R Class

Mercedes-Benz · on record 2006 to 2025

The Mercedes Benz R Class was a large luxury crossover and people carrier blending estate, MPV and SUV ideas in a long multi seat body aimed at family and long distance travel. It appealed to buyers who wanted the particular mix of space, image and engineering represented by the R Class rather than a generic transport choice. The R Class can remain useful long after its first ownership cycle, so condition, parts support and continued demand for its utility increasingly decide which examples stay on the road.

DECLINING

Red List classification, from population, five year trajectory and survival against peak. Reviewed each census.

1,459 licensed vehicles
2025 census

38.1% of the peak fleet remains licensed

679

declared SORN

total surviving

peak 3,827 in 2013 · −292 vehicles a year, five year trend

Population history

Licensed and SORN vehicles at each census. The filters below apply to the family population, MOT and registration figures. They do not alter the generation history above.

Licensed SORN Latest census observation SOURCE DVLA VEH0120 / VEH0220

At the average decline recorded over the latest five years, the licensed fleet would reach zero around 2029.

Illustrative projection only; vehicle populations rarely decline linearly. Late fleets typically flatten as surviving examples enter preservation.

Inside the surviving fleet

AutoCensus parses every DVLA variant description, so the fleet can be read by fuel and specification rather than as one number.

First registrations by year

When surviving examples first joined the British fleet.

New registrations

Vehicles first registered each year. A fleet still being sold shows here; a finished one shows only imports.

MOT reliability

DVSA test results for this family, 2013 to 2025.

Pass rate by year

Failure reason	Failures	Share of all tests
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc	3	8.8%
A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play	1	2.9%
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated	1	2.9%
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources	1	2.9%
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view	1	2.9%
Engine mil illuminated indicating a malfunction	1	2.9%
Stop lamps all missing or inoperative	1	2.9%
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements	1	2.9%

Counted across every recorded test, 2013 to 2025. Advisories are excluded.

Where the R Class remains

Based on MOT test locations, 2025. Test location is a proxy: a vehicle is counted where it was last tested, not where it is kept.

Postcode area	Vehicles tested	Pass rate
DY	1	0%
B	1	100%

How this record was calculated

LATEST CENSUS2025

POPULATION SOURCEDVLA VEH0220 annual

HISTORY SOURCEDVLA VEH0120 GB · to 2013

MOT SOURCEDVSA results · to 2025

FAMILY DEFINITIONMERCEDES R CLASS

PROCESSED20 Sep 2026

Full methodology

Population history combines DVLA VEH0120 Q4 census observations through 2013 with the annual VEH0220 census from 2014 onward. Figures before 2014 cover Great Britain only. Historical VEH0120 is used only when its overlapping UK observations reconcile to the current canonical family definition. Vehicles are grouped into this family using the DVLA GenModel together with durable routing rules for known inconsistencies.

Variant figures are parsed from raw DVLA model descriptions and the original string is always retained. Configuration is only assigned where the model description explicitly identifies it; a blank configuration is not treated as a two door Wrangler. Blank transmission fields are shown as manual because DVLA records the field for automatic vehicles.

MOT figures count tests, not vehicles, and geographic figures count each vehicle at its most recent test location. The decline projection is a straight line fitted to the latest five years and is illustrative only.