Skip to main content
Pass Your MOT

1985 Mercedes-Benz 500 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1985 perform at MOT as they age

41 years
Current Age
91.6%
Latest Pass Rate
841
Total Tests (All Years)
97,195 mi
Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Best vintage for 500

Insufficient data for same-age comparison.

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1985 Mercedes-Benz 500 as it ages.

32 yrs72.9%
33 yrs72.4%
34 yrs78.7%
35 yrs77.1%
36 yrs75.0%
37 yrs82.6%
38 yrs75.7%
39 yrs91.6%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 32 to 39 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
32 yrs72.9%118
33 yrs72.4%76
34 yrs78.7%89
35 yrs77.1%83
36 yrs75.0%108
37 yrs82.6%86
38 yrs75.7%103
39 yrs91.6%178

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1985 Mercedes-Benz 500 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 (39 yrs)91.6%178
2023 (38 yrs)75.7%103
2022 (37 yrs)82.6%86
2021 (36 yrs)75%108
2020 (35 yrs)77.1%83
2019 (34 yrs)78.7%89
2018 (33 yrs)72.4%76
2017 (32 yrs)72.9%118

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2017
72.9%
Age (yrs) 32Tests 118Avg Mileage 108,492Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 34.7%
2018
72.4%
Age (yrs) 33Tests 76Avg Mileage 99,113Top Failure Brakes — 27.6%
2019
78.7%
Age (yrs) 34Tests 89Avg Mileage 109,563Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 42.7%
2020
77.1%
Age (yrs) 35Tests 83Avg Mileage 98,775Top Failure Suspension — 36.1%
2021
75.0%
Age (yrs) 36Tests 108Avg Mileage 107,142Top Failure Brakes — 32.4%
2022
82.6%
Age (yrs) 37Tests 86Avg Mileage 101,051Top Failure Brakes — 27.9%
2023
75.7%
Age (yrs) 38Tests 103Avg Mileage 108,823Top Failure Suspension — 33.0%
2024
91.6%
Age (yrs) 39Tests 178Avg Mileage 97,195Top Failure Noise, emissions and leaks — 6.7%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1985 Mercedes-Benz 500, with age trends.

Brakes
24.8%
↓ Decreases with age
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
24.8%
— Consistent
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
21.3%
↓ Decreases with age
Suspension
20.7%
↓ Decreases with age
Body, chassis, structure
16.9%
↓ Decreases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Suspension22.9% (32 yrs)5.6% (39 yrs)
-17.3%
🟢 ↓
Brakes19.5% (32 yrs)3.9% (39 yrs)
-15.6%
🟢 ↓

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Mercedes-Benz 500 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes-Benz 500 cars manufactured in 1985 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2017 to 2024, covering 841 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.

Share via WhatsApp Share on Facebook Report Issue