Car statistics
Mercedes-Benz C-Class C250 Elegance statistics
How many Mercedes-Benz C-Class C250 Elegances are still on the road in Great Britain, how many are declared off the road, and how the C250 Elegance 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 468 −9.8% on a year earlier
- Declared SORN 530 Off the road, not taxed
- Still registered 21.1% Other Mercedes-Benz C-Class versions 10.9%
- Peak year 2000 4,241 licensed
- Share of Mercedes-Benz C-Classes 0.3% of those licensed or SORN
- Declared off the road 53.1% of those still registered are SORN
How many Mercedes-Benz C-Class C250 Elegances are left in Great Britain?
There were 468 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C250 Elegances licensed in Great Britain at the end of June 2026, and a further 530 declared off the road (SORN). The licensed count is 89.0% lower than its peak of 4,241 in 2000. More are declared SORN than are licensed: 53.1% of those still registered are off the road.
Mercedes-Benz C-Class C250 Elegances licensed and SORN in Great Britain
This data records SORN from 2007, so the SORN line starts there.
| Year | Licensed | Declared SORN |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 293 | – |
| 1996 | 956 | – |
| 1997 | 2,380 | – |
| 1998 | 3,658 | – |
| 1999 | 4,194 | – |
| 2000 | 4,241 | – |
| 2001 | 4,190 | – |
| 2002 | 4,126 | – |
| 2003 | 4,077 | – |
| 2004 | 4,044 | – |
| 2005 | 3,968 | – |
| 2006 | 3,864 | – |
| 2007 | 3,720 | 98 |
| 2008 | 3,510 | 145 |
| 2009 | 3,227 | 174 |
| 2010 | 2,939 | 214 |
| 2011 | 2,821 | 260 |
| 2012 | 2,662 | 257 |
| 2013 | 2,252 | 311 |
| 2014 | 1,889 | 353 |
| 2015 | 1,588 | 415 |
| 2016 | 1,358 | 479 |
| 2017 | 1,129 | 522 |
| 2018 | 956 | 536 |
| 2019 | 834 | 540 |
| 2020 | 747 | 565 |
| 2021 | 677 | 552 |
| 2022 | 633 | 540 |
| 2023 | 583 | 544 |
| 2024 | 522 | 532 |
| 2025 | 491 | 517 |
| 2026 | 468 | 530 |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Fuel type
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
How many Mercedes-Benz C-Class C250 Elegances have survived?
21.1% of Mercedes-Benz C-Class C250 Elegances are still registered (licensed or SORN), measured against the most on the road at any year end since 1995. For other versions of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class from the same era, the figure is 10.9%, so Mercedes-Benz C-Class C250 Elegances are 1.9 times as likely to have survived.
Share still registered (licensed or SORN)
Compared with 31 other versions of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class from the same era.
| Version | Share still registered |
|---|---|
| Mercedes-Benz C-Class C250 Elegance | 21.1% |
| Other Mercedes-Benz C-Class versions of the same age | 10.9% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Mercedes-Benz C-Class C250 Elegance registrations over time
Registrations of Mercedes-Benz C-Class C250 Elegances for the first time in Great Britain peaked at 251 in 2011. In 2025, 0 were registered.
Registered for the first time, by year
| Year | First registrations |
|---|---|
| ’01 | 8 |
| ’02 | 1 |
| ’03 | 5 |
| ’04 | 3 |
| ’05 | 0 |
| ’06 | 0 |
| ’07 | 0 |
| ’08 | 0 |
| ’09 | 1 |
| ’10 | 1 |
| ’11 | 251 |
| ’12 | 219 |
| ’13 | 7 |
| ’14 | 0 |
| ’15 | 0 |
| ’16 | 0 |
| ’17 | 0 |
| ’18 | 1 |
| ’19 | 0 |
| ’20 | 0 |
| ’21 | 0 |
| ’22 | 0 |
| ’23 | 1 |
| ’24 | 0 |
| ’25 | 0 |
Source:DfT / DVLA 2001 to 2025 Updated
Mercedes-Benz C-Class C250 Elegance engine sizes and fuel types
Of the 503 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C250 Elegances licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, 57.7% have an engine of 2,101cc to 2,200cc, and 22.1% have an engine of 2,401cc to 2,500cc. The share with an engine of 2,401cc to 2,500cc has fallen from 76.1% in 2014 to 22.1%. Petrols made up 5.6% of those licensed in 2014 and 20.3% in 2025.
Engine sizes, end of 2025
DVLA records engine size in 100cc bands.
| Engine size | Share of those licensed |
|---|---|
| 2,101cc to 2,200cc 290 licensed | 57.7% |
| 2,401cc to 2,500cc 111 licensed | 22.1% |
| 1,701cc to 1,800cc 102 licensed | 20.3% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2014 to end of 2025 Updated
| Engine size | Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,101–2,200cc | Diesel | 290 | 57.7% |
| 2,401–2,500cc | Diesel | 111 | 22.1% |
| 1,701–1,800cc | Petrol | 102 | 20.3% |
Engine sizes, 2014 to 2025
Share of those licensed at the end of each year, for the most common sizes.
| Year | 2,101–2,200cc | 2,401–2,500cc | 1,701–1,800cc |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 18.0% | 76.1% | 5.3% |
| 2015 | 21.5% | 71.7% | 6.2% |
| 2016 | 25.4% | 66.9% | 7.3% |
| 2017 | 29.9% | 61.0% | 8.8% |
| 2018 | 35.5% | 53.9% | 10.2% |
| 2019 | 39.6% | 48.3% | 11.9% |
| 2020 | 43.9% | 42.8% | 13.2% |
| 2021 | 47.1% | 37.8% | 14.8% |
| 2022 | 49.5% | 35.2% | 14.9% |
| 2023 | 53.3% | 29.6% | 16.9% |
| 2024 | 56.1% | 26.0% | 17.9% |
| 2025 | 57.7% | 22.1% | 20.3% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2014 to end of 2025 Updated
Fuel type, 2014 to 2025
Share of those licensed at the end of each year.
| Year | Diesel | Petrol |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 94.4% | 5.6% |
| 2015 | 93.4% | 6.5% |
| 2016 | 92.3% | 7.6% |
| 2017 | 91.0% | 9.0% |
| 2018 | 89.5% | 10.4% |
| 2019 | 87.8% | 12.1% |
| 2020 | 86.7% | 13.3% |
| 2021 | 85.2% | 14.8% |
| 2022 | 85.1% | 14.9% |
| 2023 | 83.1% | 16.9% |
| 2024 | 82.1% | 17.9% |
| 2025 | 79.7% | 20.3% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2014 to end of 2025 Updated
United Kingdom figures from DfT table VEH0220 (licensed cars at the end of each year, SORN excluded), so they differ slightly from the Great Britain counts elsewhere on this page. This covers cars DVLA records under this version’s name only; the Mercedes-Benz C-Class page covers every version. How we use engine sizes.
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 C250 Elegance 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 | 998 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C250 Elegance 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 |
| Registered for the first time | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | 2001 to 2025 | – | 2 October 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 2007.
- This version groups DVLA’s detailed model names “C250 ELEGANCE TD AUTO”, “C250 ELEGANCE CDI BLUEEFI-CY A”, “C250 DIESEL ELEGANCE A”, “C250 ELEGANCE TD”, “C250 ELEGANCE BLUEEFFICIENCY A”, “C250 DIESEL ELEGANCE”. 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 most licensed at any year end since 1994, plus any first registered after that year. Other versions are those of the same model whose licensed count peaked in the same years, up to 2001.
- First registrations count vehicles registered in Great Britain for the first time, including used imports.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.