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1985 Mercedes 280 E — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1985 perform at MOT as they age

41 years
Current Age
50.0%
Latest Pass Rate
104
Total Tests (All Years)
118,494 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 280 E as it ages.

24 yrs53.7%
25 yrs51.5%
27 yrs50.0%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 24 to 27 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
24 yrs53.7%41
25 yrs51.5%33
27 yrs50.0%30

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1985 Mercedes 280 E pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows declining over 3 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2012 (27 yrs)50%30
2010 (25 yrs)51.5%33
2009 (24 yrs)53.7%41

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate
53.7%
Age (yrs) 24Tests 41Avg Mileage 126,570Top Failure Suspension — 26.8%
2010High Fail Rate
51.5%
Age (yrs) 25Tests 33Avg Mileage 128,675Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 24.2%
2012High Fail Rate
50.0%
Age (yrs) 27Tests 30Avg Mileage 118,494Top Failure Suspension — 30.0%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1985 Mercedes 280 E, with age trends.

Suspension
27.0%
↑ Increases with age
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions
23.1%
— Consistent
Brakes
22.3%
↑ Increases with age
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
20.5%
↓ Decreases with age
Tyres
16.2%
— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Brakes19.5% (24 yrs)23.3% (27 yrs)
+3.8%
🔴 ↑
Suspension26.8% (24 yrs)30.0% (27 yrs)
+3.2%
🔴 ↑
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions24.4% (24 yrs)26.7% (27 yrs)
+2.3%
🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Mercedes 280 E page →

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes 280 E cars manufactured in 1985 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2012, covering 104 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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