1998 Mercedes Cl 420 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1998 perform at MOT as they age

28 years

Current Age

63.8%

Latest Pass Rate

508

Total Tests (All Years)

103,120 mi

Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Best vintage for Cl 420

Compared to Average at Age 18

This car: 63.8%

Average: 54.3%

✅ 9.5% above average (8383 models compared)

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1998 Mercedes Cl 420 as it ages.

11 yrs51.3%

→ ↑20.5%

12 yrs71.8%

→ ↓7.9%

13 yrs63.9%

→ ↓2.4%

14 yrs61.5%

→ ↓9.9%

15 yrs51.6%

→ ↑22.2%

16 yrs73.8%

→ ↓5.3%

17 yrs68.5%

→ ↓4.7%

18 yrs63.8%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
11 yrs	51.3%	76
12 yrs	71.8%	71
13 yrs	63.9%	72
14 yrs	61.5%	65
15 yrs	51.6%	62
16 yrs	73.8%	61
17 yrs	68.5%	54
18 yrs	63.8%	47

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1998 Mercedes Cl 420 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2016 (18 yrs)	63.8%	47
2015 (17 yrs)	68.5%	54
2014 (16 yrs)	73.8%	61
2013 (15 yrs)	51.6%	62
2012 (14 yrs)	61.5%	65
2011 (13 yrs)	63.9%	72
2010 (12 yrs)	71.8%	71
2009 (11 yrs)	51.3%	76

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate

51.3%

Age (yrs) 11Tests 76Avg Mileage 97,931Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 26.3%

2010

71.8%

Age (yrs) 12Tests 71Avg Mileage 100,237Top Failure Brakes — 18.3%

2011High Fail Rate

63.9%

Age (yrs) 13Tests 72Avg Mileage 104,127Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 18.1%

2012High Fail Rate

61.5%

Age (yrs) 14Tests 65Avg Mileage 108,420Top Failure Suspension — 20.0%

2013High Fail Rate

51.6%

Age (yrs) 15Tests 62Avg Mileage 103,831Top Failure Brakes — 75.8%

2014

73.8%

Age (yrs) 16Tests 61Avg Mileage 112,096Top Failure Suspension — 37.7%

2015

68.5%

Age (yrs) 17Tests 54Avg Mileage 106,825Top Failure Brakes — 40.7%

2016High Fail Rate

63.8%

Age (yrs) 18Tests 47Avg Mileage 103,120Top Failure Brakes — 57.4%

MOT results for 1998 Mercedes Cl 420 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	11	51.3%	76	97,931	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 26.3%
2010	12	71.8%	71	100,237	Brakes — 18.3%
2011	13	63.9%	72	104,127	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 18.1%
2012	14	61.5%	65	108,420	Suspension — 20.0%
2013	15	51.6%	62	103,831	Brakes — 75.8%
2014	16	73.8%	61	112,096	Suspension — 37.7%
2015	17	68.5%	54	106,825	Brakes — 40.7%
2016	18	63.8%	47	103,120	Brakes — 57.4%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1998 Mercedes Cl 420, with age trends.

Brakes

34.3%

↑ Increases with age

Suspension

29.6%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

25.5%

↑ Increases with age

Tyres

18.3%

↑ Increases with age

Driver's View of the Road

12.4%

↑ 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	22.4% (11 yrs)	57.4% (18 yrs)	+35.0%	🔴 ↑
Suspension	22.4% (11 yrs)	46.8% (18 yrs)	+24.4%	🔴 ↑
Tyres	14.5% (11 yrs)	29.8% (18 yrs)	+15.3%	🔴 ↑
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment	26.3% (11 yrs)	29.8% (18 yrs)	+3.5%	🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

1996 1997 1998

← Back to Mercedes Cl 420 overview

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Mercedes Cl 420 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes Cl 420 cars manufactured in 1998 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2016, covering 508 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.