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Mercedes vs Tesla

Mercedes or Tesla — what we actually found

Side by side from 270 Mercedes vehicles and 75 Teslas buyers asked us to inspect before purchase. The average car we check scores 61/100.

vs
Head to head
MercedesTesla
Cars inspected27075
Average condition62/10073/100
In good shape (60+/100)55%80%
Holds up to (avg dips below decent)~92k mi~197k mi
Repainted or replaced panel77%64%
Structural repair found1%3%

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 29% Mediocre 24% Poor 20%
Tesla
Excellent 35% Good 45% 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: 89% in good shape (28 cars)Mercedes, 20–40k mi: 78% in good shape (49 cars)Mercedes, 40–60k mi: 72% in good shape (47 cars)Mercedes, 60–80k mi: 52% in good shape (42 cars)Mercedes, 80–100k mi: 47% in good shape (36 cars)Mercedes, 100–120k mi: 13% in good shape (23 cars)Mercedes, 120–140k mi: 24% in good shape (17 cars)Mercedes, 140–160k mi: 0% in good shape (8 cars)Mercedes, 160–180k mi: 0% in good shape (6 cars) Tesla, 0–20k mi: 100% in good shape (14 cars)Tesla, 20–40k mi: 71% in good shape (21 cars)Tesla, 40–60k mi: 75% in good shape (12 cars)Tesla, 60–80k mi: 89% in good shape (9 cars)Tesla, 80–100k mi: 60% in good shape (5 cars)Tesla, 100–120k mi: 67% in good shape (6 cars)Tesla, 120–140k mi: 83% in good shape (6 cars) 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: 90% in good shape (10 cars)Mercedes, 2 years old: 94% in good shape (16 cars)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: 58% in good shape (19 cars)Mercedes, 9 years old: 41% in good shape (17 cars)Mercedes, 10 years old: 27% in good shape (11 cars)Mercedes, 11 years old: 40% in good shape (10 cars)Mercedes, 12 years old: 21% in good shape (14 cars)Mercedes, 13 years old: 8% in good shape (12 cars)Mercedes, 14 years old: 33% in good shape (9 cars)Mercedes, 16 years old: 20% in good shape (5 cars) Tesla, 2 years old: 81% in good shape (16 cars)Tesla, 3 years old: 79% in good shape (19 cars)Tesla, 4 years old: 86% in good shape (7 cars)Tesla, 5 years old: 86% in good shape (7 cars)Tesla, 6 years old: 75% in good shape (8 cars)Tesla, 7 years old: 40% in good shape (5 cars) 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; 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
51%
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
33%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
19%
Vibration · Drivetrain
11%
Cracked or torn suspension bushings · Suspension
9%
Abnormal noise · Suspension
8%
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 →

Whichever badge wins on paper, the car in front of you is its own story. Get it inspected before you pay.
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Based on 345 inspections · updated Oct 11, 2026