Where each one leads
Mercedes-Benz SLK
- Against cars of the same age, the Mercedes-Benz SLK comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 16% more often than average) than the Toyota Celica (passes 4% more often than average).
- Fewer Mercedes-Benz SLK cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (9.5% against 10.2%).
Toyota Celica
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
| Mercedes-Benz SLK | Toyota Celica | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1998–2012 | 1981–2006 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 75,551 (2010–2020) | — |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 47,128 | 7,198 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 9,739 | 2,581 |
| In traffic in Finland | 2,181 | 668 |
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
| Mercedes-Benz SLK | Toyota Celica | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 73% | 61% |
| … against cars of the same age | +16% | +4% |
| New York safety inspections failed | — | 2.2% |
| … against cars of the same year | — | +33% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 9.5% | 10.2% |
| US owner complaints | 74 | 413 |
| Most complaints about | Visibility | Air bags |
| Model year with most complaints | 2002 (25) | 2000 (106) |
| US recall campaigns | 3 | 7 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 79 | 1,115 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 9 | 12 |
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
| Mercedes-Benz SLK | Toyota Celica | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 8.5 l/100 km (2016) | 8.5 l/100 km (2005) |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 153 g/km | — |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 120 kW (161 hp) | — |
| Average mass in running order | 1,578 kg | — |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €61,479 | €39,253 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 175,000 km | 247,000 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).