Know Your MOT
7.1%fail rate

Mercedes-Benz Slr common MOT failures and failure rate

What a Mercedes-Benz Slr fails its MOT on, from real DVSA test data, and the part that resolves each item.

Based on 1,051 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 7.1% of MOT tests recorded on the Mercedes-Benz Slr in DVSA data end in a failure. The same handful of items account for most of them.

Its most common failure is lamps & electrical, which makes up 58.7% of the Mercedes-Benz Slr's failures, followed by lamps & electrical, registration plate, tyres, exhaust & emissions. Each item below links to the part that resolves it. Confirm the exact fitment against your registration or VIN before buying, and have safety-critical work done by a competent mechanic.

What it fails on, and why

Lamps & electrical58.7% of failures

Lighting is the single most common MOT failure and the cheapest to put right. A blown headlight, brake-light or number-plate bulb, a cracked lens, or a headlamp beam that points too high or low will all fail. Most are a two-minute bulb swap.

Registration plate16.0% of failures

A missing, damaged, dirty or incorrectly-spaced number plate, or one using the wrong font, will fail. A replacement plate is inexpensive.

Tyres12.0% of failures

Tyres fail for tread below the 1.6mm legal limit across the central three-quarters, uneven or exposed-cord wear, or sidewall damage. The tester inspects all four; a single illegal tyre is a fail.

Exhaust & emissions6.7% of failures

Exhaust failures cover leaks, insecure mountings and emissions over the limit. A blowing exhaust, a failed lambda reading or a diesel that smokes beyond the limit will fail.

Visibility/wipers5.3% of failures

Visibility failures include torn or smearing wiper blades, a washer jet that does not reach the screen, and chips or cracks in the driver's swept area. Blades and washer fluid are quick, cheap fixes.

Brakes5.3% of failures

Brake failures cover worn pads and discs, an imbalance between wheels, corroded or scored discs, or a binding caliper. Braking efficiency is measured on a rolling road, so a spongy or pulling brake shows up as a low reading.

Failure rate by year

How the MOT failure rate varies by the car's year of first registration (older examples generally fail more as wear sets in).

20048.9% fail · 168 tests
20058.2% fail · 331 tests
20066.3% fail · 127 tests
20076.5% fail · 168 tests
20082.7% fail · 147 tests

The parts that fix each

If your car has just failed, you have 10 working days to fix the items and get a free partial retest. These are the usual parts; confirm the exact fitment against your registration or VIN before buying.

For the lamps & electrical failure: Mercedes-Benz Slr headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Mercedes-Benz Slr headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Mercedes-Benz Slr headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the registration plate failure: Mercedes-Benz Slr number plateSearch Amazon for Mercedes-Benz Slr number plateaffiliate searchFind Mercedes-Benz Slr number plate on eBayaffiliate
For the tyres failure: Mercedes-Benz Slr tyresSearch Amazon for Mercedes-Benz Slr tyresaffiliate searchFind Mercedes-Benz Slr tyres on eBayaffiliate
For the exhaust & emissions failure: Mercedes-Benz Slr exhaustSearch Amazon for Mercedes-Benz Slr exhaustaffiliate searchFind Mercedes-Benz Slr exhaust on eBayaffiliate
For the visibility/wipers failure: Mercedes-Benz Slr wiper bladesSearch Amazon for Mercedes-Benz Slr wiper bladesaffiliate searchFind Mercedes-Benz Slr wiper blades on eBayaffiliate
For the brakes failure: Mercedes-Benz Slr brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Mercedes-Benz Slr brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Mercedes-Benz Slr brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate

Other models

Mercedes-Benz C-Class MOT failures22.4% failure rateMercedes-Benz E-Class MOT failures20.5% failure rateMercedes-Benz Sprinter MOT failures27.8% failure rateFord Fiesta MOT failures27.1% failure rate

Sources: DVSA MOT History API: MOT test results and defect data · DVSA MOT testing data for Great Britain