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1988 Mercedes-Benz Sl — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1988 perform at MOT as they age

38 years
Current Age
82.3%
Latest Pass Rate
643
Total Tests (All Years)
85,825 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 1988 Mercedes-Benz Sl as it ages.

33 yrs88.5%
34 yrs82.9%
35 yrs83.3%
36 yrs82.3%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 33 to 36 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
33 yrs88.5%139
34 yrs82.9%129
35 yrs83.3%138
36 yrs82.3%237

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1988 Mercedes-Benz Sl 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 (36 yrs)82.3%237
2023 (35 yrs)83.3%138
2022 (34 yrs)82.9%129
2021 (33 yrs)88.5%139

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2021
88.5%
Age (yrs) 33Tests 139Avg Mileage 80,264Top Failure Suspension — 22.3%
2022
82.9%
Age (yrs) 34Tests 129Avg Mileage 79,970Top Failure Suspension — 20.2%
2023
83.3%
Age (yrs) 35Tests 138Avg Mileage 79,725Top Failure Suspension — 15.2%
2024
82.3%
Age (yrs) 36Tests 237Avg Mileage 85,825Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 19.0%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1988 Mercedes-Benz Sl, with age trends.

Suspension
19.2%
↓ Decreases with age
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
14.1%
↑ Increases with age
Brakes
10.8%
↓ Decreases with age
Tyres
10.5%
— Consistent
Noise, emissions and leaks
7.2%
↑ Increases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment7.9% (33 yrs)19.0% (36 yrs)
+11.1%
🔴 ↑
Brakes12.2% (33 yrs)7.6% (36 yrs)
-4.6%
🟢 ↓
Noise, emissions and leaks5.0% (33 yrs)9.3% (36 yrs)
+4.3%
🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

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

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes-Benz Sl cars manufactured in 1988 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2021 to 2024, covering 643 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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