | B |
| 3.2 Petrol | 63.3% | Beats 76% | B |
| 2.1 Diesel | 56.2% | Beats 62% | B |
| 2.6 Petrol | 62.0% | Beats 72% | B |
| 2.7 Diesel | 54.1% | Beats 56% | C |
| 3.0 Petrol | 63.8% | Beats 76% | B |
| 3.5 Petrol | 64.7% | Beats 79% | B |
| 3.0 Diesel | 60.1% | Beats 73% | B |
2004 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class5 engines59.4% passB
| Engine | Pass rate | Rank | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.2 Petrol | 61.6% | Beats 73% | B |
| 2.6 Petrol | 60.6% | Beats 70% | B |
| 1.8 Petrol | 57.1% | Beats 61% | B |
| 2.7 Diesel | 54.6% | Beats 61% | B |
| 5.0 Petrol | 66.6% | Beats 86% | A |
2003 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class7 engines60.8% passB
| Engine | Pass rate | Rank | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.2 Petrol | 62.0% | Beats 75% | B |
| 2.6 Petrol | 59.4% | Beats 67% | B |
| 2.7 Diesel | 55.8% | Beats 64% | B |
| 1.8 Petrol | 57.9% | Beats 63% | B |
| 5.4 Petrol | 72.6% | Beats 96% | A |
| 5.0 Petrol | 68.3% | Beats 90% | A |
| 2.3 Petrol | 63.6% | Beats 80% | B |
2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class5 engines62.1% passB
| Engine | Pass rate | Rank | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.2 Petrol | 62.8% | Beats 79% | B |
| 2.3 Petrol | 63.6% | Beats 82% | A |
| 2.6 Petrol | 58.3% | Beats 67% | B |
| 2.0 Petrol | 61.0% | Beats 75% | B |
| 5.0 Petrol | 64.7% | Beats 84% | A |
2001 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class4 engines65.4% passA
| Engine | Pass rate | Rank | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.2 Petrol | 67.2% | Beats 88% | A |
| 2.3 Petrol | 62.9% | Beats 79% | B |
| 2.0 Petrol | 65.1% | Beats 83% | A |
| 4.3 Petrol | 68.2% | Beats 90% | A |
2000 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class4 engines66.0% passA
| Engine | Pass rate | Rank | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.2 Petrol | 67.4% | Beats 87% | A |
| 2.3 Petrol | 64.3% | Beats 79% | B |
| 2.0 Petrol | 63.6% | Beats 78% | B |
| 4.3 Petrol | 70.1% | Beats 92% | A |
1999 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class2 engines64.2% passB
| Engine | Pass rate | Rank | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.2 Petrol | 64.8% | Beats 77% | B |
| 2.3 Petrol | 63.4% | Beats 74% | B |
1998 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class2 engines62.5% passB
| Engine | Pass rate | Rank | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.3 Petrol | 60.8% | Beats 60% | B |
| 3.2 Petrol | 64.4% | Beats 71% | B |
FAQ
What is the Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class MOT pass rate?
61.4% of MOT tests on the Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class were passed first time, based on 302,351 tests between 2018 and 2026 of cars first registered 1998–2009. A typical car of the same age and mileage passes 55.9% of the time.
Is the Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class reliable?
On MOT results it rates B (good): it passes first time more often than a typical car of the same age and mileage and does better than 69% of cars on UK roads. MOT results cover safety and emissions items, not every kind of breakdown.
Which Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class year is best?
Among years with enough data, the 2002 CLK-Class does best for its age and mileage: it beats 78% of cars on UK roads. The 2009 does worst: it beats 59%.
Which Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class engine is best?
Across all years, the 3.2 Petrol does best: it beats 79% of cars on UK roads. The 2.1 Diesel does worst: it beats 57%.
What are the most common MOT failures on the Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class?
The most common failure items are coil springs, suspension ball joints, headlight aim. Compared with similar cars, suspension ball joints comes up 2.6× as often.