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
Engine
Official (NEDC)
Official (WLTP)
Real MPG
% of official
Owners report
SL 300
30.4
–
26.4
87%
–
SL 350
29.1
–
26.0
89%
–
SL 500
24.4
–
23.7
97%
–
SL 600
20.3
–
–
–
–
SL 63 AMG
20.0
–
19.5
98%
–
SL 65 AMG
20.2
–
–
–
–
SL55 AMG
19.3
–
17.9
92%
–
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.
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.