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

Dacia Spring

Dacia Spring

RRP £11,990Avg. savings £703 off RRP*Used from £10,000
Nissan Juke

Nissan Juke

RRP £21,290Avg. savings £4,879 off RRP*Used from £6,390
Vauxhall Corsa

Vauxhall Corsa

RRP £19,870Avg. savings £6,416 off RRP*Used from £9,695
Volkswagen Tiguan

Volkswagen Tiguan

RRP £37,020Avg. savings £3,270 off RRP*Used from £23,500
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Radical new Citroen C4 Picasso to make MPVs cool again
Citroen C4 Picasso - exclusive image

Radical new Citroen C4 Picasso to make MPVs cool again

Citroen is going back to what it does best: new ELO-inspired MPV could spawn family of family-friendly models
News
28 Sep 2026
Volvo plots new Range Rover rival, and it'll dwarf the XC90
Volvo XC90 - front cornering

Volvo plots new Range Rover rival, and it'll dwarf the XC90

Volvo’s design boss is eager to bring a new ‘F-segment’ SUV to market, and it could arrive before the end of the decade
News
28 Sep 2026
MG ZS, MG HS and MG3 jump in price, but get more kit
MG Hybrid+ range

MG ZS, MG HS and MG3 jump in price, but get more kit

The latest powertrain changes aim to improve refinement while maintaining efficiency
News
28 Sep 2026