Does the Mercedes-Benz CLK fail the MOT on vehicle identification more than it should?
The Mercedes-Benz CLK records 0.72 vehicle identification failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 0.70 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) (+0.02, 95% interval −0.02 to +0.06). It ranks 295 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 CLK by registration
What exactly fails on vehicle identification?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Mercedes-Benz CLK is “Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements”, recorded 698 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements | 698 | 0.40 |
| Number plate inscription missing or illegible | 301 | 0.17 |
| Number plate missing or so insecure that it is likely to fall off | 203 | 0.12 |
| Number plate showing an incorrect registration | 62 | 0.04 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 175,310 (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 CLK gets a vehicle identification advisory, how often does it fail next time?
2.6% of Mercedes-Benz CLK MOTs with a vehicle identification advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 3,770 miles later (3,735 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 3,735 (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 CLK 1998 · Mercedes-Benz CLK 1999 · Mercedes-Benz CLK 2000 · Mercedes-Benz CLK 2001 · Mercedes-Benz CLK 2002 · Mercedes-Benz CLK 2003 · Mercedes-Benz CLK 2004 · Mercedes-Benz CLK 2005 · Mercedes-Benz CLK 2006 · Mercedes-Benz CLK 2007 · Mercedes-Benz CLK 2008 · Mercedes-Benz CLK 2009 · Mercedes-Benz CLK 2010 · Mercedes-Benz CLK in Norway · Mercedes-Benz CLK in Finland · Mercedes-Benz CLK in the Netherlands · Mercedes-Benz CLK by postcode area · Mercedes-Benz CLK body, chassis and structure failures · Mercedes-Benz CLK brakes failures · Mercedes-Benz CLK lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Mercedes-Benz CLK noise, emissions and leaks failures · Mercedes-Benz CLK road wheels failures · Mercedes-Benz CLK seat belts and airbags failures · Mercedes-Benz CLK steering failures · Mercedes-Benz CLK suspension failures · Mercedes-Benz CLK tyres failures · Mercedes-Benz CLK visibility failures