How many Mercedes-Benz CL-Classes are still on the road in Great Britain, how many are declared off the road, how new registrations have changed and which fuels they use. Built from DVLA licensing records and 2,865 DVSA MOT tests.
Licensed in Great Britain2,003−6.8% on a year earlier
Declared SORN1,786Off the road, not taxed
MOT first-time pass rate, 202578.9%Cars of the same ages 60.8%
Rank by number licensedNo. 558of 1,159 models we cover
Peak year20105,103 licensed
Average annual mileage3,119miles a year
How many Mercedes-Benz CL-Classes are left in Great Britain?
There were 2,003 Mercedes-Benz CL-Classes licensed in Great Britain at the end of March 2026, and a further 1,786 declared off the road (SORN).
That is 60.7% fewer than the peak of 5,103 in 2010.
Mercedes-Benz CL-Classes licensed in Great Britain
Numbers peaked in 2010 and have fallen every year since, as older cars are scrapped faster than new ones are registered.
In 2025, 78.9% of Mercedes-Benz CL-Class MOT tests were passed first time,
against 72.8% for all cars.
Cars of the same ages as the Mercedes-Benz CL-Classes tested pass 60.8% of the time, so the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class does better than average for its age, by 18.1 points. In 2024 its pass rate was 78.0%.
MOT first-time pass rate by age: Mercedes-Benz CL-Class vs all cars
Comparing like with like: each bar pair covers cars of the same age, so an older average age does not count against a model.
0%
50%
100%
15–19 years
20+ years
Mercedes-Benz CL-Class
All cars
MOT first-time pass rate by vehicle age, Mercedes-Benz CL-Class compared with all cars
Suspension is the most common reason a Mercedes-Benz CL-Class fails its MOT,
appearing on 34.9% of failed tests. A failed test can have defects in
more than one category, so shares add up to more than 100%.
6.6% of Mercedes-Benz CL-Class tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 7.3% for all cars.
Most common MOT failure categories
Share of failed Mercedes-Benz CL-Class MOT tests with at least one defect in each category
Most common Mercedes-Benz CL-Class MOT defects and advisories
The single most common reason a Mercedes-Benz CL-Class failed its MOT in 2025 was
“Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn”, on 12.1% of 605 failed tests.
50.4% of tests ended with at least one advisory, a problem to watch that did not fail the test; the most common was “Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge”.
The same fault on any wheel or side counts once.
Most common reasons for failure
Share of failed tests with each defect. A test can fail for more than one.
Most common specific MOT defects on failed Mercedes-Benz CL-Class tests, 2025
Registrations of Mercedes-Benz CL-Classes for the first time in Great Britain peaked at 919 in 2002. In 2025, 4 were registered. With almost none registered new, the number on the road is likely to keep falling.
Registered for the first time, by year
0
500
1k
’01
’02
’03
’04
’05
’06
’07
’08
’09
’10
’11
’12
’13
’14
’15
’16
’17
’18
’19
’20
’21
’22
’23
’24
’25
Mercedes-Benz CL-Classes registered for the first time in Great Britain, by year
Mercedes-Benz CL-Class engine sizes and fuel types
Of the 2,085 Mercedes-Benz CL-Classes licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, 34.5% have an engine of 5,401cc to 5,500cc, and 32.0% have an engine of 4,901cc to 5,000cc. The share with an engine of 4,901cc to 5,000cc has fallen from 44.0% in 2014 to 32.0%.
Engine sizes, end of 2025
DVLA records engine size in 100cc bands.
Mercedes-Benz CL-Classes licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, by engine size
Engine size
Share of those licensed
5,401cc to 5,500cc 719 licensed
34.5%
4,901cc to 5,000cc 667 licensed
32.0%
4,601cc to 4,700cc 316 licensed
15.2%
6,201cc to 6,300cc 128 licensed
6.1%
5,501cc to 5,600cc 111 licensed
5.3%
5,901cc to 6,000cc 44 licensed
2.1%
4,101cc to 4,200cc 32 licensed
1.5%
5,701cc to 5,800cc 27 licensed
1.3%
Other sizes 41 licensed
2.0%
Source:DfT / DVLAEnd of 2014 to end of 2025Updated
Engine size and fuel together, end of 2025
Engine size and fuel together, end of 2025
Engine size
Fuel
Licensed
Share
5,401–5,500cc
Petrol
718
34.4%
4,901–5,000cc
Petrol
661
31.7%
4,601–4,700cc
Petrol
316
15.2%
6,201–6,300cc
Petrol
128
6.1%
5,501–5,600cc
Petrol
111
5.3%
5,901–6,000cc
Petrol
44
2.1%
4,101–4,200cc
Petrol
32
1.5%
1,701–1,800cc
Petrol
28
1.3%
5,701–5,800cc
Petrol
27
1.3%
Engine sizes, 2014 to 2025
Share of those licensed at the end of each year, for the most common sizes.
Mercedes-Benz CL-Classes licensed in the UK by engine size, share of each year’s total
Year
5,401–5,500cc
4,901–5,000cc
4,601–4,700cc
6,201–6,300cc
2014
28.2%
44.0%
8.9%
5.4%
2015
28.8%
43.5%
8.9%
5.4%
2016
29.2%
42.1%
9.3%
5.6%
2017
29.9%
41.1%
10.1%
5.7%
2018
30.5%
40.4%
10.6%
5.8%
2019
31.0%
38.9%
10.9%
6.2%
2020
31.8%
37.9%
11.5%
6.5%
2021
31.6%
37.5%
12.0%
6.4%
2022
32.7%
35.8%
12.6%
6.4%
2023
33.1%
35.0%
12.8%
6.7%
2024
33.1%
33.7%
13.9%
6.6%
2025
34.5%
32.0%
15.2%
6.1%
Source:DfT / DVLAEnd of 2014 to end of 2025Updated
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.
How we use engine sizes.
Mercedes-Benz CL-Class fuel economy and CO2
The Vehicle Certification Agency’s new car data lists the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class from 2000, when the data begins, to 2014. On the NEDC test (listings 2000 to 2014), official combined fuel economy for its petrol versions ranges from 19.0 to 29.4 mpg, with CO2 of 227 to 357 g/km.
Official NEDC figures by engine and fuel, listed 2000 to 2014
Official NEDC figures by engine and fuel, listed 2000 to 2014
Official figures from laboratory type-approval tests. VCA says they may not be achieved in
real-world driving, and should not be used to rank cars with similar figures.
Engine sizes are rounded to the nearest 0.1 litre. A version is one line in
VCA’s data (description, gearbox, engine and fuel), counted once however many years it was
listed.
Matched from VCA’s model names “CL-Class (C215) Coupé”, “CL Class, Model Year 2011”, “CL-Class (C216) Coupé”, “CL Class Model Year 2012”. How we use VCA’s figures.
Mercedes-Benz CL-Class safety recalls
DVSA lists 7 safety recalls for the Mercedes-Benz CL-Class since 1992, the first in 2005. The most recent was launched on 19 April 2017.
Faulty control unit may cause vehicle to perform outside specification
Launched 19 April 2017DVSA recall R/2017/124Manufacturer ref. SRPC1709
Defect
Where a control unit coding was updated in a workshop between 3 December 2016 and 5 December 2016 the coding may not correspond to the specification and may trigger unplanned action in the vehicle. The safety and emissions systems may not react as design intent.
Remedy
Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and update the software in the corresponding control units.
A recall applies to cars built on particular dates or with particular VINs, not to every Mercedes-Benz CL-Class. The details come from manufacturers through DVSA, which says they may be delayed or
incomplete. To check a specific car, use GOV.UK’s vehicle recall check or ask the manufacturer or a
dealer. How we match recalls to models.
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.
First registrations count vehicles registered in Great Britain for the first time, including used imports.
Models are grouped by DVLA’s generic model name, so every generation and trim counts together.
MOT figures cover normal tests of cars aged three and over in 2025; retests are excluded. Age is rounded to the nearest year.
DVSA records the model name typed in at the test. We match those names to DVLA’s generic models, so a handful of tests may be counted under a close relative.
