Is the Mercedes-Benz GLE reliable?
The Mercedes-Benz GLE has a first-time MOT pass rate of 87.5%, from 83,718 tests on cars dating from 2015 to 2022. All cars together manage 71.7%. Raw pass rates flatter young models and punish old ones, so we also compare each GLE with cars of the same age: on that basis it does 5.8 points better than a typical car, which makes it above average. The cleanest measure of build quality is the first test at three years old, where the GLE scores 88.4% against 87.9% for all cars. When a GLE does fail, tyre tread below the legal minimum is the item recorded most often.
Why Mercedes-Benz GLEs fail the MOT
The GLE's failures cluster around tyres: tyre tread below the legal minimum on 22.4% of fails, a tyre worn or cut to the cords on 15.9%. Percentages can add to more than 100 because one failed test often records several defects.
A tyre fail usually means a tyre that was already an advisory last year. Worth looking at the previous certificate before booking.
Warning signs on the certificate
These are the advisories most often recorded on a Mercedes-Benz GLE: items that passed on the day but were wearing. Tyre tread below the legal minimum is noted on 17.5% of all tests. If one of these is on a car's last certificate, it is the next repair. The advisory conversion table shows which of these are worth acting on first.
Petrol, diesel or hybrid GLE?
The petrol GLE has the better record at 89.1%; the diesel manages 87.4%. The difference is within noise.
| Fuel | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 87.4% | 75,426 |
| Petrol | 89.1% | 4,911 |
| Hybrid | 88.1% | 1,806 |
Pass rate by year of first use
Pass rates run from 87.7% for 2015 cars to 88.1% for 2022 cars. Most of that spread is age: a car tested at ten years old has had far more chances to wear something out than one tested at four.
| First used | Pass rate | Tests | Miles a year | First MOT pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercedes-Benz GLE 2022 | 88.1% | 2,334 | 10,786 | 87.8% |
| Mercedes-Benz GLE 2021 | 88.1% | 7,096 | 10,614 | 88.2% |
| Mercedes-Benz GLE 2020 | 88.8% | 13,379 | 9,545 | 88.9% |
| Mercedes-Benz GLE 2019 | 88.2% | 10,264 | 8,966 | – |
| Mercedes-Benz GLE 2018 | 87.2% | 17,310 | 9,176 | – |
| Mercedes-Benz GLE 2017 | 86.3% | 13,466 | 8,831 | – |
| Mercedes-Benz GLE 2016 | 87% | 16,087 | 8,702 | – |
| Mercedes-Benz GLE 2015 | 87.7% | 3,782 | 8,553 | – |
Pass rate by mileage
Take the 2018 GLE, the year with the most tests: cars with under 40,000 miles on the clock pass 90.6% of the time, and that falls to 82.1% over 100,000. A 9-point drop across the mileage range is a bigger effect than the difference between most makes.
| Mileage at test (2018 cars) | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 90.6% | 4,490 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 87.2% | 6,696 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 85.8% | 4,050 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 83.1% | 1,503 |
| Over 100,000 | 82.1% | 570 |
Mercedes-Benz stablemates and rivals
The average Mercedes-Benz passes 76.8% of tests, so the GLE is one of the stronger cars in the range. Within the family, see Mercedes-Benz C-Class reliability (74.3%), Mercedes-Benz A-Class MOT pass rate (78.1%), E-Class common problems (77.2%) and GLC common problems (86.5%), or every Mercedes-Benz model compared. For a cross-make comparison, the Skoda Rapid and BMW 2 Series have similar test volumes and their own pages. The ranking of every make puts them side by side, and the UK pass rates by age and fuel give the baseline.
Each GLE year in detail
Each year opens to show its own failure list and pass rate by mileage.
Mercedes-Benz GLE 2022 88.1% pass 2,334 tests87.8% at first MOT
On a 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLE, tyre tread below the legal minimum appears on 29.1% of failed tests, with a tyre worn or cut to the cords next at 21.9%.
2022 cars pass 88.8% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 100% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 88.8% | 1,752 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 86.4% | 469 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 82.7% | 98 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 92.9% | 14 |
| Over 100,000 | 100% | 1 |
Mercedes-Benz GLE 2021 88.1% pass 7,096 tests88.2% at first MOT
On a 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE, tyre tread below the legal minimum appears on 35.7% of failed tests, with a tyre worn or cut to the cords next at 20.3%.
2021 cars pass 89.5% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 83.3% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 89.5% | 4,558 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 86.1% | 2,025 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 84.8% | 414 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 79% | 81 |
| Over 100,000 | 83.3% | 18 |
Mercedes-Benz GLE 2020 88.8% pass 13,379 tests88.9% at first MOT
On a 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE, tyre tread below the legal minimum appears on 29.7% of failed tests, with a tyre worn or cut to the cords next at 17.7%.
2020 cars pass 89.6% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 90.2% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 89.6% | 8,111 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 88.2% | 3,887 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 86.4% | 1,096 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 83.9% | 224 |
| Over 100,000 | 90.2% | 61 |
By fuel: diesel 89% (12,058 tests), hybrid 86.6% (1,218 tests).
Mercedes-Benz GLE 2019 88.2% pass 10,264 tests
On a 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE, tyre tread below the legal minimum appears on 25.5% of failed tests, with a tyre worn or cut to the cords next at 17.4%.
2019 cars pass 90.4% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 80% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 90.4% | 4,704 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 87.2% | 3,615 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 85.1% | 1,414 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 84.8% | 401 |
| Over 100,000 | 80% | 130 |
By fuel: diesel 87.8% (8,502 tests), petrol 89.5% (1,174 tests), hybrid 91.2% (588 tests).
Mercedes-Benz GLE 2018 87.2% pass 17,310 tests
On a 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLE, tyre tread below the legal minimum appears on 18.2% of failed tests, with a tyre worn or cut to the cords next at 14.8%.
2018 cars pass 90.6% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 82.1% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 90.6% | 4,490 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 87.2% | 6,696 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 85.8% | 4,050 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 83.1% | 1,503 |
| Over 100,000 | 82.1% | 570 |
By fuel: diesel 87% (15,695 tests), petrol 89.8% (1,426 tests).
Mercedes-Benz GLE 2017 86.3% pass 13,466 tests
On a 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLE, tyre tread below the legal minimum appears on 17.2% of failed tests, with a tyre worn or cut to the cords next at 15.5%.
2017 cars pass 89.4% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 80.3% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 89.4% | 2,282 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 87.1% | 4,740 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 85.1% | 3,856 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 85.6% | 1,770 |
| Over 100,000 | 80.3% | 816 |
By fuel: diesel 86% (11,732 tests), petrol 88.4% (1,451 tests).
Mercedes-Benz GLE 2016 87% pass 16,087 tests
On a 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE, tyre tread below the legal minimum appears on 17.2% of failed tests, with a tyre worn or cut to the cords next at 13.8%.
2016 cars pass 89.2% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 85.2% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 89.2% | 1,683 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 89.3% | 4,587 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 86.3% | 5,037 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 84.5% | 2,954 |
| Over 100,000 | 85.2% | 1,826 |
By fuel: diesel 86.9% (14,914 tests), petrol 88.3% (860 tests).
Mercedes-Benz GLE 2015 87.7% pass 3,782 tests
On a 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLE, tyre tread below the legal minimum appears on 18.7% of failed tests, with a tyre worn or cut to the cords next at 11.2%.
2015 cars pass 90.7% of the time at under 40,000 miles, falling to 85.1% over 100,000.
| Mileage at test | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 | 90.7% | 270 |
| 40,000 to 60,000 | 90.1% | 754 |
| 60,000 to 80,000 | 89.7% | 1,169 |
| 80,000 to 100,000 | 84.1% | 918 |
| Over 100,000 | 85.1% | 671 |
Questions people ask
How reliable is the Mercedes-Benz GLE?
On MOT evidence the Mercedes-Benz GLE is above average. It passes 87.5% of tests against 71.7% for all cars, and beats cars of the same age by 5.8 points. 88.4% pass their first MOT at three years old. Figures from 83,718 DVSA tests.
What fails a Mercedes-Benz GLE MOT most often?
Tyre tread below the legal minimum (22.4% of failed tests), a tyre worn or cut to the cords (15.9%) and a tyre worn or cut to the cords (11.9%). A tyre fail usually means a tyre that was already an advisory last year. Worth looking at the previous certificate before booking.
What is the best year for a used Mercedes-Benz GLE?
Among years with a large sample, 2020 cars have the highest pass rate at 88.8% and 2017 cars the lowest at 86.3%. Newer years pass more because they are younger, so compare a specific car's year against the table above rather than against the overall figure.
What advisories does a Mercedes-Benz GLE usually get?
Tyre tread below the legal minimum is the most frequent, noted on 17.5% of all GLE tests, then brake pads worn below 1.5mm (7%). An advisory passes the car today but marks the item most likely to fail next year.
How many miles a year does a Mercedes-Benz GLE do?
About 9,201 miles a year on average, calculated from the odometer readings recorded at consecutive MOTs. That is above the UK average of roughly 7,400, which is typical of a car bought for commuting or work.
Does the Mercedes-Benz GLE pass rate apply to my car?
The figures describe the whole fleet. For one car, enter its registration in the free MOT check to see its own test history, advisories and mileage, set against these averages for its year.
Own a GLE?
Enter the registration to see its own MOT history, advisories and mileage set against these figures, including whether it has done more or fewer than the 9,201 miles a year typical of the model.
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 to 2025. Class 4 cars, normal tests only; a pass after rectification counts as an initial failure. Age-adjusted figures compare the model's pass rate at each age with the national rate at the same age. Methodology.