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1990 Mercedes 420 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1990 perform at MOT as they age

36 years
Current Age
74.3%
Latest Pass Rate
211
Total Tests (All Years)
134,751 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 1990 Mercedes 420 as it ages.

19 yrs66.1%
20 yrs73.8%
21 yrs66.7%
22 yrs63.9%
23 yrs74.3%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 19 to 23 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
19 yrs66.1%56
20 yrs73.8%42
21 yrs66.7%42
22 yrs63.9%36
23 yrs74.3%35

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1990 Mercedes 420 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows improving over 5 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2013 (23 yrs)74.3%35
2012 (22 yrs)63.9%36
2011 (21 yrs)66.7%42
2010 (20 yrs)73.8%42
2009 (19 yrs)66.1%56

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009
66.1%
Age (yrs) 19Tests 56Avg Mileage 127,466Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 19.6%
2010
73.8%
Age (yrs) 20Tests 42Avg Mileage 129,023Top Failure Brakes — 19.0%
2011
66.7%
Age (yrs) 21Tests 42Avg Mileage 133,377Top Failure Brakes — 26.2%
2012High Fail Rate
63.9%
Age (yrs) 22Tests 36Avg Mileage 129,747Top Failure Suspension — 27.8%
2013
74.3%
Age (yrs) 23Tests 35Avg Mileage 134,751Top Failure Brakes — 34.3%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1990 Mercedes 420, with age trends.

Brakes
25.4%
↑ Increases with age
Suspension
17.2%
↑ Increases with age
Steering
15.0%
— Consistent
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
14.3%
↓ Decreases with age
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions
14.0%
↓ Decreases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment19.6% (19 yrs)11.4% (23 yrs)
-8.2%
🟢 ↓
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions16.1% (19 yrs)11.4% (23 yrs)
-4.7%
🟢 ↓
Driver's View of the Road10.7% (19 yrs)14.3% (23 yrs)
+3.6%
🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

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 1990 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2013, covering 211 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.

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