Mercedes-Benz · Convertible

Mercedes-Benz SL-Class

Every model year 2016–2027: recalls, owner complaints, NHTSA crash ratings and EPA efficiency side by side, each value traced to the file it came from.

11 Model years 2016–2027

25 Recalls NHTSA campaigns, all years

19 Complaints owner reports, all years

A Newest grade 2027 Safety Signal

2016 Best on record cleanest filed year

The 2027 SL-Class →Which years to avoid Compare it

Mercedes-Benz SL-Class — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Mercedes-Benz SL-Class · Photo: Alexander-93 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Every Mercedes-Benz SL-Class model year

Source: NHTSA · EPA · one row per year

Year	Powertrains	Safety	Recalls	Complaints	Crash	Best efficiency
2027	Hybrid Gas	A	0	0	—	23 mpg
2026	Hybrid Gas	A	1	0	—	22 mpg
2025	Plug-in hybrid Hybrid Gas	A	1	0	—	22 mpg
2024	Hybrid Gas	B	2	0	—	22 mpg
2023	Hybrid Gas	C	5	1	—	23 mpg
2022	Gas	C	4	9	—	16 mpg
2020	Gas	B	3	2	—	22 mpg
2019	Gas	C	4	0	—	23 mpg
2018	Gas	B	2	2	—	23 mpg
2017	Gas	B	2	4	—	23 mpg
2016	Gas	A	1	1	—	23 mpg

Which model year the record favours

Source: recalls and complaints per year on the road

Years to avoid, with the reasons →Best on the record 2016

On the filed record so far, the 2016 is the cleanest SL-Class year we hold, and the 2023 the one to check hardest.

Both figures are divided by the number of years the car has been on sale, because otherwise the oldest year on the page loses every time simply for having been around longer. The current model year and any year under three on the road are left out: their records are not finished.

Year	Safety Signal	Recalls /yr	Complaints /yr
2016	A	0.1	0
2017	B	0.2	0
2018	B	0.2	0
2020	B	0.5	0
2019	C	0.6	0
2022	C	1	2
2023	C	1.7	0

Also on file Beside the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class

Best year on file The 2027 SL-Class Recalls Every Mercedes-Benz recall on file Compare The 2027 SL-Class against anything

What changed year to year

Source: computed from the filed record

2027: best combined mpg 22 → 23
2026: dropped plug-in hybrid
2025: added plug-in hybrid; 3 → 4 EPA configurations
2024: best combined mpg 23 → 22
2023: added hybrid; best combined mpg 16 → 23; 2 → 3 EPA configurations
2022: best combined mpg 22 → 16
2020: best combined mpg 23 → 22; 3 → 2 EPA configurations
2019: 4 → 3 EPA configurations

Common questions about the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Which Mercedes-Benz SL-Class year is the best used buy?

On the recall record, the 2016 SL-Class comes out top of the years before the current one: Safety Signal grade A (97/100), 1 recall and 1 owner complaint on file. That ranks paperwork, not condition — a specific car's history and service record still decide it.

What Mercedes-Benz SL-Class years should I avoid?

No SL-Class model year carries a D or F Safety Signal or a standing advisory. The ranking page orders every year on recalls and complaints per year on the road, and says why.

How many recalls does the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class have?

Across model years 2016–2027, NHTSA has posted 25 recall campaigns for the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class. They are counted per model year in the table above, because a campaign almost never covers the whole run — it covers a build range.