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

Volkswagen Tiguan

Volkswagen Tiguan

RRP £38,050Avg. savings £3,360 off RRP*Used from £11,216
Nissan Juke

Nissan Juke

RRP £19,805Avg. savings £4,765 off RRP*Used from £9,000
Kia Sportage

Kia Sportage

RRP £28,085Avg. savings £3,144 off RRP*Used from £12,790
Dacia Spring

Dacia Spring

RRP £14,995Avg. savings £3,565 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 Jaecoo 5 SHS-S finally means hybrid power for this compact SUV
Jaecoo 5 SHS-S - front tracking

New Jaecoo 5 SHS-S finally means hybrid power for this compact SUV

Chery’s latest hybrid powertrain brings the Jaecoo 5 SUV bang up to date
News
15 Apr 2026
Long-term test: Nissan Qashqai e-Power Tekna+
Nissan Qashqai e-Power Tekna+ - Mk1 with new car

Long-term test: Nissan Qashqai e-Power Tekna+

Second report: What a difference 20 years make in the life of popular SUV
Long-term tests
15 Apr 2026
New Volkswagen ID.3 Neo: EV hatch gets massive update, Golf-a-like look and lots of buttons!
Phil McNamara with the Volkswagen ID.3 Neo

New Volkswagen ID.3 Neo: EV hatch gets massive update, Golf-a-like look and lots of buttons!

The new Volkswagen ID.3 Neo EV banishes the quirkiness of its predecessor with a less cartoonish look and smarter tech
News
15 Apr 2026