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1985 Mercedes 500 Sel — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1985 perform at MOT as they age

41 years
Current Age
70.0%
Latest Pass Rate
60
Total Tests (All Years)
103,087 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 1985 Mercedes 500 Sel as it ages.

At 24 years: 63.3% pass rate · At 26 years: 70.0% pass rate

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 24 to 26 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
24 yrs63.3%30
26 yrs70.0%30

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1985 Mercedes 500 Sel pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows stable over 2 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2011 (26 yrs)70%30
2009 (24 yrs)63.3%30

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate
63.3%
Age (yrs) 24Tests 30Avg Mileage 106,760Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 30.0%
2011
70.0%
Age (yrs) 26Tests 30Avg Mileage 103,087Top Failure Brakes — 16.7%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1985 Mercedes 500 Sel, with age trends.

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
20.0%
↓ Decreases with age
Brakes
20.0%
↓ Decreases with age
Suspension
16.7%
↓ Decreases with age
Driver's View of the Road
13.4%
↓ Decreases with age
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions
13.4%
↑ Increases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment30.0% (24 yrs)10.0% (26 yrs)
-20.0%
🟢 ↓
Suspension20.0% (24 yrs)13.3% (26 yrs)
-6.7%
🟢 ↓
Driver's View of the Road16.7% (24 yrs)10.0% (26 yrs)
-6.7%
🟢 ↓
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions10.0% (24 yrs)16.7% (26 yrs)
+6.7%
🔴 ↑
Brakes23.3% (24 yrs)16.7% (26 yrs)
-6.6%
🟢 ↓

Other Manufacture Years

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

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes 500 Sel cars manufactured in 1985 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2011, covering 60 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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