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1997 Mercedes-Benz 308 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1997 perform at MOT as they age

29 years
Current Age
58.2%
Latest Pass Rate
808
Total Tests (All Years)
160,897 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 1997 Mercedes-Benz 308 as it ages.

20 yrs51.2%
21 yrs53.8%
22 yrs50.0%
23 yrs54.8%
24 yrs50.0%
25 yrs54.2%
26 yrs52.5%
27 yrs58.2%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 20 to 27 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
20 yrs51.2%170
21 yrs53.8%93
22 yrs50.0%78
23 yrs54.8%42
24 yrs50.0%104
25 yrs54.2%83
26 yrs52.5%80
27 yrs58.2%158

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1997 Mercedes-Benz 308 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 (27 yrs)58.2%158
2023 (26 yrs)52.5%80
2022 (25 yrs)54.2%83
2021 (24 yrs)50%104
2020 (23 yrs)54.8%42
2019 (22 yrs)50%78
2018 (21 yrs)53.8%93
2017 (20 yrs)51.2%170

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2017High Fail Rate
51.2%
Age (yrs) 20Tests 170Avg Mileage 182,368Top Failure Brakes — 102.4%
2018High Fail Rate
53.8%
Age (yrs) 21Tests 93Avg Mileage 191,003Top Failure Brakes — 83.9%
2019High Fail Rate
50.0%
Age (yrs) 22Tests 78Avg Mileage 173,744Top Failure Brakes — 107.7%
2020High Fail Rate
54.8%
Age (yrs) 23Tests 42Avg Mileage 157,553Top Failure Body, chassis, structure — 114.3%
2021High Fail Rate
50.0%
Age (yrs) 24Tests 104Avg Mileage 179,985Top Failure Brakes — 125.0%
2022High Fail Rate
54.2%
Age (yrs) 25Tests 83Avg Mileage 181,689Top Failure Brakes — 116.9%
2023High Fail Rate
52.5%
Age (yrs) 26Tests 80Avg Mileage 170,550Top Failure Brakes — 107.5%
2024High Fail Rate
58.2%
Age (yrs) 27Tests 158Avg Mileage 160,897Top Failure Suspension — 61.4%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1997 Mercedes-Benz 308, with age trends.

Brakes
99.5%
↓ Decreases with age
Suspension
78.4%
↓ Decreases with age
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
71.5%
↓ Decreases with age
Body, chassis, structure
58.0%
↓ Decreases with age
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
46.0%
↓ Decreases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Brakes102.4% (20 yrs)57.6% (27 yrs)
-44.8%
🟢 ↓
Suspension85.3% (20 yrs)61.4% (27 yrs)
-23.9%
🟢 ↓

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Mercedes-Benz 308 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes-Benz 308 cars manufactured in 1997 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2017 to 2024, covering 808 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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