Mercedes-Benz CLK 2004: MOT failure rate for its age

40.3% of 27,003 MOT tests of the Mercedes-Benz CLK first registered in 2004 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 103.1 (95% CI 101.1–105.0; 100 = normal for this model at that age): close to other build years of the same model at the same age (within 5 points of normal).

Mercedes-Benz CLK built in 2004 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	40.3	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	27003
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 101.1–105.0)	103.1	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	27003
Rank among this model's 13 build years	13	of 13	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	27003
Tested in 2024	3898	tests	median 102,405 miles	2024	3898

Built 2004 against Mercedes-Benz CLK normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 15: 41.3% vs 43.4%; age 16: 41.2% vs 40.5%; age 17: 42.3% vs 40.3%; age 18: 38.7% vs 37.6%; age 19: 39.8% vs 37.4%; age 20: 38.5% vs 35.6%. Axis from 0% to 50%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 2004 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 2004 Mercedes-Benz CLK fail at each age?

Cars built in 2004 were tested at ages 15 to 20 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 2004: 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)
15	4,422	41.3	39.9–42.8	43.4	95.2
16	3,682	41.2	39.6–42.8	40.5	101.7
17	5,489	42.3	41–43.6	40.3	104.9
18	4,971	38.7	37.4–40.1	37.6	103.1
19	4,541	39.8	38.4–41.2	37.4	106.5
20	3,898	38.5	36.9–40	35.6	108.1

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 27,003 (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 2004 Mercedes-Benz CLK?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2004 is suspension: 40 items per 100 first tests, against 34.4 across all build years of the Mercedes-Benz CLK. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2004 were tested at ages 15 to 20.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Mercedes-Benz CLK built 2004 against the Mercedes-Benz CLK in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 2004, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Suspension	40	34.4	10,798
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	38.5	30.1	10,390
Brakes	20.1	19	5,438
Visibility	11.7	10.8	3,167
Tyres	11.3	11.4	3,046

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 27,003 (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 2004 compare with the years around it?

Among the 13 published build years of the Mercedes-Benz CLK, 2004 ranks 13 (1 = fails least for its age). 2003: index 101.8. 2005: index 101.4.

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 2004 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/2004/

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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