How many Mercedes-Benz GLS-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 3,025 DVSA MOT tests.
Licensed in Great Britain3,412+5.0% on a year earlier
Declared SORN238Off the road, not taxed
MOT first-time pass rate, 202586.4%Cars of the same ages 82.6%
Rank by number licensedNo. 484of 1,159 models we cover
Licensed countAt its peakhighest since 2016
Average annual mileage9,396miles a year
How many Mercedes-Benz GLS-Classes are left in Great Britain?
There were 3,412 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Classes licensed in Great Britain at the end of March 2026, and a further 238 declared off the road (SORN).
That is the most on the road at any year end since 2016.
Mercedes-Benz GLS-Classes licensed in Great Britain
Numbers are still rising: the latest count is the highest in this series.
In 2025, 86.4% of Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class MOT tests were passed first time,
against 72.8% for all cars.
Cars of the same ages as the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Classes tested pass 82.6% of the time, so the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class does better than average for its age, by 3.8 points. In 2024 its pass rate was 86.4%.
MOT first-time pass rate by age: Mercedes-Benz GLS-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%
4–5 years
6–7 years
8–10 years
Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class
All cars
MOT first-time pass rate by vehicle age, Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class compared with all cars
Tyres is the most common reason a Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class fails its MOT,
appearing on 59.3% of failed tests. A failed test can have defects in
more than one category, so shares add up to more than 100%.
6.8% of Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 7.3% for all cars.
Most common MOT failure categories
Share of failed Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class MOT tests with at least one defect in each category
Most common Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class MOT defects and advisories
The single most common reason a Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class failed its MOT in 2025 was
“Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords”, on 19.0% of 410 failed tests.
33.6% 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 GLS-Class tests, 2025
Defect
Share of failed tests
Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres
19.0%
Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres
18.5%
Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres
18.3%
Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure
6.3%
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks
6.3%
Tyres: bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres
5.1%
Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes
4.9%
Registration plates: does not conform to the specified requirements Identification of the vehicle
3.7%
Brake pads: worn down to wear indicator Brakes
3.4%
Headlamp aim: too high Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
2 years of the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class, by year of first registration, have their own page with MOT results, common faults, mileage and how many are left.
Mercedes-Benz GLS-Classes by year of first registration
Registered: cars on the DVLA record at the end of the year they were first registered. 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 GLS-Class annual mileage
The average Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class covers 9,396 miles a year,
worked out from odometer readings at consecutive MOT tests.
Average annual mileage by age
0
5k
10k
15k
10,061
4–5 years
9,516
6–7 years
8,807
8–10 years
Average annual mileage of a Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class by vehicle age
Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class engine sizes and fuel types
Of the 3,499 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Classes licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, 97.8% have an engine of 2,901cc to 3,000cc, and 2.2% have an engine of 3,901cc to 4,000cc. Diesels made up 100.0% of those licensed in 2016 and 82.5% in 2025.
Engine sizes, end of 2025
DVLA records engine size in 100cc bands.
Mercedes-Benz GLS-Classes licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, by engine size
Engine size
Share of those licensed
2,901cc to 3,000cc 3,423 licensed
97.8%
3,901cc to 4,000cc 76 licensed
2.2%
Source:DfT / DVLAEnd of 2014 to end of 2025Updated
Mercedes-Benz GLS-Classes licensed in the UK by fuel type, share of each year’s total
Year
Diesel
Hybrid
2014
–
–
2015
–
–
2016
100.0%
0.0%
2017
100.0%
0.0%
2018
100.0%
0.0%
2019
99.9%
0.1%
2020
100.0%
0.0%
2021
98.2%
1.8%
2022
97.5%
2.5%
2023
96.7%
3.3%
2024
89.8%
10.2%
2025
82.5%
17.5%
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 GLS-Class fuel economy and CO2
The Vehicle Certification Agency’s new car data lists the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class from 2016, and still lists it. On the WLTP test (listings 2020 to 2026), official combined fuel economy for its diesel, petrol hybrid and diesel hybrid versions ranges from 19.9 to 36.7 mpg, with CO2 of 201 to 320 g/km. On the older NEDC test (listings 2016 to 2018), official combined fuel economy for its petrol and diesel versions ranges from 23.0 to 37.2 mpg, with CO2 of 199 to 288 g/km.
Official WLTP figures by engine and fuel, listed 2020 to 2026
Official WLTP figures by engine and fuel, listed 2020 to 2026
Engine and fuel
Combined mpg
CO2 g/km
Listed
Euro standard
Versions
2.9 diesel
29.1–36.7
210–252
2020–2023
Euro 6d
4
3.0 petrol hybrid
24.1–28.5
226–266
2023–2026
Euro 6 to Euro 6d
3
4.0 petrol hybrid
19.9–24.8
286–320
2021–2026
Euro 6 to Euro 6d
12
3.0 diesel hybrid
31.0–36.7
201–239
2023–2026
Euro 6 to Euro 6d
4
4.0 diesel hybrid
20.6–21.2
304–312
2026
Euro 6
2
Older NEDC figures, listed 2016 to 2018 (2 engine and fuel groups)
Official NEDC figures by engine and fuel, listed 2016 to 2018
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.
NEDC figures (in VCA’s data until September 2018) and WLTP figures (from the 2019 guide)
come from different tests, so they are shown separately and should not be compared.
VCA’s data has no Mercedes-Benz versions for 2019, so the years listed may leave out years the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class was on sale.
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 “GLS Model Year 2026”, “GLS Model Year 2023”, “GLS Model Year 2024”, “GLS Model Year 2025”. How we use VCA’s figures.
Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class safety recalls
DVSA lists 38 safety recalls for the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class since 1992, the first in 2017. The most recent was launched on 1 July 2025.
SRPC2509 – Mounting of Multi-Purpose Camera & Interior Mirror
Launched 1 July 2025DVSA recall R/2025/217Manufacturer ref. SRPC2509 / 6790009
Defect
Mercedes-Benz AG has determined that on certain GLE/GLS (167 platform) and GLC (254 platform) vehicles the bonding of the multi-purpose camera and/or the interior mirror on the windscreen might not meet specifications.
Remedy
As a precautionary measure Mercedes-Benz AG via its Mercedes-Benz service partners will replace the windscreen on the affected vehicles.
A recall applies to cars built on particular dates or with particular VINs, not to every Mercedes-Benz GLS-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.
