Skip to main content
Pass Your MOT

1989 Mercedes 560 Sel — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1989 perform at MOT as they age

37 years
Current Age
76.7%
Latest Pass Rate
184
Total Tests (All Years)
97,071 mi
Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Best vintage for 560 Sel

Insufficient data for same-age comparison.

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1989 Mercedes 560 Sel as it ages.

20 yrs56.8%
21 yrs47.6%
22 yrs73.0%
23 yrs54.8%
25 yrs76.7%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 20 to 25 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
20 yrs56.8%44
21 yrs47.6%42
22 yrs73.0%37
23 yrs54.8%31
25 yrs76.7%30

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1989 Mercedes 560 Sel pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows improving over 5 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2014 (25 yrs)76.7%30
2012 (23 yrs)54.8%31
2011 (22 yrs)73%37
2010 (21 yrs)47.6%42
2009 (20 yrs)56.8%44

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate
56.8%
Age (yrs) 20Tests 44Avg Mileage 118,342Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 22.7%
2010High Fail Rate
47.6%
Age (yrs) 21Tests 42Avg Mileage 121,145Top Failure Brakes — 31.0%
2011
73.0%
Age (yrs) 22Tests 37Avg Mileage 116,729Top Failure Brakes — 18.9%
2012High Fail Rate
54.8%
Age (yrs) 23Tests 31Avg Mileage 103,910Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 29.0%
2014
76.7%
Age (yrs) 25Tests 30Avg Mileage 97,071Top Failure Suspension — 33.3%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1989 Mercedes 560 Sel, with age trends.

Brakes
25.0%
↑ Increases with age
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
21.5%
— Consistent
Suspension
19.6%
↑ Increases with age
Tyres
16.2%
— Consistent
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions
14.8%
↓ Decreases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Brakes15.9% (20 yrs)33.3% (25 yrs)
+17.4%
🔴 ↑
Suspension18.2% (20 yrs)33.3% (25 yrs)
+15.1%
🔴 ↑
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions20.5% (20 yrs)10.0% (25 yrs)
-10.5%
🟢 ↓
Driver's View of the Road9.1% (20 yrs)10.0% (25 yrs)
+0.9%
⚪ —
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment22.7% (20 yrs)23.3% (25 yrs)
+0.6%
⚪ —

Other Manufacture Years

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

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes 560 Sel cars manufactured in 1989 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2014, covering 184 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.

Share via WhatsApp Share on Facebook Report Issue