Skip advert
Advertisement

Used Mercedes GLA (Mk1, 2013-2020) review - What do owners think?

Owners are fairly pleased Mercedes GLA's reliability and build quality

After a dip in quality in the nineties and early noughties, Mercedes once again produces some of the more reliable cars you can buy.

That being said, in our 2021 Driver Power satisfaction survey, Mercedes ranked 13th out of 29 brands in our manufacturer poll, which isn't particularly indicative of a highly reliable marque. Indeed, Mercedes finished lower than premium rivals such as Jaguar, Lexus, Porsche and Volvo. However, owners reported more issues with cars built by Audi and BMW.

Reliability

Although the GLA didn’t get into the 2017 or 2018 Driver Power satisfaction surveys, the third-generation A-Class did. It finished 69th in 2017, beaten by the Audi Q3 (13th), Kia Sportage (12th) and Volvo XC60 (ninth). Owners rated the A-Class’s running costs and reliability, but not its engine, gearbox and safety kit. A year later it finished 56th out of 75 cars, with 11 per cent of owners finding a fault within the first year of owning their A-Class.

Skip advert
Advertisement

New & used car deals

Toyota Yaris Cross
Volkswagen Polo

Volkswagen Polo

RRP £15,270Avg. savings £2,393 off RRP*Used from £6,995
Volkswagen Tiguan

Volkswagen Tiguan

RRP £38,050Avg. savings £3,250 off RRP*Used from £25,250
Kia Sportage

Kia Sportage

RRP £28,085Avg. savings £3,430 off RRP*Used from £12,990
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Long-term test: BMW iX3 50 xDrive M Sport Pro
BMW iX3 long-term test - header

Long-term test: BMW iX3 50 xDrive M Sport Pro

First report: Award-winning first Neue Klasse BMW gets off to a strong start on our fleet
Long-term tests
18 Jul 2026
Used Nissan Ariya (Mk1, 2021-date) buyer's guide: low prices make EV even more appealing
Used Nissan Ariya - front

Used Nissan Ariya (Mk1, 2021-date) buyer's guide: low prices make EV even more appealing

A full used buyer's guide on the Nissan Ariya that has been on sale in the UK since 2021
Used car tests
19 Jul 2026
New Jeep hybrid SUV aims to out-muscle Land Rover's Defender, with some help from China
Jeep D-segment SUV - front static

New Jeep hybrid SUV aims to out-muscle Land Rover's Defender, with some help from China

Want a Defender, but can’t stretch to one? Jeep’s new cut-priced family SUV should be cheap to buy, and to run…
News
20 Jul 2026