1985 Mercedes 230 E — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1985 perform at MOT as they age

41 years

Current Age

67.7%

Latest Pass Rate

1,603

Total Tests (All Years)

130,312 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 1985 Mercedes 230 E as it ages.

24 yrs62.3%

→ ↓5.9%

25 yrs56.4%

→ ↑6.2%

26 yrs62.6%

→ ↓2.4%

27 yrs60.2%

→ ↓9.9%

28 yrs50.3%

→ ↑6.8%

29 yrs57.1%

→ ↑1.3%

30 yrs58.4%

→ ↑6.6%

31 yrs65.0%

→ ↓3.0%

32 yrs62.0%

→ ↓5.2%

33 yrs56.8%

→ ↑7.7%

34 yrs64.5%

→ ↑3.2%

35 yrs67.7%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
24 yrs	62.3%	252
25 yrs	56.4%	241
26 yrs	62.6%	190
27 yrs	60.2%	171
28 yrs	50.3%	161
29 yrs	57.1%	133
30 yrs	58.4%	149
31 yrs	65.0%	157
32 yrs	62.0%	50
33 yrs	56.8%	37
34 yrs	64.5%	31
35 yrs	67.7%	31

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1985 Mercedes 230 E pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2020 (35 yrs)	67.7%	31
2019 (34 yrs)	64.5%	31
2018 (33 yrs)	56.8%	37
2017 (32 yrs)	62%	50
2016 (31 yrs)	65%	157
2015 (30 yrs)	58.4%	149
2014 (29 yrs)	57.1%	133
2013 (28 yrs)	50.3%	161
2012 (27 yrs)	60.2%	171
2011 (26 yrs)	62.6%	190
2010 (25 yrs)	56.4%	241
2009 (24 yrs)	62.3%	252

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate

62.3%

Age (yrs) 24Tests 252Avg Mileage 127,741Top Failure Suspension — 19.0%

2010High Fail Rate

56.4%

Age (yrs) 25Tests 241Avg Mileage 126,070Top Failure Suspension — 22.4%

2011High Fail Rate

62.6%

Age (yrs) 26Tests 190Avg Mileage 125,273Top Failure Suspension — 16.3%

2012High Fail Rate

60.2%

Age (yrs) 27Tests 171Avg Mileage 119,926Top Failure Suspension — 25.7%

2013High Fail Rate

50.3%

Age (yrs) 28Tests 161Avg Mileage 120,791Top Failure Suspension — 90.7%

2014High Fail Rate

57.1%

Age (yrs) 29Tests 133Avg Mileage 116,052Top Failure Suspension — 63.2%

2015High Fail Rate

58.4%

Age (yrs) 30Tests 149Avg Mileage 117,459Top Failure Suspension — 53.0%

2016

65.0%

Age (yrs) 31Tests 157Avg Mileage 121,365Top Failure Suspension — 52.9%

2017High Fail Rate

62.0%

Age (yrs) 32Tests 50Avg Mileage 130,416Top Failure Suspension — 68.0%

2018High Fail Rate

56.8%

Age (yrs) 33Tests 37Avg Mileage 129,283Top Failure Suspension — 64.9%

2019High Fail Rate

64.5%

Age (yrs) 34Tests 31Avg Mileage 127,112Top Failure Suspension — 45.2%

2020

67.7%

Age (yrs) 35Tests 31Avg Mileage 130,312Top Failure Suspension — 74.2%

MOT results for 1985 Mercedes 230 E by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	24	62.3%	252	127,741	Suspension — 19.0%
2010	25	56.4%	241	126,070	Suspension — 22.4%
2011	26	62.6%	190	125,273	Suspension — 16.3%
2012	27	60.2%	171	119,926	Suspension — 25.7%
2013	28	50.3%	161	120,791	Suspension — 90.7%
2014	29	57.1%	133	116,052	Suspension — 63.2%
2015	30	58.4%	149	117,459	Suspension — 53.0%
2016	31	65.0%	157	121,365	Suspension — 52.9%
2017	32	62.0%	50	130,416	Suspension — 68.0%
2018	33	56.8%	37	129,283	Suspension — 64.9%
2019	34	64.5%	31	127,112	Suspension — 45.2%
2020	35	67.7%	31	130,312	Suspension — 74.2%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1985 Mercedes 230 E, with age trends.

Suspension

49.6%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

38.4%

↓ Decreases with age

Brakes

31.6%

— Consistent

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

26.1%

↑ Increases with age

Body, chassis, structure

25.8%

— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Suspension	19.0% (24 yrs)	74.2% (35 yrs)	+55.2%	🔴 ↑
Brakes	16.7% (24 yrs)	16.1% (35 yrs)	-0.6%	⚪ —

Other Manufacture Years

1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1997

← Back to Mercedes 230 E overview

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Mercedes 230 E page →

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes 230 E cars manufactured in 1985 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2020, covering 1,603 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.