1988 Mercedes 300 Ce — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1988 perform at MOT as they age

38 years

Current Age

64.7%

Latest Pass Rate

805

Total Tests (All Years)

137,321 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 300 Ce as it ages.

21 yrs57.0%

→ ↑1.0%

22 yrs58.0%

→ ↓3.3%

23 yrs54.7%

→ ↑4.5%

24 yrs59.2%

→ ↓4.9%

25 yrs54.3%

→ ↑1.9%

26 yrs56.2%

→ ↑5.4%

27 yrs61.6%

→ ↑3.1%

28 yrs64.7%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
21 yrs	57.0%	151
22 yrs	58.0%	131
23 yrs	54.7%	117
24 yrs	59.2%	98
25 yrs	54.3%	94
26 yrs	56.2%	73
27 yrs	61.6%	73
28 yrs	64.7%	68

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1988 Mercedes 300 Ce pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2016 (28 yrs)	64.7%	68
2015 (27 yrs)	61.6%	73
2014 (26 yrs)	56.2%	73
2013 (25 yrs)	54.3%	94
2012 (24 yrs)	59.2%	98
2011 (23 yrs)	54.7%	117
2010 (22 yrs)	58%	131
2009 (21 yrs)	57%	151

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate

57.0%

Age (yrs) 21Tests 151Avg Mileage 134,977Top Failure Brakes — 23.8%

2010High Fail Rate

58.0%

Age (yrs) 22Tests 131Avg Mileage 135,913Top Failure Brakes — 27.5%

2011High Fail Rate

54.7%

Age (yrs) 23Tests 117Avg Mileage 142,362Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 24.8%

2012High Fail Rate

59.2%

Age (yrs) 24Tests 98Avg Mileage 134,602Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 22.4%

2013High Fail Rate

54.3%

Age (yrs) 25Tests 94Avg Mileage 127,440Top Failure Brakes — 66.0%

2014High Fail Rate

56.2%

Age (yrs) 26Tests 73Avg Mileage 128,663Top Failure Brakes — 61.6%

2015High Fail Rate

61.6%

Age (yrs) 27Tests 73Avg Mileage 126,251Top Failure Brakes — 52.1%

2016High Fail Rate

64.7%

Age (yrs) 28Tests 68Avg Mileage 137,321Top Failure Brakes — 79.4%

MOT results for 1988 Mercedes 300 Ce by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	21	57.0%	151	134,977	Brakes — 23.8%
2010	22	58.0%	131	135,913	Brakes — 27.5%
2011	23	54.7%	117	142,362	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 24.8%
2012	24	59.2%	98	134,602	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 22.4%
2013	25	54.3%	94	127,440	Brakes — 66.0%
2014	26	56.2%	73	128,663	Brakes — 61.6%
2015	27	61.6%	73	126,251	Brakes — 52.1%
2016	28	64.7%	68	137,321	Brakes — 79.4%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1988 Mercedes 300 Ce, with age trends.

Brakes

44.2%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

36.3%

↑ Increases with age

Suspension

29.7%

↑ Increases with age

Body, Structure and General Items

27.0%

— Consistent

Steering

20.5%

— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Brakes	23.8% (21 yrs)	79.4% (28 yrs)	+55.6%	🔴 ↑
Suspension	19.9% (21 yrs)	47.1% (28 yrs)	+27.2%	🔴 ↑
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment	23.2% (21 yrs)	47.1% (28 yrs)	+23.9%	🔴 ↑
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions	15.9% (21 yrs)	23.5% (28 yrs)	+7.6%	🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993

← Back to Mercedes 300 Ce overview

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Mercedes 300 Ce page →

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes 300 Ce cars manufactured in 1988 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2016, covering 805 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.