How many Mercedes-Benz GL-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 3,455 DVSA MOT tests.
Licensed in Great Britain2,758−7.5% on a year earlier
Declared SORN781Off the road, not taxed
MOT first-time pass rate, 202581.9%Cars of the same ages 66.8%
Rank by number licensedNo. 513of 1,159 models we cover
Peak year20164,422 licensed
Average annual mileage7,301miles a year
How many Mercedes-Benz GL-Classes are left in Great Britain?
There were 2,758 Mercedes-Benz GL-Classes licensed in Great Britain at the end of March 2026, and a further 781 declared off the road (SORN).
That is 37.6% fewer than the peak of 4,422 in 2016.
Mercedes-Benz GL-Classes licensed in Great Britain
Numbers peaked in 2016 and have fallen every year since, as older cars are scrapped faster than new ones are registered.
In 2025, 81.9% of Mercedes-Benz GL-Class MOT tests were passed first time,
against 72.8% for all cars.
Cars of the same ages as the Mercedes-Benz GL-Classes tested pass 66.8% of the time, so the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class does better than average for its age, by 15.1 points. In 2024 its pass rate was 79.2%.
MOT first-time pass rate by age: Mercedes-Benz GL-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%
8–10 years
11–14 years
15–19 years
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class
All cars
MOT first-time pass rate by vehicle age, Mercedes-Benz GL-Class compared with all cars
Tyres is the most common reason a Mercedes-Benz GL-Class fails its MOT,
appearing on 30.3% of failed tests. A failed test can have defects in
more than one category, so shares add up to more than 100%.
5.7% of Mercedes-Benz GL-Class tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 7.3% for all cars.
Most common MOT failure categories
Share of failed Mercedes-Benz GL-Class MOT tests with at least one defect in each category
Most common Mercedes-Benz GL-Class MOT defects and advisories
The single most common reason a Mercedes-Benz GL-Class failed its MOT in 2025 was
“Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm”, on 12.5% of 624 failed tests.
48.5% 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 GL-Class tests, 2025
Defect
Share of failed tests
Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres
12.5%
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks
11.7%
Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres
8.8%
Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
8.2%
Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure
7.4%
Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded Brakes
6.9%
Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres
6.9%
Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak Suspension
5.0%
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility
3 years of the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, by year of first registration, have their own page with MOT results, common faults, mileage and how many are left. Against all cars of the same age, the 2013 cars did best at their 2025 MOT (83.8% passed first time) and the 2015 cars worst (85.6%).
Mercedes-Benz GL-Classes by year of first registration
Registered: cars on the DVLA record at the end of the year they were first registered (these counts start in 2014, so older years show a dash). Left:
licensed or declared SORN at the end of 2025.
Both cover the United Kingdom. Pass rate: first-time passes at normal MOT tests in Great
Britain in 2025; all cars: every car first registered the same year.
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class annual mileage
The average Mercedes-Benz GL-Class covers 7,301 miles a year,
worked out from odometer readings at consecutive MOT tests.
Average annual mileage by age
0
5k
10k
8,365
8–10 years
7,232
11–14 years
6,348
15–19 years
Average annual mileage of a Mercedes-Benz GL-Class by vehicle age
Registrations of Mercedes-Benz GL-Classes for the first time in Great Britain peaked at 1,134 in 2007. In 2025, 0 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
1.5k
’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 GL-Classes registered for the first time in Great Britain, by year
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class engine sizes and fuel types
Of the 2,899 Mercedes-Benz GL-Classes licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, 81.9% have an engine of 2,901cc to 3,000cc, and 9.5% have an engine of 3,901cc to 4,000cc. The share with an engine of 3,901cc to 4,000cc has fallen from 19.7% in 2014 to 9.5%. Diesels made up 94.4% of those licensed in 2014 and 91.3% in 2025.
Engine sizes, end of 2025
DVLA records engine size in 100cc bands.
Mercedes-Benz GL-Classes licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, by engine size
Engine size
Share of those licensed
2,901cc to 3,000cc 2,374 licensed
81.9%
3,901cc to 4,000cc 276 licensed
9.5%
5,401cc to 5,500cc 247 licensed
8.5%
Other sizes 2 licensed
0.1%
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
2,901–3,000cc
Diesel
2,374
81.9%
3,901–4,000cc
Diesel
273
9.4%
5,401–5,500cc
Petrol
246
8.5%
Engine sizes, 2014 to 2025
Share of those licensed at the end of each year, for the most common sizes.
Mercedes-Benz GL-Classes licensed in the UK by fuel type, share of each year’s total
Year
Diesel
Petrol
2014
94.4%
5.6%
2015
93.5%
6.5%
2016
93.5%
6.4%
2017
93.5%
6.5%
2018
93.3%
6.7%
2019
92.9%
7.1%
2020
92.7%
7.3%
2021
92.9%
7.1%
2022
92.6%
7.4%
2023
92.3%
7.7%
2024
91.8%
8.1%
2025
91.3%
8.7%
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 GL-Class fuel economy and CO2
The Vehicle Certification Agency’s new car data lists the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class from 2007 to 2016. On the NEDC test (listings 2007 to 2016), official combined fuel economy for its petrol and diesel versions ranges from 20.0 to 36.2 mpg, with CO2 of 205 to 336 g/km.
Official NEDC figures by engine and fuel, listed 2007 to 2016
Official NEDC figures by engine and fuel, listed 2007 to 2016
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 “GL-Class (X164) Estate”, “GL-Class Model Year 2010”, “GL-Class (164) Model Year 2009”, “GL-Class, Model Year 2011”. How we use VCA’s figures.
Mercedes-Benz GL-Class safety recalls
DVSA lists 16 safety recalls for the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class since 1992, the first in 2018. The most recent was launched on 20 February 2023.
On affected vehicles the aluminium bolts of the steering gear could corrode and break due to the intrusion of moisture.
On affected vehicles the aluminium bolts of the steering gear could corrode and break due to the intrusion of moisture.
Remedy
Replace the steering gear mounting bolts on the affected vehicles with steel bolts. Should the bolts break or already be broken change the steering gear.
A recall applies to cars built on particular dates or with particular VINs, not to every Mercedes-Benz GL-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.
