1989 Mercedes 420 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1989 perform at MOT as they age

37 years

Current Age

73.5%

Latest Pass Rate

974

Total Tests (All Years)

86,621 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 1989 Mercedes 420 as it ages.

20 yrs70.0%

→ ↓0.3%

21 yrs69.7%

→ ↑2.1%

22 yrs71.8%

→ ↑2.6%

23 yrs74.4%

→ ↓3.5%

24 yrs70.9%

→ ↑3.6%

25 yrs74.5%

→ ↑0.3%

26 yrs74.8%

→ ↓1.3%

27 yrs73.5%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
20 yrs	70.0%	150
21 yrs	69.7%	142
22 yrs	71.8%	124
23 yrs	74.4%	121
24 yrs	70.9%	110
25 yrs	74.5%	106
26 yrs	74.8%	119
27 yrs	73.5%	102

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1989 Mercedes 420 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2016 (27 yrs)	73.5%	102
2015 (26 yrs)	74.8%	119
2014 (25 yrs)	74.5%	106
2013 (24 yrs)	70.9%	110
2012 (23 yrs)	74.4%	121
2011 (22 yrs)	71.8%	124
2010 (21 yrs)	69.7%	142
2009 (20 yrs)	70%	150

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009

70.0%

Age (yrs) 20Tests 150Avg Mileage 108,065Top Failure Suspension — 13.3%

2010

69.7%

Age (yrs) 21Tests 142Avg Mileage 103,275Top Failure Brakes — 19.7%

2011

71.8%

Age (yrs) 22Tests 124Avg Mileage 92,620Top Failure Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions — 13.7%

2012

74.4%

Age (yrs) 23Tests 121Avg Mileage 93,636Top Failure Brakes — 14.0%

2013

70.9%

Age (yrs) 24Tests 110Avg Mileage 87,883Top Failure Brakes — 24.5%

2014

74.5%

Age (yrs) 25Tests 106Avg Mileage 90,533Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 27.4%

2015

74.8%

Age (yrs) 26Tests 119Avg Mileage 87,457Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 26.9%

2016

73.5%

Age (yrs) 27Tests 102Avg Mileage 86,621Top Failure Suspension — 23.5%

MOT results for 1989 Mercedes 420 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	20	70.0%	150	108,065	Suspension — 13.3%
2010	21	69.7%	142	103,275	Brakes — 19.7%
2011	22	71.8%	124	92,620	Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions — 13.7%
2012	23	74.4%	121	93,636	Brakes — 14.0%
2013	24	70.9%	110	87,883	Brakes — 24.5%
2014	25	74.5%	106	90,533	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 27.4%
2015	26	74.8%	119	87,457	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 26.9%
2016	27	73.5%	102	86,621	Suspension — 23.5%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1989 Mercedes 420, with age trends.

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

17.1%

↑ Increases with age

Suspension

15.7%

↑ Increases with age

Brakes

15.5%

— Consistent

Tyres

13.1%

↑ Increases with age

Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions

11.6%

— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Suspension	13.3% (20 yrs)	23.5% (27 yrs)	+10.2%	🔴 ↑
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment	10.7% (20 yrs)	14.7% (27 yrs)	+4.0%	🔴 ↑
Brakes	12.0% (20 yrs)	10.8% (27 yrs)	-1.2%	⚪ —

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 1989 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2016, covering 974 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.