1989 Mercedes 300 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1989 perform at MOT as they age

37 years

Current Age

84.4%

Latest Pass Rate

7,262

Total Tests (All Years)

96,651 mi

Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Best vintage for 300

Insufficient data for same-age comparison.

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1989 Mercedes 300 as it ages.

20 yrs67.9%

→ ↓0.5%

21 yrs67.4%

→ ↓1.7%

22 yrs65.7%

→ ↑2.0%

23 yrs67.7%

→ ↑1.5%

24 yrs69.2%

→ ↑3.1%

25 yrs72.3%

→ ↑0.9%

26 yrs73.2%

→ ↓0.2%

27 yrs73.0%

→ ↑0.2%

28 yrs73.2%

→ ↑1.3%

29 yrs74.5%

→ ↑8.5%

30 yrs83.0%

→ ↑1.4%

31 yrs84.4%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
20 yrs	67.9%	1,045
21 yrs	67.4%	954
22 yrs	65.7%	898
23 yrs	67.7%	792
24 yrs	69.2%	780
25 yrs	72.3%	750
26 yrs	73.2%	736
27 yrs	73.0%	708
28 yrs	73.2%	179
29 yrs	74.5%	145
30 yrs	83.0%	147
31 yrs	84.4%	128

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1989 Mercedes 300 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2020 (31 yrs)	84.4%	128
2019 (30 yrs)	83%	147
2018 (29 yrs)	74.5%	145
2017 (28 yrs)	73.2%	179
2016 (27 yrs)	73%	708
2015 (26 yrs)	73.2%	736
2014 (25 yrs)	72.3%	750
2013 (24 yrs)	69.2%	780
2012 (23 yrs)	67.7%	792
2011 (22 yrs)	65.7%	898
2010 (21 yrs)	67.4%	954
2009 (20 yrs)	67.9%	1,045

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009

67.9%

Age (yrs) 20Tests 1,045Avg Mileage 102,202Top Failure Brakes — 13.8%

2010

67.4%

Age (yrs) 21Tests 954Avg Mileage 99,448Top Failure Brakes — 16.2%

2011

65.7%

Age (yrs) 22Tests 898Avg Mileage 98,476Top Failure Brakes — 17.1%

2012

67.7%

Age (yrs) 23Tests 792Avg Mileage 95,496Top Failure Brakes — 15.2%

2013

69.2%

Age (yrs) 24Tests 780Avg Mileage 94,286Top Failure Brakes — 30.0%

2014

72.3%

Age (yrs) 25Tests 750Avg Mileage 92,641Top Failure Brakes — 28.5%

2015

73.2%

Age (yrs) 26Tests 736Avg Mileage 92,215Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 26.4%

2016

73.0%

Age (yrs) 27Tests 708Avg Mileage 94,030Top Failure Brakes — 22.9%

2017

73.2%

Age (yrs) 28Tests 179Avg Mileage 97,368Top Failure Suspension — 25.7%

2018

74.5%

Age (yrs) 29Tests 145Avg Mileage 90,672Top Failure Brakes — 31.0%

2019

83.0%

Age (yrs) 30Tests 147Avg Mileage 90,771Top Failure Suspension — 17.7%

2020

84.4%

Age (yrs) 31Tests 128Avg Mileage 96,651Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 16.4%

MOT results for 1989 Mercedes 300 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	20	67.9%	1,045	102,202	Brakes — 13.8%
2010	21	67.4%	954	99,448	Brakes — 16.2%
2011	22	65.7%	898	98,476	Brakes — 17.1%
2012	23	67.7%	792	95,496	Brakes — 15.2%
2013	24	69.2%	780	94,286	Brakes — 30.0%
2014	25	72.3%	750	92,641	Brakes — 28.5%
2015	26	73.2%	736	92,215	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 26.4%
2016	27	73.0%	708	94,030	Brakes — 22.9%
2017	28	73.2%	179	97,368	Suspension — 25.7%
2018	29	74.5%	145	90,672	Brakes — 31.0%
2019	30	83.0%	147	90,771	Suspension — 17.7%
2020	31	84.4%	128	96,651	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 16.4%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1989 Mercedes 300, with age trends.

Brakes

20.7%

↓ Decreases with age

Suspension

19.3%

— Consistent

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

19.2%

— Consistent

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

13.0%

↑ Increases with age

Body, chassis, structure

10.9%

— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Brakes	13.8% (20 yrs)	9.4% (31 yrs)	-4.4%	🟢 ↓
Suspension	12.2% (20 yrs)	11.7% (31 yrs)	-0.5%	⚪ —

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 1989 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2020, covering 7,262 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.