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1983 Mercedes-Benz 280 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1983 perform at MOT as they age

43 years
Current Age
86.7%
Latest Pass Rate
1,128
Total Tests (All Years)
96,479 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 1983 Mercedes-Benz 280 as it ages.

34 yrs65.6%
35 yrs68.5%
36 yrs75.5%
37 yrs76.4%
38 yrs71.7%
39 yrs76.6%
40 yrs80.4%
41 yrs86.7%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 34 to 41 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
34 yrs65.6%186
35 yrs68.5%124
36 yrs75.5%139
37 yrs76.4%106
38 yrs71.7%166
39 yrs76.6%141
40 yrs80.4%153
41 yrs86.7%113

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1983 Mercedes-Benz 280 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows improving over 8 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2024 (41 yrs)86.7%113
2023 (40 yrs)80.4%153
2022 (39 yrs)76.6%141
2021 (38 yrs)71.7%166
2020 (37 yrs)76.4%106
2019 (36 yrs)75.5%139
2018 (35 yrs)68.5%124
2017 (34 yrs)65.6%186

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2017
65.6%
Age (yrs) 34Tests 186Avg Mileage 104,768Top Failure Brakes — 41.4%
2018
68.5%
Age (yrs) 35Tests 124Avg Mileage 103,611Top Failure Suspension — 46.0%
2019
75.5%
Age (yrs) 36Tests 139Avg Mileage 107,209Top Failure Brakes — 34.5%
2020
76.4%
Age (yrs) 37Tests 106Avg Mileage 113,691Top Failure Suspension — 38.7%
2021
71.7%
Age (yrs) 38Tests 166Avg Mileage 103,350Top Failure Suspension — 38.0%
2022
76.6%
Age (yrs) 39Tests 141Avg Mileage 107,222Top Failure Body, chassis, structure — 28.4%
2023
80.4%
Age (yrs) 40Tests 153Avg Mileage 103,861Top Failure Brakes — 29.4%
2024
86.7%
Age (yrs) 41Tests 113Avg Mileage 96,479Top Failure Suspension — 23.0%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1983 Mercedes-Benz 280, with age trends.

Suspension
31.3%
↓ Decreases with age
Brakes
27.7%
↓ Decreases with age
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
25.3%
↓ Decreases with age
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions
19.4%
— Consistent
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
18.3%
↓ Decreases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Brakes41.4% (34 yrs)19.5% (41 yrs)
-21.9%
🟢 ↓
Suspension26.3% (34 yrs)23.0% (41 yrs)
-3.3%
🟢 ↓

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 1983 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2017 to 2024, covering 1,128 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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