Mercedes-Benz CLK 2003: MOT failure rate for its age

39.1% of 21,122 MOT tests of the Mercedes-Benz CLK first registered in 2003 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 101.8 (95% CI 99.6–104.0; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 2003 build year is no different from other years of the same model at the same age.

Mercedes-Benz CLK built in 2003 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	39.1	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	21122
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 99.6–104.0)	101.8	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	21122
Rank among this model's 13 build years	11	of 13	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	21122
Tested in 2024	2918	tests	median 102,325 miles	2024	2918

Built 2003 against Mercedes-Benz CLK normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 16: 41.7% vs 43.7%; age 17: 41% vs 40.7%; age 18: 39.2% vs 38.8%; age 19: 38.4% vs 37.2%; age 20: 38.1% vs 35.8%; age 21: 36.3% vs 34.4%. Axis from 0% to 50%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 2003 Mercedes-Benz CLK by registration · All Mercedes-Benz CLK MOT statistics · Download the build-year table (CSV)

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · full dataset (v5).

How does the 2003 Mercedes-Benz CLK fail at each age?

Cars built in 2003 were tested at ages 16 to 21 between 2019 and 2024. Each row compares their first-time failure share with what this model normally shows at that age, after allowing for the overall failure level of each test year.

Mercedes-Benz CLK built 2003: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
Age	Tests	Failed, %	95% interval	Normal for this model at that age, %	Index (100 = normal)
16	3,460	41.7	40–43.3	43.7	95.4
17	2,896	41	39.2–42.8	40.7	100.7
18	4,409	39.2	37.8–40.7	38.8	101.1
19	3,951	38.4	36.9–40	37.2	103.4
20	3,488	38.1	36.5–39.8	35.8	106.6
21	2,918	36.3	34.6–38.1	34.4	105.6

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 21,122 (initial tests) · Method: normal rate = this model's first-time failure share at that age across its build years (cells of 400+ tests), adjusted for each test year's overall level; cells of 30+ tests, under 500 marked rough · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

What fails most on the 2003 Mercedes-Benz CLK?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2003 is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: 36.6 items per 100 first tests, against 30.1 across all build years of the Mercedes-Benz CLK. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2003 were tested at ages 16 to 21.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Mercedes-Benz CLK built 2003 against the Mercedes-Benz CLK in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 2003, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	36.6	30.1	7,731
Suspension	35	34.4	7,388
Brakes	20.4	19	4,312
Visibility	11.8	10.8	2,497
Tyres	10.8	11.4	2,281

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 21,122 (initial tests of this build year) · Method: failure items grouped by DVSA's top-level defect groups, per 100 initial tests; groups with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How does 2003 compare with the years around it?

Among the 13 published build years of the Mercedes-Benz CLK, 2003 ranks 11 (1 = fails least for its age). 2002: index 99.2. 2004: index 103.1.

Mercedes-Benz CLK build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
1998	97.7	81.5–113.8	no different (rough estimate)	396
1999	98.3	92.2–104.4	no different (rough estimate)	2,828
2000	97.0	92.6–101.4	no different	5,459
2001	92.0	88.6–95.4	better	8,363
2002	99.2	96.3–102.1	no different	12,047
2003	101.8	99.6–104.0	no different	21,122
2004	103.1	101.1–105.0	worse	27,003
2005	101.4	99.4–103.5	no different	24,635
2006	100.4	98.1–102.8	no different	17,514
2007	101.0	98.7–103.3	no different	19,053
2008	98.5	95.8–101.2	no different	13,137
2009	100.5	97.9–103.2	no different	14,842
2010	102.0	82.5–121.5	no different (rough estimate)	277

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 166,676 (initial tests) · Method: observed failures against those expected for the same model at the same ages, test-year level adjusted; verdict follows the printed one-decimal bound · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How to cite this page

MOT Risk Index (2026). Mercedes-Benz CLK 2003 MOT statistics (data release dvsa-2024-v2; full dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22975051), updated 30 September 2026. motriskindex.co.uk/cars/mercedes-clk/2003/

How every figure is calculated: methodology. Age, test year and build year are tied together (age = test year − build year), so the test-year level is taken as observed, not estimated.

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