Does the Mercedes-Benz CLS fail the MOT on vehicle identification more than it should?
The Mercedes-Benz CLS records 0.73 vehicle identification failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 0.39 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) (+0.34, 95% interval +0.29 to +0.38). It ranks 88 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 CLS by registration
What exactly fails on vehicle identification?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Mercedes-Benz CLS is “Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements”, recorded 808 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements | 808 | 0.58 |
| Number plate missing or so insecure that it is likely to fall off | 73 | 0.05 |
| Number plate inscription missing or illegible | 70 | 0.05 |
| Number plate showing an incorrect registration | 68 | 0.05 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 139,937 (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 CLS gets a vehicle identification advisory, how often does it fail next time?
1.9% of Mercedes-Benz CLS MOTs with a vehicle identification advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 6,653 miles later (1,115 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,115 (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 CLS 2005 · Mercedes-Benz CLS 2006 · Mercedes-Benz CLS 2007 · Mercedes-Benz CLS 2008 · Mercedes-Benz CLS 2009 · Mercedes-Benz CLS 2010 · Mercedes-Benz CLS 2011 · Mercedes-Benz CLS 2012 · Mercedes-Benz CLS 2013 · Mercedes-Benz CLS 2014 · Mercedes-Benz CLS 2015 · Mercedes-Benz CLS 2016 · Mercedes-Benz CLS 2017 · Mercedes-Benz CLS 2018 · Mercedes-Benz CLS 2019 · Mercedes-Benz CLS 2020 · Mercedes-Benz CLS in Finland · Mercedes-Benz CLS in the Netherlands · Mercedes-Benz CLS by postcode area · Mercedes-Benz CLS body, chassis and structure failures · Mercedes-Benz CLS brakes failures · Mercedes-Benz CLS lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Mercedes-Benz CLS noise, emissions and leaks failures · Mercedes-Benz CLS road wheels failures · Mercedes-Benz CLS seat belts and airbags failures · Mercedes-Benz CLS steering failures · Mercedes-Benz CLS suspension failures · Mercedes-Benz CLS tyres failures · Mercedes-Benz CLS visibility failures