Skip to main content
Pass Your MOT

1971 Mercedes-Benz 280 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1971 perform at MOT as they age

55 years
Current Age
80.0%
Latest Pass Rate
242
Total Tests (All Years)
46,626 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 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280 as it ages.

46 yrs80.9%
47 yrs76.4%
48 yrs87.2%
49 yrs80.0%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 46 to 49 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
46 yrs80.9%110
47 yrs76.4%55
48 yrs87.2%47
49 yrs80.0%30

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows improving over 4 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2020 (49 yrs)80%30
2019 (48 yrs)87.2%47
2018 (47 yrs)76.4%55
2017 (46 yrs)80.9%110

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2017
80.9%
Age (yrs) 46Tests 110Avg Mileage 48,408Top Failure Suspension — 35.5%
2018
76.4%
Age (yrs) 47Tests 55Avg Mileage 49,862Top Failure Brakes — 30.9%
2019
87.2%
Age (yrs) 48Tests 47Avg Mileage 45,807Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 12.8%
2020
80.0%
Age (yrs) 49Tests 30Avg Mileage 46,626Top Failure Suspension — 30.0%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280, with age trends.

Suspension
24.4%
↓ Decreases with age
Brakes
20.8%
↓ Decreases with age
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
19.1%
— Consistent
Body, Structure and General Items
11.8%
— Consistent
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
11.4%
— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Suspension35.5% (46 yrs)30.0% (49 yrs)
-5.5%
🟢 ↓

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Mercedes-Benz 280 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes-Benz 280 cars manufactured in 1971 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2017 to 2020, covering 242 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.

Share via WhatsApp Share on Facebook Report Issue