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1988 Mercedes 230 Te — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1988 perform at MOT as they age

38 years
Current Age
46.9%
Latest Pass Rate
392
Total Tests (All Years)
145,490 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 1988 Mercedes 230 Te as it ages.

21 yrs48.9%
22 yrs57.8%
23 yrs49.2%
24 yrs57.4%
25 yrs70.6%
26 yrs46.9%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 21 to 26 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
21 yrs48.9%131
22 yrs57.8%83
23 yrs49.2%65
24 yrs57.4%47
25 yrs70.6%34
26 yrs46.9%32

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1988 Mercedes 230 Te pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows declining over 6 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2014 (26 yrs)46.9%32
2013 (25 yrs)70.6%34
2012 (24 yrs)57.4%47
2011 (23 yrs)49.2%65
2010 (22 yrs)57.8%83
2009 (21 yrs)48.9%131

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate
48.9%
Age (yrs) 21Tests 131Avg Mileage 151,008Top Failure Brakes — 28.2%
2010High Fail Rate
57.8%
Age (yrs) 22Tests 83Avg Mileage 145,635Top Failure Brakes — 24.1%
2011High Fail Rate
49.2%
Age (yrs) 23Tests 65Avg Mileage 146,492Top Failure Brakes — 33.8%
2012High Fail Rate
57.4%
Age (yrs) 24Tests 47Avg Mileage 142,290Top Failure Brakes — 25.5%
2013
70.6%
Age (yrs) 25Tests 34Avg Mileage 142,676Top Failure Suspension — 52.9%
2014High Fail Rate
46.9%
Age (yrs) 26Tests 32Avg Mileage 145,490Top Failure Brakes — 65.6%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1988 Mercedes 230 Te, with age trends.

Brakes
35.9%
↑ Increases with age
Suspension
34.8%
↑ Increases with age
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
25.9%
↑ Increases with age
Steering
21.8%
↑ Increases with age
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions
20.1%
↑ Increases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Brakes28.2% (21 yrs)65.6% (26 yrs)
+37.4%
🔴 ↑
Suspension27.5% (21 yrs)56.3% (26 yrs)
+28.8%
🔴 ↑
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions16.8% (21 yrs)31.3% (26 yrs)
+14.5%
🔴 ↑
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment28.2% (21 yrs)34.4% (26 yrs)
+6.2%
🔴 ↑

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 1988 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2014, covering 392 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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