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1989 Caterham Seven (s3) — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1989 perform at MOT as they age

37 years
Current Age
87.1%
Latest Pass Rate
97
Total Tests (All Years)
21,832 mi
Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Insufficient data for same-age comparison.

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1989 Caterham Seven (s3) as it ages.

20 yrs78.1%
21 yrs85.3%
22 yrs87.1%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 20 to 22 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
20 yrs78.1%32
21 yrs85.3%34
22 yrs87.1%31

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1989 Caterham Seven (s3) pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows improving over 3 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2011 (22 yrs)87.1%31
2010 (21 yrs)85.3%34
2009 (20 yrs)78.1%32

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009
78.1%
Age (yrs) 20Tests 32Avg Mileage 23,101Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 18.8%
2010
85.3%
Age (yrs) 21Tests 34Avg Mileage 23,307Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 14.7%
2011
87.1%
Age (yrs) 22Tests 31Avg Mileage 21,832Top Failure Brakes — 6.5%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1989 Caterham Seven (s3), with age trends.

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
12.2%
↓ Decreases with age
Tyres
6.3%
↓ Decreases with age
Brakes
6.2%
— Consistent
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions
4.5%
— Consistent
Driver's View of the Road
4.1%
↓ Decreases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment18.8% (20 yrs)3.2% (22 yrs)
-15.6%
🟢 ↓
Tyres9.4% (20 yrs)3.2% (22 yrs)
-6.2%
🟢 ↓
Driver's View of the Road6.3% (20 yrs)3.2% (22 yrs)
-3.1%
🟢 ↓
Brakes6.3% (20 yrs)6.5% (22 yrs)
+0.2%
⚪ —

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Caterham Seven (s3) page →

About This Data

This page shows how Caterham Seven (s3) cars manufactured in 1989 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2011, covering 97 tests. Pass rates naturally decline with age as components wear.

Based on DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2005–2024). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.

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