Real-world fuel economy

Mercedes-Benz SL-Class MPG: what owners actually get

Owners report 23.6 mpg from a Mercedes-Benz SL-Class, about 93% of the official figure. On its NEDC-tested engines that is 93%, better than typical: the median NEDC-tested car in this 8,216-engine dataset returns 82%. The tables below give the figure for every engine and generation we hold. Add your own at the bottom and the averages get better for the next buyer.

23.6mpg
Real-world average, all engines
93%
of the official combined figure
14–30
Range reported by owners (mpg)
36
Owner submissions
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Mercedes-Benz SL-Class

2008–2012 · real average 23.6 mpg · owners report 14.0–30.0 mpg · 36 submissions

EngineOfficial (NEDC)Official (WLTP)Real MPG% of officialOwners report
SL 30030.4–26.487%–
SL 35029.1–26.089%–
SL 50024.4–23.797%–
SL 60020.3––––
SL 63 AMG20.0–19.598%–
SL 65 AMG20.2––––
SL55 AMG19.3–17.992%–

All figures in miles per gallon (UK). “Owners report” is the spread of individual submissions for that engine.

Add your Mercedes-Benz SL-Class Real MPG

What does yours actually do? Read it off the trip computer over a full tank or work it out from litres and miles. No postcode, no sign-up. The more people add, the better the averages get, and this page stays free.

Mercedes-Benz SL-Class fuel economy questions

What is the real-world MPG of a Mercedes-Benz SL-Class?

Owners report an average of 23.6 mpg across all Mercedes-Benz SL-Class engines with data, about 93% of the official combined figure. The engine tables on this page give the figure for each engine and generation.

Why is the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class real MPG lower than the official figure?

Official figures come from a laboratory test cycle, not the road. Cold starts, short trips, hills, load, tyres and driving style all cost fuel the test does not see. A gap of 10 to 30 per cent is normal; a much bigger gap on one engine usually points at a fault, a heavy right foot, or a diesel that never gets warm.

Where did the Honest John Mercedes-Benz SL-Class Real MPG page go?

The site closed in August 2026 and its Real MPG section went with it. This page is where the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class figures now live: rebuilt from the archived dataset, with the official figures kept alongside, and reopened for new submissions.

Looking at a Mercedes-Benz SL-Class right now? Check the advert before you go and see it.

Where the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class figures come from

If you used the Honest John Real MPG section before the site closed in 2026, this is where the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class figures now live. The owner-reported averages above were rebuilt from the archived dataset (archived page, 2021-06) alongside the official NEDC and WLTP figures and new submissions from CarAdCheck readers, and the section is open so they keep improving. Real-world figures also feed the running-cost estimate in our free advert check.

CarAdCheck is not affiliated with Honest John or Volkswagen Financial Services. How we rebuilt Real MPG.

Other Mercedes-Benz models

Before you go and see it

Fuel economy is one line on the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class running-cost sheet. These guides cover the checks that stop you buying the wrong one.

All buyer's guides →