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1998 Mercedes-Benz Sl — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1998 perform at MOT as they age

28 years
Current Age
81.4%
Latest Pass Rate
4,402
Total Tests (All Years)
88,304 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 Sl as it ages.

19 yrs79.5%
20 yrs80.8%
21 yrs78.7%
22 yrs76.1%
23 yrs77.9%
24 yrs80.2%
25 yrs81.8%
26 yrs81.4%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 19 to 26 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
19 yrs79.5%303
20 yrs80.8%213
21 yrs78.7%216
22 yrs76.1%176
23 yrs77.9%746
24 yrs80.2%648
25 yrs81.8%713
26 yrs81.4%1,387

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1998 Mercedes-Benz Sl 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 (26 yrs)81.4%1,387
2023 (25 yrs)81.8%713
2022 (24 yrs)80.2%648
2021 (23 yrs)77.9%746
2020 (22 yrs)76.1%176
2019 (21 yrs)78.7%216
2018 (20 yrs)80.8%213
2017 (19 yrs)79.5%303

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2017
79.5%
Age (yrs) 19Tests 303Avg Mileage 88,708Top Failure Brakes — 23.1%
2018
80.8%
Age (yrs) 20Tests 213Avg Mileage 90,154Top Failure Suspension — 22.5%
2019
78.7%
Age (yrs) 21Tests 216Avg Mileage 88,581Top Failure Brakes — 23.6%
2020
76.1%
Age (yrs) 22Tests 176Avg Mileage 92,395Top Failure Brakes — 25.6%
2021
77.9%
Age (yrs) 23Tests 746Avg Mileage 91,499Top Failure Brakes — 24.9%
2022
80.2%
Age (yrs) 24Tests 648Avg Mileage 88,195Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 19.3%
2023
81.8%
Age (yrs) 25Tests 713Avg Mileage 88,884Top Failure Brakes — 22.6%
2024
81.4%
Age (yrs) 26Tests 1,387Avg Mileage 88,304Top Failure Suspension — 22.1%

Common MOT Failures

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

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
22.8%
— Consistent
Brakes
21.0%
↓ Decreases with age
Suspension
19.2%
↑ Increases with age
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
16.7%
↑ Increases with age
Tyres
11.2%
— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Suspension14.2% (19 yrs)22.1% (26 yrs)
+7.9%
🔴 ↑
Brakes23.1% (19 yrs)16.4% (26 yrs)
-6.7%
🟢 ↓
Tyres7.3% (19 yrs)8.2% (26 yrs)
+0.9%
⚪ —

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 1998 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2017 to 2024, covering 4,402 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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