1987 Mercedes 300 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1987 perform at MOT as they age

39 years

Current Age

77.3%

Latest Pass Rate

4,524

Total Tests (All Years)

92,898 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 1987 Mercedes 300 as it ages.

22 yrs69.4%

→ ↓0.1%

23 yrs69.3%

→ ↓1.2%

24 yrs68.1%

→ ↑3.0%

25 yrs71.1%

→ ↓5.2%

26 yrs65.9%

→ ↑4.0%

27 yrs69.9%

→ ↑2.0%

28 yrs71.9%

→ ↑2.1%

29 yrs74.0%

→ ↓4.3%

30 yrs69.7%

→ ↑10.0%

31 yrs79.7%

→ ↓4.3%

32 yrs75.4%

→ ↑1.9%

33 yrs77.3%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
22 yrs	69.4%	661
23 yrs	69.3%	600
24 yrs	68.1%	567
25 yrs	71.1%	515
26 yrs	65.9%	490
27 yrs	69.9%	475
28 yrs	71.9%	456
29 yrs	74.0%	442
30 yrs	69.7%	109
31 yrs	79.7%	74
32 yrs	75.4%	69
33 yrs	77.3%	66

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1987 Mercedes 300 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2020 (33 yrs)	77.3%	66
2019 (32 yrs)	75.4%	69
2018 (31 yrs)	79.7%	74
2017 (30 yrs)	69.7%	109
2016 (29 yrs)	74%	442
2015 (28 yrs)	71.9%	456
2014 (27 yrs)	69.9%	475
2013 (26 yrs)	65.9%	490
2012 (25 yrs)	71.1%	515
2011 (24 yrs)	68.1%	567
2010 (23 yrs)	69.3%	600
2009 (22 yrs)	69.4%	661

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009

69.4%

Age (yrs) 22Tests 661Avg Mileage 102,736Top Failure Brakes — 15.7%

2010

69.3%

Age (yrs) 23Tests 600Avg Mileage 105,680Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 14.0%

2011

68.1%

Age (yrs) 24Tests 567Avg Mileage 101,157Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 15.5%

2012

71.1%

Age (yrs) 25Tests 515Avg Mileage 98,952Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 14.4%

2013

65.9%

Age (yrs) 26Tests 490Avg Mileage 97,068Top Failure Suspension — 33.9%

2014

69.9%

Age (yrs) 27Tests 475Avg Mileage 98,158Top Failure Suspension — 33.3%

2015

71.9%

Age (yrs) 28Tests 456Avg Mileage 96,463Top Failure Brakes — 29.4%

2016

74.0%

Age (yrs) 29Tests 442Avg Mileage 97,320Top Failure Suspension — 26.7%

2017

69.7%

Age (yrs) 30Tests 109Avg Mileage 92,002Top Failure Brakes — 38.5%

2018

79.7%

Age (yrs) 31Tests 74Avg Mileage 90,529Top Failure Suspension — 32.4%

2019

75.4%

Age (yrs) 32Tests 69Avg Mileage 89,033Top Failure Brakes — 37.7%

2020

77.3%

Age (yrs) 33Tests 66Avg Mileage 92,898Top Failure Brakes — 31.8%

MOT results for 1987 Mercedes 300 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	22	69.4%	661	102,736	Brakes — 15.7%
2010	23	69.3%	600	105,680	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 14.0%
2011	24	68.1%	567	101,157	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 15.5%
2012	25	71.1%	515	98,952	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 14.4%
2013	26	65.9%	490	97,068	Suspension — 33.9%
2014	27	69.9%	475	98,158	Suspension — 33.3%
2015	28	71.9%	456	96,463	Brakes — 29.4%
2016	29	74.0%	442	97,320	Suspension — 26.7%
2017	30	69.7%	109	92,002	Brakes — 38.5%
2018	31	79.7%	74	90,529	Suspension — 32.4%
2019	32	75.4%	69	89,033	Brakes — 37.7%
2020	33	77.3%	66	92,898	Brakes — 31.8%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1987 Mercedes 300, with age trends.

Brakes

24.6%

↑ Increases with age

Suspension

22.6%

— Consistent

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

22.5%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

14.3%

— Consistent

Body, chassis, structure

14.1%

↓ Decreases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Brakes	15.7% (22 yrs)	31.8% (33 yrs)	+16.1%	🔴 ↑
Suspension	13.3% (22 yrs)	10.6% (33 yrs)	-2.7%	🟢 ↓

Other Manufacture Years

1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1998 1999

← Back to Mercedes 300 overview

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

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes 300 cars manufactured in 1987 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2020, covering 4,524 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.