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Mercedes vs Tesla Reliability

Tesla leads on our inspections: 73/100 average condition vs 62/100 for Mercedes, from 355 real pre-purchase inspections. The average car we check scores 61/100.

vs
Head to head
MercedesTesla
Cars inspected27481
Average condition62/10073/100
In good shape (60+/100)56%80%
Holds up to (avg dips below decent)~92k mi~185k mi
Repainted or replaced panel77%65%
Structural repair found1%2%

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
Mercedes
Excellent 26% Good 30% Mediocre 24% Poor 20%
Tesla
Excellent 37% Good 43% Mediocre 19% Poor 1%
How long do they stay good?
Good cars by mileage
▬ Mercedes▬ Tesla▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 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) Tesla, 0–20k mi: 89%, drawn from the nearby bands (17 cars in this band)Tesla, 20–40k mi: 73% in good shape (22 cars)Tesla, 40–60k mi: 76%, drawn from the nearby bands (12 cars in this band)Tesla, 60–80k mi: 74%, drawn from the nearby bands (10 cars in this band)Tesla, 80–100k mi: 70%, drawn from the nearby bands (5 cars in this band)Tesla, 100–120k mi: 66%, drawn from the nearby bands (6 cars in this band)Tesla, 120–140k mi: 54%, drawn from the nearby bands (6 cars in this band) 40k 80k 120k 160k 200k mileage when we inspected it
Good cars by age
▬ Mercedes▬ Tesla▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 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) Tesla, 1 years old: 84%, drawn from the nearby bands (6 cars this age)Tesla, 2 years old: 87%, drawn from the nearby bands (16 cars this age)Tesla, 3 years old: 81% in good shape (21 cars)Tesla, 4 years old: 77%, drawn from the nearby bands (7 cars this age)Tesla, 5 years old: 73%, drawn from the nearby bands (7 cars this age)Tesla, 6 years old: 69%, drawn from the nearby bands (9 cars this age)Tesla, 7 years old: 64%, 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
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%
Tesla
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
35%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
17%
Vibration · Drivetrain
10%
Cracked or torn suspension bushings · Suspension
9%
Steering pull · Suspension
7%
Trajectory by generation
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+
Tesla

Not enough Teslas at the 5–10 year checkpoint yet to draw a generation trend.

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, Mercedes or Tesla?
Tesla leads on our inspections: 73/100 average condition vs 62/100 for Mercedes, from 355 real pre-purchase inspections.
?
What are the most common problems with used Mercedes vehicles and Teslas?
On Mercedes vehicles we flag oil leaks (65%), active error codes (50%), tires condition & wear (39%). On Teslas: tires condition & wear (35%), active error codes (17%), vibration (10%).
?
How many Mercedes and Tesla vehicles have you inspected?
274 Mercedes vehicles and 81 Teslas — 355 real pre-purchase inspections. Updated Nov 1, 2026.
?
How long do Mercedes vehicles and Teslas stay in good shape?
In our data, the average Mercedes dips below “decent” around ~92k mi; Tesla around ~185k mi. Individual cars vary — get the one you’re buying inspected.
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Based on 355 inspections · updated Nov 1, 2026