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1989 Mercedes-Benz 500 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1989 perform at MOT as they age

37 years
Current Age
83.2%
Latest Pass Rate
1,018
Total Tests (All Years)
110,217 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 1989 Mercedes-Benz 500 as it ages.

28 yrs76.9%
29 yrs72.9%
30 yrs75.0%
31 yrs74.7%
32 yrs79.8%
33 yrs80.8%
34 yrs84.3%
35 yrs83.2%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 28 to 35 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
28 yrs76.9%147
29 yrs72.9%107
30 yrs75.0%104
31 yrs74.7%83
32 yrs79.8%119
33 yrs80.8%99
34 yrs84.3%115
35 yrs83.2%244

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1989 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 (35 yrs)83.2%244
2023 (34 yrs)84.3%115
2022 (33 yrs)80.8%99
2021 (32 yrs)79.8%119
2020 (31 yrs)74.7%83
2019 (30 yrs)75%104
2018 (29 yrs)72.9%107
2017 (28 yrs)76.9%147

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2017
76.9%
Age (yrs) 28Tests 147Avg Mileage 113,109Top Failure Brakes — 29.3%
2018
72.9%
Age (yrs) 29Tests 107Avg Mileage 110,092Top Failure Brakes — 19.6%
2019
75.0%
Age (yrs) 30Tests 104Avg Mileage 106,972Top Failure Suspension — 37.5%
2020
74.7%
Age (yrs) 31Tests 83Avg Mileage 114,143Top Failure Suspension — 34.9%
2021
79.8%
Age (yrs) 32Tests 119Avg Mileage 105,554Top Failure Brakes — 28.6%
2022
80.8%
Age (yrs) 33Tests 99Avg Mileage 109,886Top Failure Brakes — 29.3%
2023
84.3%
Age (yrs) 34Tests 115Avg Mileage 108,828Top Failure Suspension — 13.9%
2024
83.2%
Age (yrs) 35Tests 244Avg Mileage 110,217Top Failure Suspension — 29.1%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1989 Mercedes-Benz 500, with age trends.

Brakes
23.5%
↓ Decreases with age
Suspension
23.3%
↑ Increases with age
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
19.7%
— Consistent
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
17.1%
↓ Decreases with age
Noise, emissions and leaks
15.8%
— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Brakes29.3% (28 yrs)16.0% (35 yrs)
-13.3%
🟢 ↓
Suspension17.0% (28 yrs)29.1% (35 yrs)
+12.1%
🔴 ↑

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 1989 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2017 to 2024, covering 1,018 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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