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1987 Mercedes 500 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1987 perform at MOT as they age

39 years
Current Age
66.1%
Latest Pass Rate
1,072
Total Tests (All Years)
104,497 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 1987 Mercedes 500 as it ages.

22 yrs70.0%
23 yrs70.7%
24 yrs62.4%
25 yrs61.9%
26 yrs67.6%
27 yrs64.1%
28 yrs68.0%
29 yrs66.1%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 22 to 29 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
22 yrs70.0%140
23 yrs70.7%147
24 yrs62.4%141
25 yrs61.9%134
26 yrs67.6%136
27 yrs64.1%131
28 yrs68.0%125
29 yrs66.1%118

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1987 Mercedes 500 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 (29 yrs)66.1%118
2015 (28 yrs)68%125
2014 (27 yrs)64.1%131
2013 (26 yrs)67.6%136
2012 (25 yrs)61.9%134
2011 (24 yrs)62.4%141
2010 (23 yrs)70.7%147
2009 (22 yrs)70%140

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009
70.0%
Age (yrs) 22Tests 140Avg Mileage 97,058Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 15.0%
2010
70.7%
Age (yrs) 23Tests 147Avg Mileage 98,642Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 15.6%
2011High Fail Rate
62.4%
Age (yrs) 24Tests 141Avg Mileage 98,647Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 17.7%
2012High Fail Rate
61.9%
Age (yrs) 25Tests 134Avg Mileage 100,278Top Failure Brakes — 17.2%
2013
67.6%
Age (yrs) 26Tests 136Avg Mileage 99,968Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 47.1%
2014High Fail Rate
64.1%
Age (yrs) 27Tests 131Avg Mileage 99,226Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 35.9%
2015
68.0%
Age (yrs) 28Tests 125Avg Mileage 98,364Top Failure Suspension — 29.6%
2016
66.1%
Age (yrs) 29Tests 118Avg Mileage 104,497Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 41.5%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1987 Mercedes 500, with age trends.

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
27.1%
↑ Increases with age
Suspension
20.1%
↑ Increases with age
Brakes
18.9%
↑ Increases with age
Steering
15.4%
↑ Increases with age
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions
10.7%
↑ 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 Equipment15.0% (22 yrs)41.5% (29 yrs)
+26.5%
🔴 ↑
Suspension7.9% (22 yrs)31.4% (29 yrs)
+23.5%
🔴 ↑
Brakes8.6% (22 yrs)28.0% (29 yrs)
+19.4%
🔴 ↑
Tyres9.3% (22 yrs)10.2% (29 yrs)
+0.9%
⚪ —

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 1987 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2016, covering 1,072 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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