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1989 Mercedes-Benz Sl — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1989 perform at MOT as they age

37 years
Current Age
81.5%
Latest Pass Rate
724
Total Tests (All Years)
81,118 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 Sl as it ages.

32 yrs76.7%
33 yrs81.4%
34 yrs79.6%
35 yrs81.5%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 32 to 35 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
32 yrs76.7%146
33 yrs81.4%140
34 yrs79.6%157
35 yrs81.5%281

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1989 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 (35 yrs)81.5%281
2023 (34 yrs)79.6%157
2022 (33 yrs)81.4%140
2021 (32 yrs)76.7%146

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2021
76.7%
Age (yrs) 32Tests 146Avg Mileage 84,167Top Failure Brakes — 17.1%
2022
81.4%
Age (yrs) 33Tests 140Avg Mileage 86,719Top Failure Brakes — 19.3%
2023
79.6%
Age (yrs) 34Tests 157Avg Mileage 87,310Top Failure Brakes — 21.0%
2024
81.5%
Age (yrs) 35Tests 281Avg Mileage 81,118Top Failure Suspension — 17.4%

Common MOT Failures

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

Brakes
17.9%
— Consistent
Suspension
15.7%
— Consistent
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
13.4%
— Consistent
Tyres
10.8%
— Consistent
Noise, emissions and leaks
9.5%
↓ Decreases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Body, chassis, structure11.0% (32 yrs)6.8% (35 yrs)
-4.2%
🟢 ↓
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment15.8% (32 yrs)12.8% (35 yrs)
-3.0%
🟢 ↓
Brakes17.1% (32 yrs)14.2% (35 yrs)
-2.9%
🟢 ↓
Suspension15.8% (32 yrs)17.4% (35 yrs)
+1.6%
⚪ —

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 1989 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2021 to 2024, covering 724 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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