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1990 Mercedes 500 Sec — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1990 perform at MOT as they age

36 years
Current Age
75.0%
Latest Pass Rate
548
Total Tests (All Years)
126,177 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 500 Sec as it ages.

19 yrs64.8%
20 yrs72.0%
21 yrs64.1%
22 yrs68.2%
23 yrs81.0%
24 yrs68.6%
25 yrs75.4%
26 yrs75.0%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 19 to 26 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
19 yrs64.8%91
20 yrs72.0%82
21 yrs64.1%78
22 yrs68.2%66
23 yrs81.0%63
24 yrs68.6%51
25 yrs75.4%57
26 yrs75.0%60

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1990 Mercedes 500 Sec pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows improving over 8 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2016 (26 yrs)75%60
2015 (25 yrs)75.4%57
2014 (24 yrs)68.6%51
2013 (23 yrs)81%63
2012 (22 yrs)68.2%66
2011 (21 yrs)64.1%78
2010 (20 yrs)72%82
2009 (19 yrs)64.8%91

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate
64.8%
Age (yrs) 19Tests 91Avg Mileage 125,479Top Failure Brakes — 16.5%
2010
72.0%
Age (yrs) 20Tests 82Avg Mileage 125,773Top Failure Brakes — 18.3%
2011High Fail Rate
64.1%
Age (yrs) 21Tests 78Avg Mileage 126,054Top Failure Brakes — 19.2%
2012
68.2%
Age (yrs) 22Tests 66Avg Mileage 119,321Top Failure Brakes — 19.7%
2013
81.0%
Age (yrs) 23Tests 63Avg Mileage 119,615Top Failure Brakes — 31.7%
2014
68.6%
Age (yrs) 24Tests 51Avg Mileage 119,790Top Failure Suspension — 51.0%
2015
75.4%
Age (yrs) 25Tests 57Avg Mileage 122,774Top Failure Brakes — 45.6%
2016
75.0%
Age (yrs) 26Tests 60Avg Mileage 126,177Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 28.3%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1990 Mercedes 500 Sec, with age trends.

Brakes
25.7%
↓ Decreases with age
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
20.7%
↑ Increases with age
Suspension
19.2%
↑ Increases with age
Driver's View of the Road
13.5%
↑ Increases with age
Body, Structure and General Items
13.3%
— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment15.4% (19 yrs)28.3% (26 yrs)
+12.9%
🔴 ↑
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions14.3% (19 yrs)8.3% (26 yrs)
-6.0%
🟢 ↓
Suspension11.0% (19 yrs)15.0% (26 yrs)
+4.0%
🔴 ↑
Brakes16.5% (19 yrs)13.3% (26 yrs)
-3.2%
🟢 ↓

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Mercedes 500 Sec page →

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes 500 Sec cars manufactured in 1990 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2016, covering 548 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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