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Mercedes GLA review - Reliability and safety

Mercedes GLA customers should feel reassured by good levels of safety and decent reliability

Reliability and safety rating

3.8

How we review cars
Pros
  • Improved on-board tech
  • Comfort
  • Engine performance
Cons
  • Pricier than before
  • Not an engaging drive
  • Running costs
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The GLA finished in 58th place on a 75-car list in our 2022 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, down from 54th position in the previous year. Mercedes itself has showed signs of improvement in recent manufacturer polls, moving up from 2020's 28th place (out of 30 brands), to a more encouraging 13th spot in 2021. However, the upward movement was shortlived as the premium German automaker was back down to 23rd position in 2022.

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Safety is an area where Mercedes customers can feel reassured. While the latest GLA hasn’t yet been safety tested by Euro NCAP, the A-Class hatchback scored five stars in 2018, with adult and child occupant protection receiving scores of 96 per cent and 91 per cent, respectively. 

With lots of standard safety equipment, we would expect the new GLA to perform just as well. It includes kit such as a lane-keeping assist system, Active Brake Assist, cruise control, auto headlights and rain-sensing wipers. The Premium Plus versions also feature Traffic Sign Assist which is able to recognise speed limits and road sign information and display them to the driver. 

Warranty

Mercedes’ warranty is a three-year/unlimited-mileage package. This is identical to the package supplied with Land Rover and BMW models, but goes one better than the Audi warranty, which limits cover to three years and 60,000 miles.

Servicing

Mercedes offers its ServiceCare plans to help with scheduled servicing costs. Prices start from around £30 a month, and you can pay either in monthly payments, or as a one-off upfront fee. 

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