Where each one leads
Chevrolet Corvette
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Mercedes-Benz SL
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Too close to call: official combined fuel use, Canada (l/100 km).
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Chevrolet Corvette | Mercedes-Benz SL | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1981–2025 | 1990–2022 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 4,285 (2010–2022) | — |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 342 | — |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 3,536 | — |
| In traffic in Finland | 1,400 | — |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Chevrolet Corvette | Mercedes-Benz SL | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | — | 83% |
| … against cars of the same age | — | +29% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 0.4% | — |
| … against cars of the same year | −73% | — |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 81.6% | — |
| US owner complaints | 5,148 | 41 |
| Most complaints about | Steering | Electrical system |
| Model year with most complaints | 2008 (541) | 1994 (15) |
| US recall campaigns | 44 | — |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 23,500 | 73 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 69 | — |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Chevrolet Corvette | Mercedes-Benz SL | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 12.5 l/100 km (2026) | 12.4 l/100 km (2015) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 14.4 l/100 km | — |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 277 g/km | — |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 354 kW (475 hp) | — |
| Average mass in running order | 1,749 kg | — |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €111,709 | — |
| Average odometer in Finland | 98,000 km | — |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).