2004 Mercedes A 160 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 2004 perform at MOT as they age

22 years

Current Age

50.8%

Latest Pass Rate

13,895

Total Tests (All Years)

85,996 mi

Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Compared to Average at Age 16

This car: 50.8%

Average: 52.7%

⚠️ 1.9% below average (10212 models compared)

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 2004 Mercedes A 160 as it ages.

5 yrs74.9%

→ ↓2.7%

6 yrs72.2%

→ ↓6.4%

7 yrs65.8%

→ ↓1.0%

8 yrs64.8%

→ ↓5.5%

9 yrs59.3%

→ ↓3.6%

10 yrs55.7%

→ ↑0.2%

11 yrs55.9%

→ ↓1.5%

12 yrs54.4%

→ ↓0.3%

13 yrs54.1%

→ ↓1.7%

14 yrs52.4%

→ ↓1.3%

15 yrs51.1%

→ ↓0.3%

16 yrs50.8%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
5 yrs	74.9%	1,676
6 yrs	72.2%	1,663
7 yrs	65.8%	1,685
8 yrs	64.8%	1,664
9 yrs	59.3%	1,672
10 yrs	55.7%	1,622
11 yrs	55.9%	1,560
12 yrs	54.4%	1,475
13 yrs	54.1%	364
14 yrs	52.4%	212
15 yrs	51.1%	174
16 yrs	50.8%	128

Pass Rate Trend

How the 2004 Mercedes A 160 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2020 (16 yrs)	50.8%	128
2019 (15 yrs)	51.1%	174
2018 (14 yrs)	52.4%	212
2017 (13 yrs)	54.1%	364
2016 (12 yrs)	54.4%	1,475
2015 (11 yrs)	55.9%	1,560
2014 (10 yrs)	55.7%	1,622
2013 (9 yrs)	59.3%	1,672
2012 (8 yrs)	64.8%	1,664
2011 (7 yrs)	65.8%	1,685
2010 (6 yrs)	72.2%	1,663
2009 (5 yrs)	74.9%	1,676

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009

74.9%

Age (yrs) 5Tests 1,676Avg Mileage 39,839Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 14.7%

2010

72.2%

Age (yrs) 6Tests 1,663Avg Mileage 46,074Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 15.9%

2011

65.8%

Age (yrs) 7Tests 1,685Avg Mileage 52,760Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 20.9%

2012High Fail Rate

64.8%

Age (yrs) 8Tests 1,664Avg Mileage 59,110Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 22.6%

2013High Fail Rate

59.3%

Age (yrs) 9Tests 1,672Avg Mileage 64,144Top Failure Brakes — 47.5%

2014High Fail Rate

55.7%

Age (yrs) 10Tests 1,622Avg Mileage 69,665Top Failure Brakes — 56.2%

2015High Fail Rate

55.9%

Age (yrs) 11Tests 1,560Avg Mileage 74,583Top Failure Brakes — 64.0%

2016High Fail Rate

54.4%

Age (yrs) 12Tests 1,475Avg Mileage 78,678Top Failure Brakes — 63.0%

2017High Fail Rate

54.1%

Age (yrs) 13Tests 364Avg Mileage 83,120Top Failure Brakes — 71.4%

2018High Fail Rate

52.4%

Age (yrs) 14Tests 212Avg Mileage 85,293Top Failure Brakes — 67.9%

2019High Fail Rate

51.1%

Age (yrs) 15Tests 174Avg Mileage 83,606Top Failure Brakes — 84.5%

2020High Fail Rate

50.8%

Age (yrs) 16Tests 128Avg Mileage 85,996Top Failure Brakes — 88.3%

MOT results for 2004 Mercedes A 160 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	5	74.9%	1,676	39,839	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 14.7%
2010	6	72.2%	1,663	46,074	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 15.9%
2011	7	65.8%	1,685	52,760	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 20.9%
2012	8	64.8%	1,664	59,110	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 22.6%
2013	9	59.3%	1,672	64,144	Brakes — 47.5%
2014	10	55.7%	1,622	69,665	Brakes — 56.2%
2015	11	55.9%	1,560	74,583	Brakes — 64.0%
2016	12	54.4%	1,475	78,678	Brakes — 63.0%
2017	13	54.1%	364	83,120	Brakes — 71.4%
2018	14	52.4%	212	85,293	Brakes — 67.9%
2019	15	51.1%	174	83,606	Brakes — 84.5%
2020	16	50.8%	128	85,996	Brakes — 88.3%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 2004 Mercedes A 160, with age trends.

Brakes

49.2%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

39.8%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

31.7%

↑ Increases with age

Suspension

28.3%

↑ Increases with age

Tyres

21.1%

↑ 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
Brakes	9.1% (5 yrs)	88.3% (16 yrs)	+79.2%	🔴 ↑
Suspension	2.1% (5 yrs)	66.4% (16 yrs)	+64.3%	🔴 ↑
Tyres	8.8% (5 yrs)	33.6% (16 yrs)	+24.8%	🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

← Back to Mercedes A 160 overview

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Mercedes A 160 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes A 160 cars manufactured in 2004 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2020, covering 13,895 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.