Does the Mercedes-Benz CLC fail the MOT on vehicle identification more than it should?
The Mercedes-Benz CLC records 0.60 vehicle identification failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 0.50 expected for a car of the same age mix: about as expected for its class and age (the difference is within its interval or under 0.5 items per 100 tests) (+0.10, 95% interval +0.03 to +0.17). It ranks 223 of 636 models on vehicle identification (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on vehicle identification · check a Mercedes-Benz CLC by registration
What exactly fails on vehicle identification?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Mercedes-Benz CLC is “Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements”, recorded 149 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements | 149 | 0.34 |
| Number plate inscription missing or illegible | 58 | 0.13 |
| Number plate missing or so insecure that it is likely to fall off | 41 | 0.09 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 44,029 (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 CLC gets a vehicle identification advisory, how often does it fail next time?
2.0% of Mercedes-Benz CLC MOTs with a vehicle identification advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 6,687 miles later (744 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 744 (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 CLC 2008 · Mercedes-Benz CLC 2009 · Mercedes-Benz CLC 2010 · Mercedes-Benz CLC 2011 · Mercedes-Benz CLC by postcode area · Mercedes-Benz CLC body, chassis and structure failures · Mercedes-Benz CLC brakes failures · Mercedes-Benz CLC lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Mercedes-Benz CLC noise, emissions and leaks failures · Mercedes-Benz CLC road wheels failures · Mercedes-Benz CLC seat belts and airbags failures · Mercedes-Benz CLC steering failures · Mercedes-Benz CLC suspension failures · Mercedes-Benz CLC tyres failures · Mercedes-Benz CLC visibility failures