1990 Mercedes 250 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1990 perform at MOT as they age

36 years

Current Age

74.2%

Latest Pass Rate

495

Total Tests (All Years)

165,285 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 1990 Mercedes 250 as it ages.

19 yrs56.9%

→ ↓4.8%

20 yrs52.1%

→ ↑13.2%

21 yrs65.3%

→ ↓5.3%

22 yrs60.0%

→ ↑7.3%

23 yrs67.3%

→ ↑9.6%

24 yrs76.9%

→ ↑13.1%

25 yrs90.0%

→ ↓15.8%

26 yrs74.2%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
19 yrs	56.9%	109
20 yrs	52.1%	94
21 yrs	65.3%	72
22 yrs	60.0%	65
23 yrs	67.3%	55
24 yrs	76.9%	39
25 yrs	90.0%	30
26 yrs	74.2%	31

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1990 Mercedes 250 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2016 (26 yrs)	74.2%	31
2015 (25 yrs)	90%	30
2014 (24 yrs)	76.9%	39
2013 (23 yrs)	67.3%	55
2012 (22 yrs)	60%	65
2011 (21 yrs)	65.3%	72
2010 (20 yrs)	52.1%	94
2009 (19 yrs)	56.9%	109

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate

56.9%

Age (yrs) 19Tests 109Avg Mileage 170,268Top Failure Brakes — 22.9%

2010High Fail Rate

52.1%

Age (yrs) 20Tests 94Avg Mileage 176,334Top Failure Brakes — 29.8%

2011

65.3%

Age (yrs) 21Tests 72Avg Mileage 175,413Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 20.8%

2012High Fail Rate

60.0%

Age (yrs) 22Tests 65Avg Mileage 154,978Top Failure Brakes — 21.5%

2013

67.3%

Age (yrs) 23Tests 55Avg Mileage 159,918Top Failure Suspension — 56.4%

2014

76.9%

Age (yrs) 24Tests 39Avg Mileage 165,067Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 38.5%

2015

90.0%

Age (yrs) 25Tests 30Avg Mileage 152,312Top Failure Suspension — 16.7%

2016

74.2%

Age (yrs) 26Tests 31Avg Mileage 165,285Top Failure Tyres — 22.6%

MOT results for 1990 Mercedes 250 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	19	56.9%	109	170,268	Brakes — 22.9%
2010	20	52.1%	94	176,334	Brakes — 29.8%
2011	21	65.3%	72	175,413	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 20.8%
2012	22	60.0%	65	154,978	Brakes — 21.5%
2013	23	67.3%	55	159,918	Suspension — 56.4%
2014	24	76.9%	39	165,067	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 38.5%
2015	25	90.0%	30	152,312	Suspension — 16.7%
2016	26	74.2%	31	165,285	Tyres — 22.6%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1990 Mercedes 250, with age trends.

Brakes

24.4%

↓ Decreases with age

Suspension

23.3%

↓ Decreases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

19.4%

↓ Decreases with age

Tyres

14.2%

↑ Increases with age

Road Wheels

10.3%

— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Tyres	10.1% (19 yrs)	22.6% (26 yrs)	+12.5%	🔴 ↑
Brakes	22.9% (19 yrs)	12.9% (26 yrs)	-10.0%	🟢 ↓
Suspension	22.0% (19 yrs)	16.1% (26 yrs)	-5.9%	🟢 ↓
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment	16.5% (19 yrs)	12.9% (26 yrs)	-3.6%	🟢 ↓

Other Manufacture Years

1967 1968 1971 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1998 2009 2010 2011 2012

← Back to Mercedes 250 overview

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 1990 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2016, covering 495 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.