1997 Mercedes Cl 500 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1997 perform at MOT as they age

29 years

Current Age

63.3%

Latest Pass Rate

347

Total Tests (All Years)

103,236 mi

Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Compared to Average at Age 19

This car: 63.3%

Average: 55.4%

✅ 7.9% above average (7550 models compared)

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1997 Mercedes Cl 500 as it ages.

12 yrs58.1%

→ ↓3.2%

13 yrs54.9%

→ ↑6.8%

14 yrs61.7%

→ ↑2.9%

15 yrs64.6%

→ ↓6.1%

16 yrs58.5%

→ ↓7.1%

17 yrs51.4%

→ ↑16.3%

18 yrs67.7%

→ ↓4.4%

19 yrs63.3%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
12 yrs	58.1%	62
13 yrs	54.9%	51
14 yrs	61.7%	47
15 yrs	64.6%	48
16 yrs	58.5%	41
17 yrs	51.4%	37
18 yrs	67.7%	31
19 yrs	63.3%	30

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1997 Mercedes Cl 500 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2016 (19 yrs)	63.3%	30
2015 (18 yrs)	67.7%	31
2014 (17 yrs)	51.4%	37
2013 (16 yrs)	58.5%	41
2012 (15 yrs)	64.6%	48
2011 (14 yrs)	61.7%	47
2010 (13 yrs)	54.9%	51
2009 (12 yrs)	58.1%	62

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate

58.1%

Age (yrs) 12Tests 62Avg Mileage 102,516Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 25.8%

2010High Fail Rate

54.9%

Age (yrs) 13Tests 51Avg Mileage 113,535Top Failure Brakes — 27.5%

2011High Fail Rate

61.7%

Age (yrs) 14Tests 47Avg Mileage 103,960Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 23.4%

2012High Fail Rate

64.6%

Age (yrs) 15Tests 48Avg Mileage 107,578Top Failure Brakes — 22.9%

2013High Fail Rate

58.5%

Age (yrs) 16Tests 41Avg Mileage 102,679Top Failure Suspension — 41.5%

2014High Fail Rate

51.4%

Age (yrs) 17Tests 37Avg Mileage 102,009Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 62.2%

2015

67.7%

Age (yrs) 18Tests 31Avg Mileage 101,176Top Failure Suspension — 58.1%

2016High Fail Rate

63.3%

Age (yrs) 19Tests 30Avg Mileage 103,236Top Failure Brakes — 70.0%

MOT results for 1997 Mercedes Cl 500 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	12	58.1%	62	102,516	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 25.8%
2010	13	54.9%	51	113,535	Brakes — 27.5%
2011	14	61.7%	47	103,960	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 23.4%
2012	15	64.6%	48	107,578	Brakes — 22.9%
2013	16	58.5%	41	102,679	Suspension — 41.5%
2014	17	51.4%	37	102,009	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 62.2%
2015	18	67.7%	31	101,176	Suspension — 58.1%
2016	19	63.3%	30	103,236	Brakes — 70.0%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1997 Mercedes Cl 500, with age trends.

Suspension

35.1%

↑ Increases with age

Brakes

35.0%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

32.3%

↑ Increases with age

Tyres

18.3%

↑ Increases with age

Driver's View of the Road

16.0%

↑ 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	22.6% (12 yrs)	70.0% (19 yrs)	+47.4%	🔴 ↑
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment	25.8% (12 yrs)	63.3% (19 yrs)	+37.5%	🔴 ↑
Suspension	24.2% (12 yrs)	50.0% (19 yrs)	+25.8%	🔴 ↑
Driver's View of the Road	11.3% (12 yrs)	20.0% (19 yrs)	+8.7%	🔴 ↑
Tyres	16.1% (12 yrs)	23.3% (19 yrs)	+7.2%	🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

← Back to Mercedes Cl 500 overview

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Mercedes Cl 500 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes Cl 500 cars manufactured in 1997 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2016, covering 347 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.