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1998 Mercedes-Benz S-class — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1998 perform at MOT as they age

28 years
Current Age
72.4%
Latest Pass Rate
913
Total Tests (All Years)
108,610 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 1998 Mercedes-Benz S-class as it ages.

23 yrs73.6%
24 yrs71.4%
25 yrs75.3%
26 yrs72.4%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 23 to 26 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
23 yrs73.6%235
24 yrs71.4%185
25 yrs75.3%174
26 yrs72.4%319

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1998 Mercedes-Benz S-class pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows stable over 4 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2024 (26 yrs)72.4%319
2023 (25 yrs)75.3%174
2022 (24 yrs)71.4%185
2021 (23 yrs)73.6%235

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2021
73.6%
Age (yrs) 23Tests 235Avg Mileage 113,619Top Failure Suspension — 41.7%
2022
71.4%
Age (yrs) 24Tests 185Avg Mileage 113,914Top Failure Brakes — 63.8%
2023
75.3%
Age (yrs) 25Tests 174Avg Mileage 115,299Top Failure Brakes — 32.2%
2024
72.4%
Age (yrs) 26Tests 319Avg Mileage 108,610Top Failure Brakes — 41.4%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1998 Mercedes-Benz S-class, with age trends.

Brakes
43.1%
↑ Increases with age
Suspension
35.7%
↓ Decreases with age
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
23.3%
↓ Decreases with age
Noise, emissions and leaks
17.6%
— Consistent
Visibility
15.7%
↓ Decreases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Suspension41.7% (23 yrs)30.7% (26 yrs)
-11.0%
🟢 ↓
Brakes34.9% (23 yrs)41.4% (26 yrs)
+6.5%
🔴 ↑
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment24.7% (23 yrs)18.5% (26 yrs)
-6.2%
🟢 ↓
Tyres13.6% (23 yrs)18.8% (26 yrs)
+5.2%
🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

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

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes-Benz S-class cars manufactured in 1998 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2021 to 2024, covering 913 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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