1988 Mercedes 300 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1988 perform at MOT as they age

38 years

Current Age

80.0%

Latest Pass Rate

5,924

Total Tests (All Years)

89,123 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 as it ages.

21 yrs64.5%

→ ↓0.2%

22 yrs64.3%

→ ↑5.1%

23 yrs69.4%

→ ↓3.7%

24 yrs65.7%

→ ↑3.0%

25 yrs68.7%

→ ↓1.5%

26 yrs67.2%

→ ↑2.8%

27 yrs70.0%

→ ↑6.4%

28 yrs76.4%

→ ↓1.6%

29 yrs74.8%

→ ↑3.3%

30 yrs78.1%

→ ↑2.3%

31 yrs80.4%

→ ↓0.4%

32 yrs80.0%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
21 yrs	64.5%	859
22 yrs	64.3%	770
23 yrs	69.4%	736
24 yrs	65.7%	682
25 yrs	68.7%	638
26 yrs	67.2%	622
27 yrs	70.0%	601
28 yrs	76.4%	590
29 yrs	74.8%	143
30 yrs	78.1%	96
31 yrs	80.4%	102
32 yrs	80.0%	85

Pass Rate Trend

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

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2020 (32 yrs)	80%	85
2019 (31 yrs)	80.4%	102
2018 (30 yrs)	78.1%	96
2017 (29 yrs)	74.8%	143
2016 (28 yrs)	76.4%	590
2015 (27 yrs)	70%	601
2014 (26 yrs)	67.2%	622
2013 (25 yrs)	68.7%	638
2012 (24 yrs)	65.7%	682
2011 (23 yrs)	69.4%	736
2010 (22 yrs)	64.3%	770
2009 (21 yrs)	64.5%	859

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate

64.5%

Age (yrs) 21Tests 859Avg Mileage 101,257Top Failure Brakes — 18.3%

2010High Fail Rate

64.3%

Age (yrs) 22Tests 770Avg Mileage 100,638Top Failure Brakes — 17.1%

2011

69.4%

Age (yrs) 23Tests 736Avg Mileage 97,840Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 15.5%

2012

65.7%

Age (yrs) 24Tests 682Avg Mileage 96,576Top Failure Brakes — 15.5%

2013

68.7%

Age (yrs) 25Tests 638Avg Mileage 96,115Top Failure Brakes — 37.1%

2014

67.2%

Age (yrs) 26Tests 622Avg Mileage 94,144Top Failure Brakes — 30.5%

2015

70.0%

Age (yrs) 27Tests 601Avg Mileage 92,132Top Failure Brakes — 31.3%

2016

76.4%

Age (yrs) 28Tests 590Avg Mileage 93,805Top Failure Brakes — 21.5%

2017

74.8%

Age (yrs) 29Tests 143Avg Mileage 85,776Top Failure Brakes — 29.4%

2018

78.1%

Age (yrs) 30Tests 96Avg Mileage 84,478Top Failure Body, chassis, structure — 15.6%

2019

80.4%

Age (yrs) 31Tests 102Avg Mileage 82,512Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 14.7%

2020

80.0%

Age (yrs) 32Tests 85Avg Mileage 89,123Top Failure Suspension — 41.2%

MOT results for 1988 Mercedes 300 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	21	64.5%	859	101,257	Brakes — 18.3%
2010	22	64.3%	770	100,638	Brakes — 17.1%
2011	23	69.4%	736	97,840	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 15.5%
2012	24	65.7%	682	96,576	Brakes — 15.5%
2013	25	68.7%	638	96,115	Brakes — 37.1%
2014	26	67.2%	622	94,144	Brakes — 30.5%
2015	27	70.0%	601	92,132	Brakes — 31.3%
2016	28	76.4%	590	93,805	Brakes — 21.5%
2017	29	74.8%	143	85,776	Brakes — 29.4%
2018	30	78.1%	96	84,478	Body, chassis, structure — 15.6%
2019	31	80.4%	102	82,512	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 14.7%
2020	32	80.0%	85	89,123	Suspension — 41.2%

Common MOT Failures

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

Brakes

21.3%

↓ Decreases with age

Suspension

20.1%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

19.5%

— Consistent

Body, chassis, structure

13.0%

↓ Decreases with age

Noise, emissions and leaks

12.9%

— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Suspension	13.0% (21 yrs)	41.2% (32 yrs)	+28.2%	🔴 ↑
Brakes	18.3% (21 yrs)	12.9% (32 yrs)	-5.4%	🟢 ↓

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 1988 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2020, covering 5,924 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.