Mercedes-Benz SL-Class

Complaints by model year

Each bar is one model year. The most recent years are still collecting complaints.

NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026

New York safety inspections

Share of first inspections failed on safety, by model year. Older cars fail more as miles build up, so compare each year with the average car of the same year. Best against its own year: 2017.

NY DMV Vehicle Inspections, initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count

Year by year

A model year gets its own page when it has enough data for at least three sections

Most common problems

• Service brakes, hydraulic7
• Suspension6
• Visibility4
• Structure4
• Equipment4
• Engine and engine cooling4
• Air bags4
• Exterior lighting3

NHTSA ODI complaints, all model years

Fatal crashes in the US

From 2020 to 2023, 33 SL-Class vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died, and 21 people died inside them. These are counts, not crash rates: a model with more cars on the road shows up more often, and people killed outside the vehicle are not counted here.

NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain) · how we count

Crash-test ratings by year

NHTSA 5-star results for 12 model-year variants; not yet fully rated. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain

In New Zealand

197 SL-Class cars are on the New Zealand register; 76% arrived as used imports.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0

In the Netherlands

3,368 SL-Class cars are on Dutch roads; 77% arrived later as imports, and 162 still have a recall open. Open a year for APK defects, odometer checks and colours.

RDW Open Data: registered vehicles (CC0) · list price is the manufacturer's catalogue price when new

In Finland

488 SL-Class cars were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026: 100% petrol, 0% diesel. Mileage is the odometer reading at the last inspection.

Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use, 30 Jun 2026 · CC BY 4.0

Road collisions in Great Britain

From 2021 to 2025, 81 SL-Class cars were involved in road collisions in Great Britain that injured someone and were reported to the police. 4 of those collisions were fatal and 16 caused serious injuries. As with any count, models with more cars on British roads appear more often.

Department for Transport, STATS19 road safety data 2021–2025 · Open Government Licence v3.0 · how we count

In the United Kingdom

14,178 SL-Class cars were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, by year of manufacture.

Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124) · Open Government Licence v3.0

MOT test results in Great Britain

208 SL-Class cars took their annual MOT test in 2023; 93% passed first time, against 88% for all cars of the same ages. Older cars fail more often, so compare a year with the same year of other cars.

DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests of cars only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail

New registrations in Europe

21,089 new Mercedes-Benz SL-Class cars registered in the EU, Norway and Iceland between 2010 and 2022, from the European Environment Agency's CO₂ monitoring of every new car. In 2022 the largest markets were Germany (1,538), Italy (89), France (73).

Averages are weighted by registrations; CO₂ is the type-approval value (NEDC until the WLTP switch). European Environment Agency, CO₂ emissions from new passenger cars · re-use permitted with acknowledgement

Real-world fuel consumption

5,900 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class cars registered in Europe between 2022 and 2024 report their fuel use through the on-board meter. Petrol versions average 17.1 l/100 km on the road, against 12.9 l/100 km in the official WLTP test — 33% more.

Litres per 100 km: total fuel used divided by total distance driven, from the car's own fuel consumption meter (OBFCM), collected in 2024 by the manufacturers, mostly remotely, and by national authorities. WLTP figures are the type-approval CO₂ values converted to litres. Hybrids, including mild hybrids, do not plug in; plug-in hybrid figures include the distance driven on electricity. European Environment Agency, Real-world CO₂ emissions from cars and vans · CC BY 4.0

What it costs in fuel

On real-world figures the petrol Mercedes-Benz SL-Class uses 17.1 litres per 100 km, so 15,000 km a year takes about 2,570 litres: €5,592 at this week's average price in Germany, its largest market in Europe.

Fuel for 15,000 km (9,300 miles) a year at real-world consumption. Pump prices with taxes, week of 19 October 2026: European Commission Weekly Oil Bulletin, UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, US Energy Information Administration. Non-euro EU prices are in euros as the Bulletin publishes them.

EU safety alerts

Safety Gate, the European Union's rapid alert system, names the SL-Class in 4 alerts. European versions can differ from the North American car.

Safety Gate (European Commission) · CC0

Recalls

7 campaigns cover the SL-Class.

NHTSA recalls