Does the Mercedes-Benz CLA fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Mercedes-Benz CLA records 3.83 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 4.78 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−0.95, 95% interval −1.03 to −0.86). It ranks 396 of 712 models on brakes (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on brakes · check a Mercedes-Benz CLA by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Mercedes-Benz CLA is “a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm”, recorded 4,457 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm | 4,457 | 1.71 |
| Brake lining or pad worn down to wear indicator | 1,605 | 0.62 |
| Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn | 1,214 | 0.47 |
| Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution. | 726 | 0.28 |
| Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured | 454 | 0.17 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 260,294 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
If a Mercedes-Benz CLA gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
5.6% of Mercedes-Benz CLA MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 8,254 miles later (26,743 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 26,743 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
Mercedes-Benz CLA 2013 · Mercedes-Benz CLA 2014 · Mercedes-Benz CLA 2015 · Mercedes-Benz CLA 2016 · Mercedes-Benz CLA 2017 · Mercedes-Benz CLA 2018 · Mercedes-Benz CLA 2019 · Mercedes-Benz CLA 2020 · Mercedes-Benz CLA in Norway · Mercedes-Benz CLA in Finland · Mercedes-Benz CLA in the Netherlands · Mercedes-Benz CLA by postcode area · Mercedes-Benz CLA body, chassis and structure failures · Mercedes-Benz CLA vehicle identification failures · Mercedes-Benz CLA lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Mercedes-Benz CLA noise, emissions and leaks failures · Mercedes-Benz CLA road wheels failures · Mercedes-Benz CLA seat belts and airbags failures · Mercedes-Benz CLA steering failures · Mercedes-Benz CLA suspension failures · Mercedes-Benz CLA tyres failures · Mercedes-Benz CLA visibility failures