1997 Mercedes E 250 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1997 perform at MOT as they age

29 years

Current Age

52.1%

Latest Pass Rate

896

Total Tests (All Years)

133,733 mi

Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Compared to Average at Age 19

This car: 52.1%

Average: 55.4%

⚠️ 3.3% below average (7550 models compared)

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1997 Mercedes E 250 as it ages.

12 yrs58.4%

→ ↑0.3%

13 yrs58.7%

→ ↑6.5%

14 yrs65.2%

→ ↓8.6%

15 yrs56.6%

→ ↑2.7%

16 yrs59.3%

→ ↓2.7%

17 yrs56.6%

→ ↑6.9%

18 yrs63.5%

→ ↓11.4%

19 yrs52.1%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
12 yrs	58.4%	202
13 yrs	58.7%	172
14 yrs	65.2%	138
15 yrs	56.6%	106
16 yrs	59.3%	91
17 yrs	56.6%	76
18 yrs	63.5%	63
19 yrs	52.1%	48

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1997 Mercedes E 250 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2016 (19 yrs)	52.1%	48
2015 (18 yrs)	63.5%	63
2014 (17 yrs)	56.6%	76
2013 (16 yrs)	59.3%	91
2012 (15 yrs)	56.6%	106
2011 (14 yrs)	65.2%	138
2010 (13 yrs)	58.7%	172
2009 (12 yrs)	58.4%	202

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate

58.4%

Age (yrs) 12Tests 202Avg Mileage 133,655Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 26.7%

2010High Fail Rate

58.7%

Age (yrs) 13Tests 172Avg Mileage 134,430Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 22.7%

2011

65.2%

Age (yrs) 14Tests 138Avg Mileage 136,786Top Failure Suspension — 19.6%

2012High Fail Rate

56.6%

Age (yrs) 15Tests 106Avg Mileage 125,814Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 25.5%

2013High Fail Rate

59.3%

Age (yrs) 16Tests 91Avg Mileage 133,953Top Failure Brakes — 64.8%

2014High Fail Rate

56.6%

Age (yrs) 17Tests 76Avg Mileage 134,283Top Failure Suspension — 63.2%

2015High Fail Rate

63.5%

Age (yrs) 18Tests 63Avg Mileage 134,004Top Failure Brakes — 47.6%

2016High Fail Rate

52.1%

Age (yrs) 19Tests 48Avg Mileage 133,733Top Failure Suspension — 60.4%

MOT results for 1997 Mercedes E 250 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	12	58.4%	202	133,655	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 26.7%
2010	13	58.7%	172	134,430	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 22.7%
2011	14	65.2%	138	136,786	Suspension — 19.6%
2012	15	56.6%	106	125,814	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 25.5%
2013	16	59.3%	91	133,953	Brakes — 64.8%
2014	17	56.6%	76	134,283	Suspension — 63.2%
2015	18	63.5%	63	134,004	Brakes — 47.6%
2016	19	52.1%	48	133,733	Suspension — 60.4%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1997 Mercedes E 250, with age trends.

Brakes

37.1%

↑ Increases with age

Suspension

36.2%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

33.1%

↑ Increases with age

Tyres

21.5%

↑ Increases with age

Driver's View of the Road

12.2%

↑ 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
Suspension	17.8% (12 yrs)	60.4% (19 yrs)	+42.6%	🔴 ↑
Brakes	20.8% (12 yrs)	45.8% (19 yrs)	+25.0%	🔴 ↑
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment	26.7% (12 yrs)	47.9% (19 yrs)	+21.2%	🔴 ↑
Tyres	16.3% (12 yrs)	22.9% (19 yrs)	+6.6%	🔴 ↑
Driver's View of the Road	10.4% (12 yrs)	16.7% (19 yrs)	+6.3%	🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

← Back to Mercedes E 250 overview

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Mercedes E 250 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes E 250 cars manufactured in 1997 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2016, covering 896 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.