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1980 Mercedes-Benz 280 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1980 perform at MOT as they age

46 years
Current Age
77.4%
Latest Pass Rate
190
Total Tests (All Years)
80,693 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 1980 Mercedes-Benz 280 as it ages.

37 yrs67.9%
38 yrs70.0%
39 yrs58.5%
40 yrs81.3%
41 yrs77.4%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 37 to 41 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
37 yrs67.9%56
38 yrs70.0%30
39 yrs58.5%41
40 yrs81.3%32
41 yrs77.4%31

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1980 Mercedes-Benz 280 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows improving over 5 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2021 (41 yrs)77.4%31
2020 (40 yrs)81.3%32
2019 (39 yrs)58.5%41
2018 (38 yrs)70%30
2017 (37 yrs)67.9%56

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2017
67.9%
Age (yrs) 37Tests 56Avg Mileage 100,369Top Failure Brakes — 51.8%
2018
70.0%
Age (yrs) 38Tests 30Avg Mileage 103,180Top Failure Brakes — 36.7%
2019High Fail Rate
58.5%
Age (yrs) 39Tests 41Avg Mileage 83,457Top Failure Body, chassis, structure — 73.2%
2020
81.3%
Age (yrs) 40Tests 32Avg Mileage 79,180Top Failure Body, chassis, structure — 34.4%
2021
77.4%
Age (yrs) 41Tests 31Avg Mileage 80,693Top Failure Brakes — 19.4%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1980 Mercedes-Benz 280, with age trends.

Brakes
39.5%
↓ Decreases with age
Body, chassis, structure
34.3%
— Consistent
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
30.4%
— Consistent
Body, Structure and General Items
27.7%
↓ Decreases with age
Suspension
24.4%
↓ Decreases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Brakes51.8% (37 yrs)19.4% (41 yrs)
-32.4%
🟢 ↓
Suspension19.6% (37 yrs)9.7% (41 yrs)
-9.9%
🟢 ↓

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 1980 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2017 to 2021, covering 190 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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