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1990 Mercedes 500 Sel — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1990 perform at MOT as they age

36 years
Current Age
50.0%
Latest Pass Rate
293
Total Tests (All Years)
136,000 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 Sel as it ages.

19 yrs65.6%
20 yrs71.4%
21 yrs70.0%
22 yrs66.7%
23 yrs87.5%
24 yrs68.8%
26 yrs50.0%

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

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
19 yrs65.6%61
20 yrs71.4%49
21 yrs70.0%50
22 yrs66.7%39
23 yrs87.5%32
24 yrs68.8%32
26 yrs50.0%30

Pass Rate Trend

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

Trend shows declining over 7 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2016 (26 yrs)50%30
2014 (24 yrs)68.8%32
2013 (23 yrs)87.5%32
2012 (22 yrs)66.7%39
2011 (21 yrs)70%50
2010 (20 yrs)71.4%49
2009 (19 yrs)65.6%61

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009
65.6%
Age (yrs) 19Tests 61Avg Mileage 140,902Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 18.0%
2010
71.4%
Age (yrs) 20Tests 49Avg Mileage 143,446Top Failure Brakes — 16.3%
2011
70.0%
Age (yrs) 21Tests 50Avg Mileage 148,598Top Failure Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions — 18.0%
2012
66.7%
Age (yrs) 22Tests 39Avg Mileage 141,593Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 28.2%
2013
87.5%
Age (yrs) 23Tests 32Avg Mileage 143,846Top Failure Suspension — 12.5%
2014
68.8%
Age (yrs) 24Tests 32Avg Mileage 143,716Top Failure Brakes — 37.5%
2016High Fail Rate
50.0%
Age (yrs) 26Tests 30Avg Mileage 136,000Top Failure Brakes — 46.7%

Common MOT Failures

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

Brakes
22.2%
↑ Increases with age
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
20.5%
↑ Increases with age
Suspension
17.1%
↑ Increases with age
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions
15.0%
↑ Increases with age
Tyres
14.3%
↑ Increases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Brakes11.5% (19 yrs)46.7% (26 yrs)
+35.2%
🔴 ↑
Tyres9.8% (19 yrs)26.7% (26 yrs)
+16.9%
🔴 ↑
Suspension9.8% (19 yrs)26.7% (26 yrs)
+16.9%
🔴 ↑
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment18.0% (19 yrs)33.3% (26 yrs)
+15.3%
🔴 ↑

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 1990 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2016, covering 293 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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