1988 Mercedes 420 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1988 perform at MOT as they age

38 years

Current Age

79.4%

Latest Pass Rate

1,603

Total Tests (All Years)

89,580 mi

Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Best vintage for 420

Insufficient data for same-age comparison.

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1988 Mercedes 420 as it ages.

21 yrs61.5%

→ ↑2.4%

22 yrs63.9%

→ ↓2.8%

23 yrs61.1%

→ ↑5.9%

24 yrs67.0%

→ ↓1.1%

25 yrs65.9%

→ ↑1.9%

26 yrs67.8%

→ ↑3.5%

27 yrs71.3%

→ ↑2.0%

28 yrs73.3%

→ ↓3.5%

29 yrs69.8%

→ ↑9.7%

30 yrs79.5%

→ ↓0.1%

31 yrs79.4%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
21 yrs	61.5%	226
22 yrs	63.9%	194
23 yrs	61.1%	198
24 yrs	67.0%	182
25 yrs	65.9%	167
26 yrs	67.8%	174
27 yrs	71.3%	164
28 yrs	73.3%	172
29 yrs	69.8%	53
30 yrs	79.5%	39
31 yrs	79.4%	34

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1988 Mercedes 420 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2019 (31 yrs)	79.4%	34
2018 (30 yrs)	79.5%	39
2017 (29 yrs)	69.8%	53
2016 (28 yrs)	73.3%	172
2015 (27 yrs)	71.3%	164
2014 (26 yrs)	67.8%	174
2013 (25 yrs)	65.9%	167
2012 (24 yrs)	67%	182
2011 (23 yrs)	61.1%	198
2010 (22 yrs)	63.9%	194
2009 (21 yrs)	61.5%	226

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate

61.5%

Age (yrs) 21Tests 226Avg Mileage 100,313Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 16.8%

2010High Fail Rate

63.9%

Age (yrs) 22Tests 194Avg Mileage 95,646Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 18.6%

2011High Fail Rate

61.1%

Age (yrs) 23Tests 198Avg Mileage 94,410Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 17.7%

2012

67.0%

Age (yrs) 24Tests 182Avg Mileage 92,285Top Failure Brakes — 15.9%

2013

65.9%

Age (yrs) 25Tests 167Avg Mileage 93,067Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 32.9%

2014

67.8%

Age (yrs) 26Tests 174Avg Mileage 93,221Top Failure Brakes — 46.0%

2015

71.3%

Age (yrs) 27Tests 164Avg Mileage 93,166Top Failure Brakes — 33.5%

2016

73.3%

Age (yrs) 28Tests 172Avg Mileage 94,125Top Failure Suspension — 29.1%

2017

69.8%

Age (yrs) 29Tests 53Avg Mileage 92,334Top Failure Suspension — 37.7%

2018

79.5%

Age (yrs) 30Tests 39Avg Mileage 92,000Top Failure Suspension — 33.3%

2019

79.4%

Age (yrs) 31Tests 34Avg Mileage 89,580Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 32.4%

MOT results for 1988 Mercedes 420 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	21	61.5%	226	100,313	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 16.8%
2010	22	63.9%	194	95,646	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 18.6%
2011	23	61.1%	198	94,410	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 17.7%
2012	24	67.0%	182	92,285	Brakes — 15.9%
2013	25	65.9%	167	93,067	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 32.9%
2014	26	67.8%	174	93,221	Brakes — 46.0%
2015	27	71.3%	164	93,166	Brakes — 33.5%
2016	28	73.3%	172	94,125	Suspension — 29.1%
2017	29	69.8%	53	92,334	Suspension — 37.7%
2018	30	79.5%	39	92,000	Suspension — 33.3%
2019	31	79.4%	34	89,580	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 32.4%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1988 Mercedes 420, with age trends.

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

25.2%

↑ Increases with age

Brakes

23.4%

— Consistent

Suspension

22.8%

— Consistent

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

22.5%

↑ Increases with age

Body, chassis, structure

14.7%

— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Brakes	15.9% (21 yrs)	17.6% (31 yrs)	+1.7%	⚪ —
Suspension	15.0% (21 yrs)	14.7% (31 yrs)	-0.3%	⚪ —

Other Manufacture Years

1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991

← Back to Mercedes 420 overview

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Mercedes 420 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes 420 cars manufactured in 1988 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2019, covering 1,603 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.