Car statistics
Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class CLK 500 Elegance statistics
How many Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class CLK 500 Elegances are still on the road in Great Britain, how many are declared off the road, and how the CLK 500 Elegance compares with other versions of the Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class. Built from DVLA licensing records, with MOT results for the Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class.
- Licensed in Great Britain 146 −5.8% on a year earlier
- Declared SORN 62 Off the road, not taxed
- Still registered 61.4% Other Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class versions 35.1%
- Peak year 2005 311 licensed
- Share of Mercedes-Benz CLK-Classes 0.7% of those licensed or SORN
- Declared off the road 29.8% of those still registered are SORN
How many Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class CLK 500 Elegances are left in Great Britain?
There were 146 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class CLK 500 Elegances licensed in Great Britain at the end of June 2026, and a further 62 declared off the road (SORN). The licensed count is 53.1% lower than its peak of 311 in 2005.
Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class CLK 500 Elegances licensed and SORN in Great Britain
This data records SORN from 2007, so the SORN line starts there.
| Year | Licensed | Declared SORN |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 93 | – |
| 2003 | 212 | – |
| 2004 | 302 | – |
| 2005 | 311 | – |
| 2006 | 309 | – |
| 2007 | 306 | 4 |
| 2008 | 303 | 7 |
| 2009 | 310 | 1 |
| 2010 | 296 | 6 |
| 2011 | 298 | 10 |
| 2012 | 286 | 12 |
| 2013 | 283 | 8 |
| 2014 | 271 | 9 |
| 2015 | 260 | 18 |
| 2016 | 254 | 26 |
| 2017 | 241 | 29 |
| 2018 | 229 | 35 |
| 2019 | 210 | 45 |
| 2020 | 185 | 53 |
| 2021 | 186 | 51 |
| 2022 | 167 | 67 |
| 2023 | 160 | 63 |
| 2024 | 155 | 64 |
| 2025 | 138 | 74 |
| 2026 | 146 | 62 |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Fuel type
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
How many Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class CLK 500 Elegances have survived?
61.4% of the Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class CLK 500 Elegances first registered since 2001 are still registered, licensed or SORN. For other versions of the Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class first registered in the same years, the figure is 35.1%, so Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class CLK 500 Elegances are 1.8 times as likely to have survived.
Share still registered (licensed or SORN)
Compared with 16 other versions of the Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class first registered in the same years.
| Version | Share still registered |
|---|---|
| Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class CLK 500 Elegance | 61.4% |
| Other Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class versions of the same age | 35.1% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class CLK 500 Elegance registrations over time
Registrations of Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class CLK 500 Elegances for the first time in Great Britain peaked at 126 in 2003. In 2025, 0 were registered.
Registered for the first time, by year
| Year | First registrations |
|---|---|
| ’02 | 100 |
| ’03 | 126 |
| ’04 | 97 |
| ’05 | 15 |
| ’06 | 0 |
| ’07 | 0 |
| ’08 | 0 |
| ’09 | 0 |
| ’10 | 1 |
| ’11 | 0 |
| ’12 | 0 |
| ’13 | 0 |
| ’14 | 0 |
| ’15 | 0 |
| ’16 | 0 |
| ’17 | 0 |
| ’18 | 0 |
| ’19 | 0 |
| ’20 | 0 |
| ’21 | 0 |
| ’22 | 0 |
| ’23 | 0 |
| ’24 | 0 |
| ’25 | 0 |
Source:DfT / DVLA 2001 to 2025 Updated
Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class CLK 500 Elegance engine sizes and fuel types
Of the 139 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class CLK 500 Elegances licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, 100.0% have an engine of 4,901cc to 5,000cc.
Engine sizes, end of 2025
DVLA records engine size in 100cc bands.
| Engine size | Share of those licensed |
|---|---|
| 4,901cc to 5,000cc 139 licensed | 100.0% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2014 to end of 2025 Updated
| Engine size | Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4,901–5,000cc | Petrol | 137 | 98.6% |
| 4,901–5,000cc | Other | 2 | 1.4% |
Fuel type, 2014 to 2025
Share of those licensed at the end of each year.
| Year | Petrol | Other |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 98.9% | 1.1% |
| 2015 | 98.9% | 1.1% |
| 2016 | 99.2% | 0.8% |
| 2017 | 98.8% | 1.2% |
| 2018 | 98.7% | 1.3% |
| 2019 | 99.5% | 0.5% |
| 2020 | 98.4% | 1.6% |
| 2021 | 98.4% | 1.6% |
| 2022 | 98.8% | 1.2% |
| 2023 | 99.4% | 0.6% |
| 2024 | 98.1% | 1.9% |
| 2025 | 98.6% | 1.4% |
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 CLK-Class page covers every version. How we use engine sizes.
Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class MOT reliability
In 2025, 63.1% of Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class MOT tests were passed first time, against 72.8% for all cars. Cars of the same ages pass 59.6% of the time, so the Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class does better than average for its age, by 3.5 points.
DVSA's MOT results name the model, not the version, so these figures cover all Mercedes-Benz CLK-Classes tested, the CLK 500 Elegance among them. For the full breakdown, including defects in detail and results year by year, see the Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class page.
MOT first-time pass rate by age: Mercedes-Benz CLK-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 CLK-Class | All cars |
|---|---|---|
| 15–19 years | 61.0% | 58.0% |
| 20+ years | 65.0% | 61.0% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
Most common MOT failure categories
Suspension is the most common reason a Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class fails. A failed test can have defects in more than one category.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Suspension | 49.4% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 37.6% |
| Brakes | 26.5% |
| Tyres | 19.9% |
| Visibility | 15.3% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 13.6% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
Other versions of the Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class
Versions of the Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class with their own page. The Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class page covers all 18,743 licensed, whatever the version.
| Version | Licensed | SORN | Still registered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class CLK 500 Avantgarde | 165 | 126 | 62.7% |
| Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class CLK 500 Elegance | 146 | 62 | 61.4% |
| Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class MD CLK 55 AMG | 121 | 73 | 79.2% |
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 | 208 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class CLK 500 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 | 25,047 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 “CLK 500 ELEGANCE AUTO”. 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.
- 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.