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1987 Mercedes 230 Te — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1987 perform at MOT as they age

39 years
Current Age
51.5%
Latest Pass Rate
209
Total Tests (All Years)
162,952 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 1987 Mercedes 230 Te as it ages.

22 yrs48.0%
23 yrs47.4%
24 yrs56.8%
25 yrs51.5%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 22 to 25 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
22 yrs48.0%75
23 yrs47.4%57
24 yrs56.8%44
25 yrs51.5%33

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1987 Mercedes 230 Te pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows improving over 4 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2012 (25 yrs)51.5%33
2011 (24 yrs)56.8%44
2010 (23 yrs)47.4%57
2009 (22 yrs)48%75

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate
48.0%
Age (yrs) 22Tests 75Avg Mileage 167,249Top Failure Brakes — 33.3%
2010High Fail Rate
47.4%
Age (yrs) 23Tests 57Avg Mileage 157,763Top Failure Brakes — 40.4%
2011High Fail Rate
56.8%
Age (yrs) 24Tests 44Avg Mileage 159,655Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 29.5%
2012High Fail Rate
51.5%
Age (yrs) 25Tests 33Avg Mileage 162,952Top Failure Suspension — 30.3%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1987 Mercedes 230 Te, with age trends.

Brakes
28.3%
↓ Decreases with age
Suspension
28.3%
— Consistent
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
23.6%
— Consistent
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions
20.0%
↓ Decreases with age
Body, Structure and General Items
14.6%
— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Brakes33.3% (22 yrs)21.2% (25 yrs)
-12.1%
🟢 ↓
Suspension32.0% (22 yrs)30.3% (25 yrs)
-1.7%
⚪ —
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment22.7% (22 yrs)21.2% (25 yrs)
-1.5%
⚪ —

Other Manufacture Years

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

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes 230 Te cars manufactured in 1987 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2012, covering 209 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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