1996 Mercedes C 230 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1996 perform at MOT as they age

30 years

Current Age

73.0%

Latest Pass Rate

1,369

Total Tests (All Years)

129,647 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 1996 Mercedes C 230 as it ages.

13 yrs63.8%

→ ↑1.7%

14 yrs65.5%

→ ↓2.3%

15 yrs63.2%

→ ↓1.1%

16 yrs62.1%

→ ↓7.1%

17 yrs55.0%

→ ↑7.7%

18 yrs62.7%

→ ↓2.7%

19 yrs60.0%

→ ↑8.8%

20 yrs68.8%

→ ↓1.2%

21 yrs67.6%

→ ↑5.4%

22 yrs73.0%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
13 yrs	63.8%	246
14 yrs	65.5%	226
15 yrs	63.2%	204
16 yrs	62.1%	174
17 yrs	55.0%	129
18 yrs	62.7%	118
19 yrs	60.0%	90
20 yrs	68.8%	77
21 yrs	67.6%	68
22 yrs	73.0%	37

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1996 Mercedes C 230 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2018 (22 yrs)	73%	37
2017 (21 yrs)	67.6%	68
2016 (20 yrs)	68.8%	77
2015 (19 yrs)	60%	90
2014 (18 yrs)	62.7%	118
2013 (17 yrs)	55%	129
2012 (16 yrs)	62.1%	174
2011 (15 yrs)	63.2%	204
2010 (14 yrs)	65.5%	226
2009 (13 yrs)	63.8%	246

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate

63.8%

Age (yrs) 13Tests 246Avg Mileage 113,790Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 19.5%

2010

65.5%

Age (yrs) 14Tests 226Avg Mileage 117,042Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 18.1%

2011High Fail Rate

63.2%

Age (yrs) 15Tests 204Avg Mileage 118,993Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 23.0%

2012High Fail Rate

62.1%

Age (yrs) 16Tests 174Avg Mileage 120,755Top Failure Suspension — 23.0%

2013High Fail Rate

55.0%

Age (yrs) 17Tests 129Avg Mileage 122,492Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 53.5%

2014High Fail Rate

62.7%

Age (yrs) 18Tests 118Avg Mileage 115,675Top Failure Brakes — 61.9%

2015High Fail Rate

60.0%

Age (yrs) 19Tests 90Avg Mileage 116,601Top Failure Brakes — 48.9%

2016

68.8%

Age (yrs) 20Tests 77Avg Mileage 117,230Top Failure Brakes — 28.6%

2017

67.6%

Age (yrs) 21Tests 68Avg Mileage 116,183Top Failure Brakes — 55.9%

2018

73.0%

Age (yrs) 22Tests 37Avg Mileage 129,647Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 21.6%

MOT results for 1996 Mercedes C 230 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	13	63.8%	246	113,790	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 19.5%
2010	14	65.5%	226	117,042	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 18.1%
2011	15	63.2%	204	118,993	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 23.0%
2012	16	62.1%	174	120,755	Suspension — 23.0%
2013	17	55.0%	129	122,492	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 53.5%
2014	18	62.7%	118	115,675	Brakes — 61.9%
2015	19	60.0%	90	116,601	Brakes — 48.9%
2016	20	68.8%	77	117,230	Brakes — 28.6%
2017	21	67.6%	68	116,183	Brakes — 55.9%
2018	22	73.0%	37	129,647	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 21.6%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1996 Mercedes C 230, with age trends.

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

32.6%

↑ Increases with age

Brakes

31.5%

↓ Decreases with age

Suspension

24.5%

— Consistent

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

21.6%

— Consistent

Tyres

19.0%

— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Brakes	16.7% (13 yrs)	8.1% (22 yrs)	-8.6%	🟢 ↓
Tyres	12.2% (13 yrs)	10.8% (22 yrs)	-1.4%	⚪ —
Suspension	15.9% (13 yrs)	16.2% (22 yrs)	+0.3%	⚪ —

Other Manufacture Years

1996 1997 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

← Back to Mercedes C 230 overview

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Mercedes C 230 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes C 230 cars manufactured in 1996 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2018, covering 1,369 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.