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 £26,310Avg. savings £2,444 off RRP*Used from £9,495
Omoda 5

Omoda 5

RRP £24,040Avg. savings £1,535 off RRP*Used from £18,290
Renault Clio

Renault Clio

RRP £16,275Avg. savings £2,521 off RRP*Used from £6,995
Nissan Qashqai

Nissan Qashqai

RRP £27,435Avg. savings £5,987 off RRP*Used from £8,995
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

New Vauxhall Astra won't be a hatch, with big estate-ment of intent planned
Vauxhall Astra Exclusive Image Avarvarii

New Vauxhall Astra won't be a hatch, with big estate-ment of intent planned

Vauxhall is guaranteed to offer wagon body and electric power, but conventional hatch is not certain
News
29 Jun 2026
New BMW X5 revealed: luxury SUV gets electric iX5 option for the first time
BMW iX5 - front

New BMW X5 revealed: luxury SUV gets electric iX5 option for the first time

The ultimate do-it-all BMW is now available with an array of powertrain options, including an iX5 with up to 525 miles of BEV range
News
30 Jun 2026
New Car Awards 2026: the winners
New Car Awards 2026 header

New Car Awards 2026: the winners

All the winners and highly commended cars at the 2026 Auto Express New Car Awards.
Awards
1 Jul 2026