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Hyundai vs Mercedes Reliability

Hyundai leads on our inspections: 68/100 average condition vs 62/100 for Mercedes, from 508 real pre-purchase inspections. The average car we check scores 61/100.

vs
Head to head
HyundaiMercedes
Cars inspected234274
Average condition68/10062/100
In good shape (60+/100)70%56%
Holds up to (avg dips below decent)~143k mi~92k mi
Repainted or replaced panel71%77%
Structural repair found5%1%
Fault codes recently cleared22%19%

Green = the better number of the pair. Condition reflects the mix of cars that came to us — age, price, model — so treat small gaps as a tie.

How they score
Hyundai
Excellent 32% Good 38% Mediocre 22% Poor 9%
Mercedes
Excellent 26% Good 30% Mediocre 24% Poor 20%
How long do they stay good?
Good cars by mileage
▬ Hyundai▬ Mercedes▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Hyundai, 0–20k mi: 99%, drawn from the nearby bands (14 cars in this band)Hyundai, 20–40k mi: 94% in good shape (36 cars)Hyundai, 40–60k mi: 55% in good shape (31 cars)Hyundai, 60–80k mi: 87% in good shape (31 cars)Hyundai, 80–100k mi: 71% in good shape (35 cars)Hyundai, 100–120k mi: 68% in good shape (37 cars)Hyundai, 120–140k mi: 40% in good shape (20 cars)Hyundai, 140–160k mi: 36%, drawn from the nearby bands (16 cars in this band)Hyundai, 160–180k mi: 43%, drawn from the nearby bands (5 cars in this band) Mercedes, 0–20k mi: 90% in good shape (29 cars)Mercedes, 20–40k mi: 78% in good shape (49 cars)Mercedes, 40–60k mi: 73% in good shape (48 cars)Mercedes, 60–80k mi: 53% in good shape (43 cars)Mercedes, 80–100k mi: 46% in good shape (37 cars)Mercedes, 100–120k mi: 13% in good shape (23 cars)Mercedes, 120–140k mi: 12%, drawn from the nearby bands (17 cars in this band)Mercedes, 140–160k mi: 9%, drawn from the nearby bands (8 cars in this band)Mercedes, 160–180k mi: 7%, drawn from the nearby bands (6 cars in this band) 40k 80k 120k 160k 200k mileage when we inspected it
Good cars by age
▬ Hyundai▬ Mercedes▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Hyundai, 1 years old: 93%, drawn from the nearby bands (10 cars this age)Hyundai, 2 years old: 93%, drawn from the nearby bands (18 cars this age)Hyundai, 3 years old: 92%, drawn from the nearby bands (18 cars this age)Hyundai, 4 years old: 90% in good shape (21 cars)Hyundai, 5 years old: 80% in good shape (20 cars)Hyundai, 6 years old: 68% in good shape (25 cars)Hyundai, 7 years old: 70%, drawn from the nearby bands (19 cars this age)Hyundai, 8 years old: 54% in good shape (26 cars)Hyundai, 9 years old: 68% in good shape (25 cars)Hyundai, 10 years old: 55% in good shape (11 cars)Hyundai, 11 years old: 36%, drawn from the nearby bands (15 cars this age)Hyundai, 12 years old: 26%, drawn from the nearby bands (6 cars this age)Hyundai, 13 years old: 11%, drawn from the nearby bands (6 cars this age) Mercedes, 1 years old: 94%, drawn from the nearby bands (12 cars this age)Mercedes, 2 years old: 92%, drawn from the nearby bands (16 cars this age)Mercedes, 3 years old: 88% in good shape (25 cars)Mercedes, 4 years old: 80% in good shape (25 cars)Mercedes, 5 years old: 67% in good shape (27 cars)Mercedes, 6 years old: 61% in good shape (23 cars)Mercedes, 7 years old: 59% in good shape (22 cars)Mercedes, 8 years old: 51%, drawn from the nearby bands (19 cars this age)Mercedes, 9 years old: 41% in good shape (17 cars)Mercedes, 10 years old: 40%, drawn from the nearby bands (11 cars this age)Mercedes, 11 years old: 31%, drawn from the nearby bands (11 cars this age)Mercedes, 12 years old: 25%, drawn from the nearby bands (14 cars this age)Mercedes, 13 years old: 18%, drawn from the nearby bands (12 cars this age)Mercedes, 14 years old: 18%, drawn from the nearby bands (10 cars this age)Mercedes, 16 years old: 30%, drawn from the nearby bands (5 cars this age) 2y 4y 6y 8y 10y 12y 14y 16y vehicle age when we inspected it

Share in good shape (scoring 60+/100) by mileage and by age when we inspected them (each dot ≥5 cars; a band under 20 cars follows the nearby bands, so a run above the all-cars line stays above it, and a band of 20 or more uses the rate we measured; where a band has too few cars, the line follows the trend between the bands on either side; rolled-back odometers excluded from the mileage curve). Dashed grey = all cars we check.

Most common faults
Hyundai
Oil leaks · Engine
48%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
39%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
36%
Low coolant / cooling system issues · Engine
18%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
18%
Mercedes
Oil leaks · Engine
65%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
50%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
39%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
36%
Electronic components issues · Engine
19%
Trajectory by generation
Hyundai ▲ Newer Hyundais are holding up better 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 56% in good shape (age-adjusted; 33 cars, raw 55%) 56 2015–17: 79% in good shape (age-adjusted; 44 cars, raw 77%) 79 2018–20: 67% in good shape (age-adjusted; 32 cars, raw 72%) 67 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018–20 2021+
Mercedes ▲ Newer Mercedes vehicles are holding up better 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 43% in good shape (age-adjusted; 32 cars, raw 44%) 43 2015–17: 58% in good shape (age-adjusted; 42 cars, raw 60%) 58 2018–20: 61% in good shape (age-adjusted; 34 cars, raw 68%) 61 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018–20 2021+

Share in good shape when inspected at the same age (5–10 years, age-adjusted), by model-year generation; dashed = all-brand average. All brands →

FAQ
?
Which is more reliable, Hyundai or Mercedes?
Hyundai leads on our inspections: 68/100 average condition vs 62/100 for Mercedes, from 508 real pre-purchase inspections.
?
What are the most common problems with used Hyundais and Mercedes vehicles?
On Hyundais we flag oil leaks (48%), fuel trim out of range (39%), tires condition & wear (36%). On Mercedes vehicles: oil leaks (65%), active error codes (50%), tires condition & wear (39%).
?
How many Hyundai and Mercedes vehicles have you inspected?
234 Hyundais and 274 Mercedes vehicles — 508 real pre-purchase inspections. Updated Oct 27, 2026.
?
How long do Hyundais and Mercedes vehicles stay in good shape?
In our data, the average Hyundai dips below “decent” around ~143k mi; Mercedes around ~92k mi. Individual cars vary — get the one you’re buying inspected.
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Based on 508 inspections · updated Oct 27, 2026