Car statistics
Mercedes-Benz C-Class C230 Elegance SE statistics
How many Mercedes-Benz C-Class C230 Elegance SEs are still on the road in Great Britain, how many are declared off the road, and how the C230 Elegance SE compares with other versions of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Built from DVLA licensing records, with MOT results for the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
- Licensed in Great Britain 91 −10.8% on a year earlier
- Declared SORN 15 Off the road, not taxed
- Still registered 53.0% Other Mercedes-Benz C-Class versions 32.6%
- Peak year 2008 198 licensed
- Share of Mercedes-Benz C-Classes 0.0% of those licensed or SORN
- Declared off the road 14.2% of those still registered are SORN
How many Mercedes-Benz C-Class C230 Elegance SEs are left in Great Britain?
There were 91 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C230 Elegance SEs licensed in Great Britain at the end of June 2026, and a further 15 declared off the road (SORN). The licensed count is 54.0% lower than its peak of 198 in 2008.
Mercedes-Benz C-Class C230 Elegance SEs licensed and SORN in Great Britain
This data records SORN from 2008, so the SORN line starts there.
| Year | Licensed | Declared SORN |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 86 | – |
| 2006 | 180 | – |
| 2007 | 193 | – |
| 2008 | 198 | 1 |
| 2009 | 197 | 0 |
| 2010 | 197 | 2 |
| 2011 | 192 | 4 |
| 2012 | 195 | 1 |
| 2013 | 193 | 2 |
| 2014 | 184 | 1 |
| 2015 | 183 | 0 |
| 2016 | 179 | 2 |
| 2017 | 176 | 4 |
| 2018 | 174 | 6 |
| 2019 | 157 | 8 |
| 2020 | 142 | 16 |
| 2021 | 140 | 13 |
| 2022 | 135 | 8 |
| 2023 | 124 | 10 |
| 2024 | 114 | 9 |
| 2025 | 97 | 13 |
| 2026 | 91 | 15 |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Fuel type
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
How many Mercedes-Benz C-Class C230 Elegance SEs have survived?
53.0% of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class C230 Elegance SEs first registered since 2001 are still registered, licensed or SORN. For other versions of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class first registered in the same years, the figure is 32.6%, so Mercedes-Benz C-Class C230 Elegance SEs are 1.6 times as likely to have survived.
Share still registered (licensed or SORN)
Compared with 40 other versions of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class first registered in the same years.
| Version | Share still registered |
|---|---|
| Mercedes-Benz C-Class C230 Elegance SE | 53.0% |
| Other Mercedes-Benz C-Class versions of the same age | 32.6% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Mercedes-Benz C-Class MOT reliability
In 2025, 74.6% of Mercedes-Benz C-Class MOT tests were passed first time, against 72.8% for all cars. Cars of the same ages pass 71.0% of the time, so the Mercedes-Benz C-Class does better than average for its age, by 3.6 points.
DVSA's MOT results name the model, not the version, so these figures cover all Mercedes-Benz C-Classes tested, the C230 Elegance SE among them. For the full breakdown, including defects in detail and results year by year, see the Mercedes-Benz C-Class page.
MOT first-time pass rate by age: Mercedes-Benz C-Class vs all cars
Each bar pair covers cars of the same age, so an older fleet does not count against the model.
| Vehicle age | Mercedes-Benz C-Class | All cars |
|---|---|---|
| 3 years | 89.2% | 89.5% |
| 4–5 years | 86.4% | 87.6% |
| 6–7 years | 84.6% | 83.0% |
| 8–10 years | 80.1% | 75.7% |
| 11–14 years | 70.2% | 65.5% |
| 15–19 years | 63.2% | 58.0% |
| 20+ years | 61.5% | 61.0% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
Most common MOT failure categories
Suspension is the most common reason a Mercedes-Benz C-Class fails. A failed test can have defects in more than one category.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Suspension | 40.8% |
| Tyres | 29.7% |
| Brakes | 23.6% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 23.6% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 14.2% |
| Visibility | 10.2% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
Other versions of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Versions of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class with their own page. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class page covers all 322,420 licensed, whatever the version.
| Version | Licensed | SORN | Still registered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercedes-Benz C-Class C250 Elegance | 468 | 530 | 21.1% |
| Mercedes-Benz C-Class C180 Komp Sport | 716 | 55 | 79.2% |
| Mercedes-Benz C-Class C180 Komp Eleg Blueefcy | 386 | 18 | 72.0% |
| Mercedes-Benz C-Class C32 AMG | 112 | 183 | 58.9% |
| Mercedes-Benz C-Class C43 AMG | 99 | 170 | 65.6% |
| Mercedes-Benz C-Class C36 AMG | 54 | 107 | 47.5% |
| Mercedes-Benz C-Class C55 AMG | 73 | 47 | 76.9% |
| Mercedes-Benz C-Class C230 Elegance SE | 91 | 15 | 53.0% |
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed and SORN counts | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of June 2026 | 106 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C230 Elegance SE records (licensed and SORN) | 2 October 2026 |
| MOT results (whole model) | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 358,848 MOT tests | 15 September 2026 |
- Figures cover Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). Northern Ireland is not included.
- Licensed counts are vehicles with a current tax or exemption at the end of each year (or the latest quarter). SORN counts are shown separately, from 2008.
- This version groups DVLA’s detailed model names “C230 ELEGANCE SE AUTO”, “C230 ELEGANCE SE”. Engine size, gearbox, number of doors and fuel are ignored, so every engine and gearbox counts together.
- Survival compares the number still registered (licensed or SORN) with the number first registered since 2001. Other versions are those of the same model with the same average year of first registration.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.