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

Audi A3

Audi A3

RRP £26,295Avg. savings £3,075 off RRP*Used from £11,700
Volkswagen Golf

Volkswagen Golf

RRP £25,235Avg. savings £2,502 off RRP*Used from £11,295
Dacia Spring

Dacia Spring

RRP £14,995Avg. savings £6,456 off RRP*
Omoda 5

Omoda 5

RRP £23,990Avg. savings £1,429 off RRP*
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

New Ford Fiesta shaping up for its gigantic 2028 comeback
Ford Fiesta render Avarvarii

New Ford Fiesta shaping up for its gigantic 2028 comeback

Ford’s passenger-car business will get a new lease of life thanks to Renault’s Ampere platform, paving the way for two new small EVs
News
21 Dec 2025
New Nissan Sakura 2026 review: a kei car for Europe?
Nissan Sakura - front tracking

New Nissan Sakura 2026 review: a kei car for Europe?

All-electric versions of Japan’s kei car will help to form the basis of a new, low-cost, low-regulation EV from Europe’s manufacturers
Road tests
23 Dec 2025
Iconic cars of the 1990s: the decade’s greatest high performance heroes together at last
90s heritage icons - header image

Iconic cars of the 1990s: the decade’s greatest high performance heroes together at last

The nineties saw some big changes culturally, but also plenty of star cars. We brought together some of the decade’s icons
Car group tests
20 Dec 2025