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Mercedes-Benz SLK Roadster (2004-2011) running costs and reliability

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Running costs rating: 3 out of 53.0

Written by David Ross Published: 6 June 2019

Miles per pound (mpp)

Reliable fuel consumption data for comparison purposes is not available for this model.

What is miles per pound?

Fuel economy

A more stringent standard for fuel economy (WLTP) was introduced from September 2017, and this model was not required to undergo that test. Its fuel economy measured under the previous test system was 26 - 36 mpg. However these figures are less likely to be achievable in real world driving and so should never be compared to another car's mpg which was measured under the newer, more realistic WLTP system.

View mpg & specs for any version

Although expensive to initially buy and costly to service and insure, the SLK isn’t too bad on all other cost fronts. Depreciation is slow, so you’re likely to hold on to a large chunk its value. For its type, fuel consumption is reasonable and models registered after April 2008 are cheaper to tax as CO2 emissions were lowered.

Pre-2008 cars have an average of 229 g/km CO2 across the line-up, which is a little high for a sports roadster. There were significant changes on the eco front in early 2008 as Mercedes-Benz sought to bring down the emissions of its entire range. CO2 for the 200K drops 27g/km to 182g/km, the 280 decreases 11g/km to 216g/km while the 350 is down 23g/km to 219g/km.

Fuel consumption improvements range from 1.3mpg to 4.2mpg across the range.

So far very few problems reported at all. The roof is a complex mechanism, but very few problems were reported with the predecessor. It’s also covered by 30-year break down assistance if anything should go wrong.