1989 Mercedes 208 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1989 perform at MOT as they age

37 years

Current Age

53.3%

Latest Pass Rate

620

Total Tests (All Years)

105,587 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 208 as it ages.

20 yrs58.0%

→ ↓12.8%

21 yrs45.2%

→ ↑15.5%

22 yrs60.7%

→ ↓3.6%

23 yrs57.1%

→ ↓2.1%

24 yrs55.0%

→ ↑0.6%

25 yrs55.6%

→ ↓7.5%

26 yrs48.1%

→ ↓3.4%

27 yrs44.7%

→ ↑4.1%

28 yrs48.8%

→ ↓1.6%

29 yrs47.2%

→ ↑22.8%

30 yrs70.0%

→ ↓16.7%

31 yrs53.3%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
20 yrs	58.0%	69
21 yrs	45.2%	73
22 yrs	60.7%	61
23 yrs	57.1%	63
24 yrs	55.0%	60
25 yrs	55.6%	54
26 yrs	48.1%	54
27 yrs	44.7%	47
28 yrs	48.8%	43
29 yrs	47.2%	36
30 yrs	70.0%	30
31 yrs	53.3%	30

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1989 Mercedes 208 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2020 (31 yrs)	53.3%	30
2019 (30 yrs)	70%	30
2018 (29 yrs)	47.2%	36
2017 (28 yrs)	48.8%	43
2016 (27 yrs)	44.7%	47
2015 (26 yrs)	48.1%	54
2014 (25 yrs)	55.6%	54
2013 (24 yrs)	55%	60
2012 (23 yrs)	57.1%	63
2011 (22 yrs)	60.7%	61
2010 (21 yrs)	45.2%	73
2009 (20 yrs)	58%	69

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate

58.0%

Age (yrs) 20Tests 69Avg Mileage 92,353Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 29.0%

2010High Fail Rate

45.2%

Age (yrs) 21Tests 73Avg Mileage 92,558Top Failure Brakes — 41.1%

2011High Fail Rate

60.7%

Age (yrs) 22Tests 61Avg Mileage 95,075Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 32.8%

2012High Fail Rate

57.1%

Age (yrs) 23Tests 63Avg Mileage 88,889Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 33.3%

2013High Fail Rate

55.0%

Age (yrs) 24Tests 60Avg Mileage 90,895Top Failure Brakes — 103.3%

2014High Fail Rate

55.6%

Age (yrs) 25Tests 54Avg Mileage 91,196Top Failure Brakes — 77.8%

2015High Fail Rate

48.1%

Age (yrs) 26Tests 54Avg Mileage 93,719Top Failure Brakes — 83.3%

2016High Fail Rate

44.7%

Age (yrs) 27Tests 47Avg Mileage 101,732Top Failure Brakes — 89.4%

2017High Fail Rate

48.8%

Age (yrs) 28Tests 43Avg Mileage 92,377Top Failure Brakes — 130.2%

2018High Fail Rate

47.2%

Age (yrs) 29Tests 36Avg Mileage 105,058Top Failure Brakes — 122.2%

2019

70.0%

Age (yrs) 30Tests 30Avg Mileage 99,768Top Failure Brakes — 76.7%

2020High Fail Rate

53.3%

Age (yrs) 31Tests 30Avg Mileage 105,587Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 126.7%

MOT results for 1989 Mercedes 208 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	20	58.0%	69	92,353	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 29.0%
2010	21	45.2%	73	92,558	Brakes — 41.1%
2011	22	60.7%	61	95,075	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 32.8%
2012	23	57.1%	63	88,889	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 33.3%
2013	24	55.0%	60	90,895	Brakes — 103.3%
2014	25	55.6%	54	91,196	Brakes — 77.8%
2015	26	48.1%	54	93,719	Brakes — 83.3%
2016	27	44.7%	47	101,732	Brakes — 89.4%
2017	28	48.8%	43	92,377	Brakes — 130.2%
2018	29	47.2%	36	105,058	Brakes — 122.2%
2019	30	70.0%	30	99,768	Brakes — 76.7%
2020	31	53.3%	30	105,587	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 126.7%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1989 Mercedes 208, with age trends.

Body, chassis, structure

78.4%

↑ Increases with age

Brakes

71.9%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

70.9%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

51.1%

↑ Increases with age

Steering

36.4%

↓ Decreases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Brakes	18.8% (20 yrs)	73.3% (31 yrs)	+54.5%	🔴 ↑
Tyres	11.6% (20 yrs)	43.3% (31 yrs)	+31.7%	🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

← Back to Mercedes 208 overview

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Mercedes 208 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes 208 cars manufactured in 1989 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2020, covering 620 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.