1986 Mercedes 500 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1986 perform at MOT as they age

40 years

Current Age

79.5%

Latest Pass Rate

1,081

Total Tests (All Years)

89,977 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 1986 Mercedes 500 as it ages.

23 yrs62.8%

→ ↓5.1%

24 yrs57.7%

→ ↑15.3%

25 yrs73.0%

→ ↓7.3%

26 yrs65.7%

→ ↑7.7%

27 yrs73.4%

→ ↑0.2%

28 yrs73.6%

→ ↓4.7%

29 yrs68.9%

→ ↑1.1%

30 yrs70.0%

→ ↑9.5%

31 yrs79.5%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
23 yrs	62.8%	148
24 yrs	57.7%	130
25 yrs	73.0%	137
26 yrs	65.7%	137
27 yrs	73.4%	124
28 yrs	73.6%	129
29 yrs	68.9%	122
30 yrs	70.0%	110
31 yrs	79.5%	44

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1986 Mercedes 500 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2017 (31 yrs)	79.5%	44
2016 (30 yrs)	70%	110
2015 (29 yrs)	68.9%	122
2014 (28 yrs)	73.6%	129
2013 (27 yrs)	73.4%	124
2012 (26 yrs)	65.7%	137
2011 (25 yrs)	73%	137
2010 (24 yrs)	57.7%	130
2009 (23 yrs)	62.8%	148

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate

62.8%

Age (yrs) 23Tests 148Avg Mileage 96,272Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 20.9%

2010High Fail Rate

57.7%

Age (yrs) 24Tests 130Avg Mileage 93,271Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 19.2%

2011

73.0%

Age (yrs) 25Tests 137Avg Mileage 95,308Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 15.3%

2012

65.7%

Age (yrs) 26Tests 137Avg Mileage 92,747Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 21.2%

2013

73.4%

Age (yrs) 27Tests 124Avg Mileage 89,597Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 30.6%

2014

73.6%

Age (yrs) 28Tests 129Avg Mileage 99,937Top Failure Suspension — 34.1%

2015

68.9%

Age (yrs) 29Tests 122Avg Mileage 96,305Top Failure Suspension — 57.4%

2016

70.0%

Age (yrs) 30Tests 110Avg Mileage 92,997Top Failure Brakes — 42.7%

2017

79.5%

Age (yrs) 31Tests 44Avg Mileage 89,977Top Failure Suspension — 50.0%

MOT results for 1986 Mercedes 500 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	23	62.8%	148	96,272	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 20.9%
2010	24	57.7%	130	93,271	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 19.2%
2011	25	73.0%	137	95,308	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 15.3%
2012	26	65.7%	137	92,747	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 21.2%
2013	27	73.4%	124	89,597	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 30.6%
2014	28	73.6%	129	99,937	Suspension — 34.1%
2015	29	68.9%	122	96,305	Suspension — 57.4%
2016	30	70.0%	110	92,997	Brakes — 42.7%
2017	31	79.5%	44	89,977	Suspension — 50.0%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1986 Mercedes 500, with age trends.

Suspension

24.9%

↑ Increases with age

Brakes

23.6%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

22.6%

↓ Decreases with age

Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions

11.0%

↓ Decreases with age

Steering

9.9%

↑ Increases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Suspension	15.5% (23 yrs)	50.0% (31 yrs)	+34.5%	🔴 ↑
Brakes	15.5% (23 yrs)	27.3% (31 yrs)	+11.8%	🔴 ↑
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment	20.9% (23 yrs)	11.4% (31 yrs)	-9.5%	🟢 ↓
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions	14.9% (23 yrs)	9.1% (31 yrs)	-5.8%	🟢 ↓

Other Manufacture Years

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

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes 500 cars manufactured in 1986 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2017, covering 1,081 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.