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1971 Mercedes 250 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1971 perform at MOT as they age

55 years
Current Age
61.8%
Latest Pass Rate
222
Total Tests (All Years)
60,408 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 1971 Mercedes 250 as it ages.

38 yrs63.6%
39 yrs65.9%
40 yrs61.5%
41 yrs73.5%
42 yrs50.0%
45 yrs61.8%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 38 to 45 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
38 yrs63.6%44
39 yrs65.9%41
40 yrs61.5%39
41 yrs73.5%34
42 yrs50.0%30
45 yrs61.8%34

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1971 Mercedes 250 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
2016 (45 yrs)61.8%34
2013 (42 yrs)50%30
2012 (41 yrs)73.5%34
2011 (40 yrs)61.5%39
2010 (39 yrs)65.9%41
2009 (38 yrs)63.6%44

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate
63.6%
Age (yrs) 38Tests 44Avg Mileage 53,486Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 20.5%
2010
65.9%
Age (yrs) 39Tests 41Avg Mileage 63,296Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 24.4%
2011High Fail Rate
61.5%
Age (yrs) 40Tests 39Avg Mileage 63,031Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 20.5%
2012
73.5%
Age (yrs) 41Tests 34Avg Mileage 65,255Top Failure Brakes — 14.7%
2013High Fail Rate
50.0%
Age (yrs) 42Tests 30Avg Mileage 65,893Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 86.7%
2016High Fail Rate
61.8%
Age (yrs) 45Tests 34Avg Mileage 60,408Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 70.6%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1971 Mercedes 250, with age trends.

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
38.6%
↑ Increases with age
Suspension
24.4%
↑ Increases with age
Brakes
23.0%
↑ Increases with age
Steering
17.4%
↑ Increases with age
Driver's View of the Road
16.6%
↑ Increases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment20.5% (38 yrs)70.6% (45 yrs)
+50.1%
🔴 ↑
Suspension11.4% (38 yrs)44.1% (45 yrs)
+32.7%
🔴 ↑
Brakes11.4% (38 yrs)41.2% (45 yrs)
+29.8%
🔴 ↑
Driver's View of the Road15.9% (38 yrs)29.4% (45 yrs)
+13.5%
🔴 ↑
Body, Structure and General Items9.1% (38 yrs)11.8% (45 yrs)
+2.7%
🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Mercedes 250 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes 250 cars manufactured in 1971 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2016, covering 222 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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