1988 Mercedes 560 Sec — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1988 perform at MOT as they age

38 years

Current Age

68.4%

Latest Pass Rate

403

Total Tests (All Years)

123,247 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 1988 Mercedes 560 Sec as it ages.

21 yrs58.0%

→ ↓8.9%

22 yrs49.1%

→ ↑9.5%

23 yrs58.6%

→ ↓3.0%

24 yrs55.6%

→ ↑0.7%

25 yrs56.3%

→ ↓0.5%

26 yrs55.8%

→ ↑8.1%

27 yrs63.9%

→ ↑4.5%

28 yrs68.4%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
21 yrs	58.0%	69
22 yrs	49.1%	57
23 yrs	58.6%	58
24 yrs	55.6%	54
25 yrs	56.3%	48
26 yrs	55.8%	43
27 yrs	63.9%	36
28 yrs	68.4%	38

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1988 Mercedes 560 Sec pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2016 (28 yrs)	68.4%	38
2015 (27 yrs)	63.9%	36
2014 (26 yrs)	55.8%	43
2013 (25 yrs)	56.3%	48
2012 (24 yrs)	55.6%	54
2011 (23 yrs)	58.6%	58
2010 (22 yrs)	49.1%	57
2009 (21 yrs)	58%	69

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate

58.0%

Age (yrs) 21Tests 69Avg Mileage 125,580Top Failure Brakes — 31.9%

2010High Fail Rate

49.1%

Age (yrs) 22Tests 57Avg Mileage 134,799Top Failure Brakes — 35.1%

2011High Fail Rate

58.6%

Age (yrs) 23Tests 58Avg Mileage 127,910Top Failure Brakes — 29.3%

2012High Fail Rate

55.6%

Age (yrs) 24Tests 54Avg Mileage 132,573Top Failure Brakes — 29.6%

2013High Fail Rate

56.3%

Age (yrs) 25Tests 48Avg Mileage 138,242Top Failure Brakes — 91.7%

2014High Fail Rate

55.8%

Age (yrs) 26Tests 43Avg Mileage 128,159Top Failure Suspension — 65.1%

2015High Fail Rate

63.9%

Age (yrs) 27Tests 36Avg Mileage 125,474Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 33.3%

2016

68.4%

Age (yrs) 28Tests 38Avg Mileage 123,247Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 31.6%

MOT results for 1988 Mercedes 560 Sec by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	21	58.0%	69	125,580	Brakes — 31.9%
2010	22	49.1%	57	134,799	Brakes — 35.1%
2011	23	58.6%	58	127,910	Brakes — 29.3%
2012	24	55.6%	54	132,573	Brakes — 29.6%
2013	25	56.3%	48	138,242	Brakes — 91.7%
2014	26	55.8%	43	128,159	Suspension — 65.1%
2015	27	63.9%	36	125,474	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 33.3%
2016	28	68.4%	38	123,247	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 31.6%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1988 Mercedes 560 Sec, with age trends.

Brakes

42.1%

— Consistent

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

32.3%

— Consistent

Suspension

29.5%

↑ Increases with age

Tyres

20.8%

↓ Decreases with age

Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions

15.3%

↓ Decreases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions	17.4% (21 yrs)	7.9% (28 yrs)	-9.5%	🟢 ↓
Suspension	18.8% (21 yrs)	23.7% (28 yrs)	+4.9%	🔴 ↑
Brakes	31.9% (21 yrs)	28.9% (28 yrs)	-3.0%	🟢 ↓
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment	31.9% (21 yrs)	31.6% (28 yrs)	-0.3%	⚪ —

Other Manufacture Years

1987 1988 1989 1990

← Back to Mercedes 560 Sec overview

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Mercedes 560 Sec page →

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes 560 Sec cars manufactured in 1988 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2016, covering 403 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.