1980 Mercedes 350 Sl Auto — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1980 perform at MOT as they age

46 years

Current Age

60.4%

Latest Pass Rate

452

Total Tests (All Years)

96,487 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 1980 Mercedes 350 Sl Auto as it ages.

29 yrs55.4%

→ ↑16.8%

30 yrs72.2%

→ ↓6.2%

31 yrs66.0%

→ ↓0.6%

32 yrs65.4%

→ ↓0.0%

33 yrs65.4%

→ ↑5.0%

34 yrs70.4%

→ ↓0.4%

35 yrs70.0%

→ ↓9.6%

36 yrs60.4%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
29 yrs	55.4%	74
30 yrs	72.2%	54
31 yrs	66.0%	53
32 yrs	65.4%	52
33 yrs	65.4%	52
34 yrs	70.4%	54
35 yrs	70.0%	60
36 yrs	60.4%	53

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1980 Mercedes 350 Sl Auto pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2016 (36 yrs)	60.4%	53
2015 (35 yrs)	70%	60
2014 (34 yrs)	70.4%	54
2013 (33 yrs)	65.4%	52
2012 (32 yrs)	65.4%	52
2011 (31 yrs)	66%	53
2010 (30 yrs)	72.2%	54
2009 (29 yrs)	55.4%	74

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate

55.4%

Age (yrs) 29Tests 74Avg Mileage 92,037Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 24.3%

2010

72.2%

Age (yrs) 30Tests 54Avg Mileage 92,852Top Failure Suspension — 16.7%

2011

66.0%

Age (yrs) 31Tests 53Avg Mileage 96,205Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 20.8%

2012

65.4%

Age (yrs) 32Tests 52Avg Mileage 96,580Top Failure Brakes — 23.1%

2013

65.4%

Age (yrs) 33Tests 52Avg Mileage 100,104Top Failure Suspension — 48.1%

2014

70.4%

Age (yrs) 34Tests 54Avg Mileage 115,027Top Failure Brakes — 50.0%

2015

70.0%

Age (yrs) 35Tests 60Avg Mileage 98,974Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 30.0%

2016High Fail Rate

60.4%

Age (yrs) 36Tests 53Avg Mileage 96,487Top Failure Brakes — 39.6%

MOT results for 1980 Mercedes 350 Sl Auto by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	29	55.4%	74	92,037	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 24.3%
2010	30	72.2%	54	92,852	Suspension — 16.7%
2011	31	66.0%	53	96,205	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 20.8%
2012	32	65.4%	52	96,580	Brakes — 23.1%
2013	33	65.4%	52	100,104	Suspension — 48.1%
2014	34	70.4%	54	115,027	Brakes — 50.0%
2015	35	70.0%	60	98,974	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 30.0%
2016	36	60.4%	53	96,487	Brakes — 39.6%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1980 Mercedes 350 Sl Auto, with age trends.

Brakes

29.8%

↑ Increases with age

Suspension

25.6%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

24.7%

↑ Increases with age

Tyres

15.4%

— Consistent

Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions

12.8%

— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Brakes	18.9% (29 yrs)	39.6% (36 yrs)	+20.7%	🔴 ↑
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment	24.3% (29 yrs)	35.8% (36 yrs)	+11.5%	🔴 ↑
Suspension	21.6% (29 yrs)	30.2% (36 yrs)	+8.6%	🔴 ↑
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions	13.5% (29 yrs)	15.1% (36 yrs)	+1.6%	⚪ —

Other Manufacture Years

1976 1977 1978 1979 1980

← Back to Mercedes 350 Sl Auto overview

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Mercedes 350 Sl Auto page →

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes 350 Sl Auto cars manufactured in 1980 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2016, covering 452 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.