1996 Mercedes C 280 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1996 perform at MOT as they age

30 years

Current Age

70.2%

Latest Pass Rate

2,976

Total Tests (All Years)

107,731 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 280 as it ages.

13 yrs68.7%

→ ↓2.7%

14 yrs66.0%

→ ↓2.3%

15 yrs63.7%

→ ↓2.1%

16 yrs61.6%

→ ↓3.4%

17 yrs58.2%

→ ↑6.5%

18 yrs64.7%

→ ↑4.8%

19 yrs69.5%

→ ↓4.3%

20 yrs65.2%

→ ↑3.4%

21 yrs68.6%

→ ↑1.4%

22 yrs70.0%

→ ↓1.6%

23 yrs68.4%

→ ↑1.8%

24 yrs70.2%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
13 yrs	68.7%	520
14 yrs	66.0%	479
15 yrs	63.7%	427
16 yrs	61.6%	344
17 yrs	58.2%	292
18 yrs	64.7%	249
19 yrs	69.5%	187
20 yrs	65.2%	164
21 yrs	68.6%	121
22 yrs	70.0%	60
23 yrs	68.4%	76
24 yrs	70.2%	57

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1996 Mercedes C 280 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2020 (24 yrs)	70.2%	57
2019 (23 yrs)	68.4%	76
2018 (22 yrs)	70%	60
2017 (21 yrs)	68.6%	121
2016 (20 yrs)	65.2%	164
2015 (19 yrs)	69.5%	187
2014 (18 yrs)	64.7%	249
2013 (17 yrs)	58.2%	292
2012 (16 yrs)	61.6%	344
2011 (15 yrs)	63.7%	427
2010 (14 yrs)	66%	479
2009 (13 yrs)	68.7%	520

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009

68.7%

Age (yrs) 13Tests 520Avg Mileage 105,486Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 17.1%

2010

66.0%

Age (yrs) 14Tests 479Avg Mileage 111,984Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 16.1%

2011High Fail Rate

63.7%

Age (yrs) 15Tests 427Avg Mileage 110,857Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 18.0%

2012High Fail Rate

61.6%

Age (yrs) 16Tests 344Avg Mileage 110,798Top Failure Brakes — 22.1%

2013High Fail Rate

58.2%

Age (yrs) 17Tests 292Avg Mileage 112,457Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 43.8%

2014High Fail Rate

64.7%

Age (yrs) 18Tests 249Avg Mileage 113,457Top Failure Brakes — 47.0%

2015

69.5%

Age (yrs) 19Tests 187Avg Mileage 113,779Top Failure Brakes — 34.2%

2016

65.2%

Age (yrs) 20Tests 164Avg Mileage 114,798Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 45.1%

2017

68.6%

Age (yrs) 21Tests 121Avg Mileage 112,163Top Failure Suspension — 48.8%

2018

70.0%

Age (yrs) 22Tests 60Avg Mileage 119,563Top Failure Noise, emissions and leaks — 21.7%

2019

68.4%

Age (yrs) 23Tests 76Avg Mileage 114,444Top Failure Suspension — 39.5%

2020

70.2%

Age (yrs) 24Tests 57Avg Mileage 107,731Top Failure Tyres — 35.1%

MOT results for 1996 Mercedes C 280 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	13	68.7%	520	105,486	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 17.1%
2010	14	66.0%	479	111,984	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 16.1%
2011	15	63.7%	427	110,857	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 18.0%
2012	16	61.6%	344	110,798	Brakes — 22.1%
2013	17	58.2%	292	112,457	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 43.8%
2014	18	64.7%	249	113,457	Brakes — 47.0%
2015	19	69.5%	187	113,779	Brakes — 34.2%
2016	20	65.2%	164	114,798	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 45.1%
2017	21	68.6%	121	112,163	Suspension — 48.8%
2018	22	70.0%	60	119,563	Noise, emissions and leaks — 21.7%
2019	23	68.4%	76	114,444	Suspension — 39.5%
2020	24	70.2%	57	107,731	Tyres — 35.1%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1996 Mercedes C 280, with age trends.

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

27.9%

↑ Increases with age

Suspension

25.7%

↑ Increases with age

Brakes

25.3%

— Consistent

Noise, emissions and leaks

21.0%

↓ Decreases with age

Tyres

18.2%

↑ 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
Tyres	11.9% (13 yrs)	35.1% (24 yrs)	+23.2%	🔴 ↑
Suspension	11.0% (13 yrs)	24.6% (24 yrs)	+13.6%	🔴 ↑
Brakes	13.3% (13 yrs)	14.0% (24 yrs)	+0.7%	⚪ —

Other Manufacture Years

1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

← Back to Mercedes C 280 overview

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Mercedes C 280 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes C 280 cars manufactured in 1996 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2020, covering 2,976 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.