Used car safety, rank #8 of 188
Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class 4WD Safety Rating (2020-23)
Real IIHS driver death rates for the 2020-23 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class 4WD, a large luxury SUV, compared with its class and with the current model.
Safest PickIIHS 2026 edition Β· 2021β2024 crashes. Results apply only to the model years and drivetrain shown. Read the new release and its limits Β· Browse the older edition. Prices and reliability from older model years have not been carried forward.
The 2020-23 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class 4WD has an IIHS driver death rate of 8 per million registered vehicle years against a large luxury SUVs average of 10, which is 20% below the class average. That places it #8 of 188 used vehicles with a safety score of 90.9/100, earning our Safest Pick designation.
What the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class death rate means
At 8 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years, the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class 4WD beats the large luxury SUVs average of 10 by 20%. The 95% confidence interval is 0 to 19, so the upper end of the range overlaps the class average and the advantage is not certain.
The other-driver death rate of 9 measures the opposite risk: how many drivers of other vehicles died in crashes with a Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class. Its 95% confidence interval is 0β21. It is higher than the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class's own driver death rate, the usual pattern for heavier vehicles. Remember that death rates describe vehicles and their drivers together: IIHS adjusts for driver age and gender, but not for where or how carefully people drive. Our score weights this model's own rate at 70% and its class at 30%; see how we rank used cars.
Compared with similar used luxury SUVs
The safest large luxury SUVs in the IIHS study, by our score, with the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class 4WD highlighted. It ranks 4 of the 6 shown; the class leader is the BMW X7 4WD at a death rate of 0.
| Vehicle | Years | Death rate | Score | Reliability | Used price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMW X7 4WD | 2020-23 | 0 (0 to 17) | 98.4 | n/a | n/a |
| Audi Q7 4WD | 2020-23 | 0 (0 to 20) | 98.4 | n/a | n/a |
| Porsche Cayenne 4WD | 2020-23 | 7 (0 to 21) | 93.6 | n/a | n/a |
| Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class 4WD (this page) | 2020-23 | 8 (0 to 19) | 90.9 | n/a | n/a |
| Lexus GX 460 4WD | 2020-23 | 12 (0 to 27) | 86.1 | n/a | n/a |
| Tesla Model X electric 4WD | 2020-23 | 44 (5 to 82) | 45.6 | n/a | n/a |
Class average for large luxury SUVs: 10 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years.
Safety recalls for the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class 4WD
We do not have a verified NHTSA recall lookup for this nameplate and model year. Check by VIN rather than treating that as a clean record.
Recall campaigns from the NHTSA recalls database, retrieved 2026-09-16. A campaign covers a range of build dates, not every car of the model year, and IIHS reports this nameplate across several years while these results are for one year. Confirm against the VIN. Recalls do not affect the death rate on this page.
Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class 4WD: Common Questions
Is the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class 4WD a safe car?
Yes, by the measure that matters most. IIHS recorded a driver death rate of 8 per million registered vehicle years for the 2020-23 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class 4WD, 20% below the class average (10 for large luxury SUVs). That earns a used-car safety score of 90.9 out of 100 and rank #8 of 188 used vehicles, with a Safest Pick designation.
What is the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class 4WD driver death rate?
8 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years, with a 95% confidence interval of 0 to 19. Drivers of other vehicles that collided with a Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class died at a rate of 9 per million. Source: IIHS driver death rates by make and model, covering 2020-23 models.
How does the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class 4WD compare with other large luxury SUVs?
The large luxury SUVs class averages 10 driver deaths per million; the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class 4WD sits at 8. Among the 6 large luxury SUVs compared above it ranks 4 by safety score; the top of that group is the BMW X7 4WD with a death rate of 0.