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

Vauxhall Corsa

Vauxhall Corsa

RRP £19,690Avg. savings £5,308 off RRP*Used from £10,949
Toyota Yaris Cross

Toyota Yaris Cross

RRP £27,145Avg. savings £2,518 off RRP*Used from £16,200
Renault Clio

Renault Clio

RRP £16,160Avg. savings £2,417 off RRP*Used from £7,195
Skoda Kodiaq

Skoda Kodiaq

RRP £39,025Avg. savings £3,517 off RRP*Used from £12,481
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Jaguar Land Rover on brink of deal to build Chinese cars in Britain
New Chery Tiggo 9 2025 UK review - head on

Jaguar Land Rover on brink of deal to build Chinese cars in Britain

A deal between the British and Chinese brands could see Chery models built using spare JLR capacity
News
29 Jan 2026
Meet Renault’s new SUV: a Dacia Duster but not as we know it…
Renault Duster - front

Meet Renault’s new SUV: a Dacia Duster but not as we know it…

Posher inside and out and with more headroom, welcome to the upside down world of the Indian Duster
News
26 Jan 2026
The petrol hot hatch isn't dead yet! VW Golf GTI and R to live on
Volkswagen Golf GTI - front corner tracking, low

The petrol hot hatch isn't dead yet! VW Golf GTI and R to live on

Volkswagen is developing the EA888 2.0-litre turbo engine for new emissions regs, meaning new hot hatches are in the works
News
27 Jan 2026