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1994 Mercedes E 280 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1994 perform at MOT as they age

32 years
Current Age
67.4%
Latest Pass Rate
4,004
Total Tests (All Years)
131,248 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 1994 Mercedes E 280 as it ages.

15 yrs59.8%
16 yrs59.4%
17 yrs58.7%
18 yrs61.0%
19 yrs58.3%
20 yrs63.6%
21 yrs59.3%
22 yrs63.7%
23 yrs56.8%
24 yrs58.4%
25 yrs67.0%
26 yrs67.4%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 15 to 26 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
15 yrs59.8%788
16 yrs59.4%692
17 yrs58.7%543
18 yrs61.0%415
19 yrs58.3%324
20 yrs63.6%305
21 yrs59.3%246
22 yrs63.7%212
23 yrs56.8%183
24 yrs58.4%101
25 yrs67.0%103
26 yrs67.4%92

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1994 Mercedes E 280 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows improving over 12 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2020 (26 yrs)67.4%92
2019 (25 yrs)67%103
2018 (24 yrs)58.4%101
2017 (23 yrs)56.8%183
2016 (22 yrs)63.7%212
2015 (21 yrs)59.3%246
2014 (20 yrs)63.6%305
2013 (19 yrs)58.3%324
2012 (18 yrs)61%415
2011 (17 yrs)58.7%543
2010 (16 yrs)59.4%692
2009 (15 yrs)59.8%788

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate
59.8%
Age (yrs) 15Tests 788Avg Mileage 132,844Top Failure Brakes — 18.8%
2010High Fail Rate
59.4%
Age (yrs) 16Tests 692Avg Mileage 136,799Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 20.4%
2011High Fail Rate
58.7%
Age (yrs) 17Tests 543Avg Mileage 136,819Top Failure Suspension — 20.6%
2012High Fail Rate
61.0%
Age (yrs) 18Tests 415Avg Mileage 136,825Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 20.5%
2013High Fail Rate
58.3%
Age (yrs) 19Tests 324Avg Mileage 136,535Top Failure Brakes — 50.0%
2014High Fail Rate
63.6%
Age (yrs) 20Tests 305Avg Mileage 136,494Top Failure Brakes — 57.4%
2015High Fail Rate
59.3%
Age (yrs) 21Tests 246Avg Mileage 136,755Top Failure Brakes — 51.6%
2016High Fail Rate
63.7%
Age (yrs) 22Tests 212Avg Mileage 135,253Top Failure Brakes — 37.7%
2017High Fail Rate
56.8%
Age (yrs) 23Tests 183Avg Mileage 136,879Top Failure Brakes — 63.9%
2018High Fail Rate
58.4%
Age (yrs) 24Tests 101Avg Mileage 138,546Top Failure Suspension — 44.6%
2019
67.0%
Age (yrs) 25Tests 103Avg Mileage 138,590Top Failure Brakes — 39.8%
2020
67.4%
Age (yrs) 26Tests 92Avg Mileage 131,248Top Failure Noise, emissions and leaks — 46.7%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1994 Mercedes E 280, with age trends.

Noise, emissions and leaks
40.1%
↑ Increases with age
Brakes
35.5%
— Consistent
Suspension
30.4%
↑ Increases with age
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
29.7%
↑ Increases with age
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
28.9%
↑ Increases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Suspension16.0% (15 yrs)31.5% (26 yrs)
+15.5%
🔴 ↑
Brakes18.8% (15 yrs)20.7% (26 yrs)
+1.9%
⚪ —
Tyres14.1% (15 yrs)13.0% (26 yrs)
-1.1%
⚪ —

Other Manufacture Years

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

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes E 280 cars manufactured in 1994 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2020, covering 4,004 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.

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