How many Mercedes-Benz SLK are left in New Zealand?
Uncommon 1 in 3,068 on the road Built 1996-2016 European
Updated from the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register, counted as at 31 August 2026. Recounted every month.
A compact two-seat roadster launched in 1996, whose party trick was a steel roof that folded itself into the boot at the press of a button, an idea much copied afterwards. Early cars are best known in supercharged Kompressor form. The second generation of 2004 wore a nose modelled on Mercedes' Formula One cars, and the last was renamed SLC in 2016.
Still on the road, by model year
The most are from 2005: 316 still registered. Every year is listed under the chart.
Every model year
| Model year | Still registered |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 2 |
| 1997 | 57 |
| 1998 | 46 |
| 1999 | 40 |
| 2000 | 43 |
| 2001 | 56 |
| 2002 | 41 |
| 2003 | 27 |
| 2004 | 140 |
| 2005 | 316 |
| 2006 | 180 |
| 2007 | 115 |
| 2008 | 73 |
| 2009 | 38 |
| 2010 | 32 |
| 2011 | 80 |
| 2012 | 111 |
| 2013 | 49 |
| 2014 | 44 |
| 2015 | 23 |
| 2016 | 11 |
By generation
How many of each generation are still registered.
| Which one | Built | Left | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| First generation · R170 | 1996–2004 | 329 | Scarce |
| Second generation · R171 | 2004–2011 | 880 | Scarce |
| Third generation · R172 | 2011–2020 | 313 | Scarce |
By badge
The versions the register records, most numerous first.
| Which one | Built | Left | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 350 · 3.5 L | 490 | Scarce | |
| 200 | 246 | Scarce | |
| 230 Kompressor | 211 | Scarce | |
| 280 | 168 | Rare | |
| 200 Kompressor | 104 | Rare | |
| 320 | 66 | Rare | |
| 55 AMG | 51 | Rare | |
| 250 | 43 | Rare | |
| AMG | 35 | Rare | |
| 300 | 20 | Rare | |
| 350 AMG | 4 | Rare |
What Uncommon means
Spotto grades every car by how many are still registered in New Zealand. With 1,524 still registered, the Mercedes-Benz SLK is Uncommon: the grade for cars with 1,200 to 7,999 left.
By how many are left it ranks 11th of the 102 Mercedes-Benz models and 356th of all 2,903 cars in Spotto's catalogue.
The six grades: Common, 8,000 or more · Uncommon, 1,200 to 7,999 · Scarce, 175 to 1,199 · Rare, 25 to 174 · Super rare, 5 to 24 · Unicorn, fewer than 5.
Seen one?
Spotto grades every car on New Zealand roads by how many are still registered, down to the generation and the badge. Log the ones you spot, build a collection, and see who else has found one.