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1997 Mercedes-Benz 312 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1997 perform at MOT as they age

29 years
Current Age
63.1%
Latest Pass Rate
434
Total Tests (All Years)
171,078 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 312 as it ages.

20 yrs49.5%
21 yrs51.7%
22 yrs47.3%
23 yrs64.5%
24 yrs49.0%
25 yrs54.8%
26 yrs54.5%
27 yrs63.1%

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

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
20 yrs49.5%91
21 yrs51.7%60
22 yrs47.3%55
23 yrs64.5%31
24 yrs49.0%49
25 yrs54.8%31
26 yrs54.5%33
27 yrs63.1%84

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1997 Mercedes-Benz 312 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)63.1%84
2023 (26 yrs)54.5%33
2022 (25 yrs)54.8%31
2021 (24 yrs)49%49
2020 (23 yrs)64.5%31
2019 (22 yrs)47.3%55
2018 (21 yrs)51.7%60
2017 (20 yrs)49.5%91

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2017High Fail Rate
49.5%
Age (yrs) 20Tests 91Avg Mileage 203,253Top Failure Brakes — 118.7%
2018High Fail Rate
51.7%
Age (yrs) 21Tests 60Avg Mileage 216,101Top Failure Brakes — 98.3%
2019High Fail Rate
47.3%
Age (yrs) 22Tests 55Avg Mileage 192,551Top Failure Suspension — 98.2%
2020High Fail Rate
64.5%
Age (yrs) 23Tests 31Avg Mileage 180,641Top Failure Brakes — 80.6%
2021High Fail Rate
49.0%
Age (yrs) 24Tests 49Avg Mileage 185,550Top Failure Brakes — 98.0%
2022High Fail Rate
54.8%
Age (yrs) 25Tests 31Avg Mileage 190,036Top Failure Brakes — 96.8%
2023High Fail Rate
54.5%
Age (yrs) 26Tests 33Avg Mileage 166,432Top Failure Brakes — 90.9%
2024High Fail Rate
63.1%
Age (yrs) 27Tests 84Avg Mileage 171,078Top Failure Brakes — 90.5%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1997 Mercedes-Benz 312, with age trends.

Brakes
95.8%
↓ Decreases with age
Suspension
71.6%
↓ Decreases with age
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
61.2%
↓ Decreases with age
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
60.3%
↓ Decreases with age
Body, chassis, structure
42.9%
↑ Increases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Suspension96.7% (20 yrs)33.3% (27 yrs)
-63.4%
🟢 ↓
Brakes118.7% (20 yrs)90.5% (27 yrs)
-28.2%
🟢 ↓

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Mercedes-Benz 312 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes-Benz 312 cars manufactured in 1997 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2017 to 2024, covering 434 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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