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What to check: Mercedes EQC

DBy miles

Ranked across all years of the Mercedes EQC, from its own MOT record and from what owners report. Tick it off at the car.

From this model's MOT record

The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.

Bushes and ball jointsRuns high on this modelDrive slowly over broken tarmac with the windows down and listen for clonks from either end. Back at the car, have someone rock the steering wheel while you rest a hand on each front wheel; play you can feel through the tyre is a worn joint.Recorded on 6.3% of tests at age 3-5 · class average 0.4%

A binding brakeAfter the test drive, hold the back of your hand near each wheel hub. One wheel running much hotter than the rest is a sticking caliper. A car that slows itself down when you lift off on a flat road is saying the same thing.Recorded on 0.8% of tests at age 3-5 · class average 0.3%

Worth doing on any used car

These judge the seller's upkeep rather than the model.

Tyres, all fourRuns high on this modelCheck the tread across the full width of each tyre, inner edge included, and look for cracking and mismatched brands. A set of decent tyres is £500 or more on most cars, which makes this the easiest money to take off a price. If the pressure warning light is on, budget for sensors too.Recorded on 30.0% of tests at age 3-5 · class average 16.6%

Pads and discsLook through the wheel spokes at the brake disc. A pronounced lip on its outer edge, or a rusty and scored face, means discs and pads are due all round, a few hundred pounds on most cars. A haggling point rather than a reason to walk away.Recorded on 3.9% of tests at age 3-5 · class average 7.0%

Windscreen and wipersScan the glass in daylight for chips, especially in the driver's line of sight where even a small one can fail the MOT. Run the washers and check the wipers clear without smearing.Recorded on 1.9% of tests at age 3-5 · class average 1.4%

Because of what owners report

Drawn from the owner reports rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.

Ask to see the service history for any airbag or front-axle recall work on cars built 2018-2019.No record of the recall being carried out means it still needs doing before the car is safe to drive.

Check the coolant level and look for any recent coolant top-ups in the service history.Repeated coolant top-ups can point to an eDrive motor seal starting to weep.

Listen for whining or vibration from under the car on a steady throttle test drive.A whine or shudder from the drive unit is an early sign of the ZF motor seal wear issue.

Open and close the charging flap several times, including from cold.Any hesitation, sticking, or needing a second attempt suggests the flap mechanism is on its way out.

Drive over some rough tarmac and listen for squeaks or knocks from the front end.Noise here is common on this heavy platform; it's a nuisance rather than an MOT fail but worth a price chip.

Check the edges of the rear tyres for uneven wear.Fast edge wear on a car under 40k miles points to the weight-related geometry issue owners report.

Leave the infotainment screen running for 10-15 minutes and try navigation, media and CarPlay.A freeze or reboot during the test confirms the known MBUX glitch rather than a one-off.

Full Mercedes EQC reliability report