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1989 Mercedes-Benz 230 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1989 perform at MOT as they age

37 years
Current Age
64.2%
Latest Pass Rate
784
Total Tests (All Years)
109,149 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 Mercedes-Benz 230 as it ages.

28 yrs68.3%
29 yrs63.5%
30 yrs69.6%
31 yrs59.5%
32 yrs66.3%
33 yrs70.1%
34 yrs62.4%
35 yrs64.2%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 28 to 35 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
28 yrs68.3%139
29 yrs63.5%85
30 yrs69.6%79
31 yrs59.5%74
32 yrs66.3%80
33 yrs70.1%77
34 yrs62.4%85
35 yrs64.2%165

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1989 Mercedes-Benz 230 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows declining over 8 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2024 (35 yrs)64.2%165
2023 (34 yrs)62.4%85
2022 (33 yrs)70.1%77
2021 (32 yrs)66.3%80
2020 (31 yrs)59.5%74
2019 (30 yrs)69.6%79
2018 (29 yrs)63.5%85
2017 (28 yrs)68.3%139

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2017
68.3%
Age (yrs) 28Tests 139Avg Mileage 123,831Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 37.4%
2018High Fail Rate
63.5%
Age (yrs) 29Tests 85Avg Mileage 122,442Top Failure Brakes — 56.5%
2019
69.6%
Age (yrs) 30Tests 79Avg Mileage 118,401Top Failure Suspension — 30.4%
2020High Fail Rate
59.5%
Age (yrs) 31Tests 74Avg Mileage 116,519Top Failure Brakes — 55.4%
2021
66.3%
Age (yrs) 32Tests 80Avg Mileage 110,733Top Failure Brakes — 50.0%
2022
70.1%
Age (yrs) 33Tests 77Avg Mileage 108,003Top Failure Suspension — 29.9%
2023High Fail Rate
62.4%
Age (yrs) 34Tests 85Avg Mileage 109,936Top Failure Brakes — 68.2%
2024High Fail Rate
64.2%
Age (yrs) 35Tests 165Avg Mileage 109,149Top Failure Brakes — 61.2%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1989 Mercedes-Benz 230, with age trends.

Brakes
47.2%
↑ Increases with age
Suspension
39.2%
↑ Increases with age
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
37.4%
— Consistent
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
29.0%
— Consistent
Tyres
26.6%
— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Brakes29.5% (28 yrs)61.2% (35 yrs)
+31.7%
🔴 ↑
Suspension23.7% (28 yrs)52.1% (35 yrs)
+28.4%
🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Mercedes-Benz 230 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes-Benz 230 cars manufactured in 1989 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2017 to 2024, covering 784 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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