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1978 Mercedes-Benz 350 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1978 perform at MOT as they age

48 years
Current Age
73.0%
Latest Pass Rate
87
Total Tests (All Years)
96,449 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 1978 Mercedes-Benz 350 as it ages.

At 39 years: 54.0% pass rate · At 40 years: 73.0% pass rate

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 39 to 40 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
39 yrs54.0%50
40 yrs73.0%37

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1978 Mercedes-Benz 350 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows stable over 2 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2018 (40 yrs)73%37
2017 (39 yrs)54%50

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2017High Fail Rate
54.0%
Age (yrs) 39Tests 50Avg Mileage 99,807Top Failure Suspension — 42.0%
2018
73.0%
Age (yrs) 40Tests 37Avg Mileage 96,449Top Failure Suspension — 29.7%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1978 Mercedes-Benz 350, with age trends.

Suspension
35.9%
↓ Decreases with age
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions
28.0%
— Consistent
Body, Structure and General Items
22.0%
— Consistent
Brakes
19.5%
— Consistent
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
18.4%
↓ Decreases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment26.0% (39 yrs)10.8% (40 yrs)
-15.2%
🟢 ↓
Suspension42.0% (39 yrs)29.7% (40 yrs)
-12.3%
🟢 ↓
Brakes20.0% (39 yrs)18.9% (40 yrs)
-1.1%
⚪ —

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Mercedes-Benz 350 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes-Benz 350 cars manufactured in 1978 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2017 to 2018, covering 87 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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