1997 Mercedes E 320 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1997 perform at MOT as they age

29 years

Current Age

68.3%

Latest Pass Rate

4,779

Total Tests (All Years)

120,560 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 1997 Mercedes E 320 as it ages.

12 yrs54.9%

→ ↑1.5%

13 yrs56.4%

→ ↓2.7%

14 yrs53.7%

→ ↑4.0%

15 yrs57.7%

→ ↓2.1%

16 yrs55.6%

→ ↑2.3%

17 yrs57.9%

→ ↓3.4%

18 yrs54.5%

→ ↑4.1%

19 yrs58.6%

→ ↓5.5%

20 yrs53.1%

→ ↑1.1%

21 yrs54.2%

→ ↑9.2%

22 yrs63.4%

→ ↑4.9%

23 yrs68.3%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
12 yrs	54.9%	940
13 yrs	56.4%	849
14 yrs	53.7%	715
15 yrs	57.7%	556
16 yrs	55.6%	437
17 yrs	57.9%	342
18 yrs	54.5%	299
19 yrs	58.6%	232
20 yrs	53.1%	179
21 yrs	54.2%	96
22 yrs	63.4%	71
23 yrs	68.3%	63

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1997 Mercedes E 320 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2020 (23 yrs)	68.3%	63
2019 (22 yrs)	63.4%	71
2018 (21 yrs)	54.2%	96
2017 (20 yrs)	53.1%	179
2016 (19 yrs)	58.6%	232
2015 (18 yrs)	54.5%	299
2014 (17 yrs)	57.9%	342
2013 (16 yrs)	55.6%	437
2012 (15 yrs)	57.7%	556
2011 (14 yrs)	53.7%	715
2010 (13 yrs)	56.4%	849
2009 (12 yrs)	54.9%	940

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate

54.9%

Age (yrs) 12Tests 940Avg Mileage 115,345Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 25.1%

2010High Fail Rate

56.4%

Age (yrs) 13Tests 849Avg Mileage 120,586Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 26.0%

2011High Fail Rate

53.7%

Age (yrs) 14Tests 715Avg Mileage 120,418Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 31.0%

2012High Fail Rate

57.7%

Age (yrs) 15Tests 556Avg Mileage 121,585Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 26.8%

2013High Fail Rate

55.6%

Age (yrs) 16Tests 437Avg Mileage 121,837Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 52.4%

2014High Fail Rate

57.9%

Age (yrs) 17Tests 342Avg Mileage 118,211Top Failure Suspension — 55.6%

2015High Fail Rate

54.5%

Age (yrs) 18Tests 299Avg Mileage 122,507Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 59.5%

2016High Fail Rate

58.6%

Age (yrs) 19Tests 232Avg Mileage 120,568Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 57.8%

2017High Fail Rate

53.1%

Age (yrs) 20Tests 179Avg Mileage 118,663Top Failure Suspension — 65.9%

2018High Fail Rate

54.2%

Age (yrs) 21Tests 96Avg Mileage 116,320Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 51.0%

2019High Fail Rate

63.4%

Age (yrs) 22Tests 71Avg Mileage 110,799Top Failure Suspension — 54.9%

2020

68.3%

Age (yrs) 23Tests 63Avg Mileage 120,560Top Failure Suspension — 57.1%

MOT results for 1997 Mercedes E 320 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	12	54.9%	940	115,345	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 25.1%
2010	13	56.4%	849	120,586	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 26.0%
2011	14	53.7%	715	120,418	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 31.0%
2012	15	57.7%	556	121,585	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 26.8%
2013	16	55.6%	437	121,837	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 52.4%
2014	17	57.9%	342	118,211	Suspension — 55.6%
2015	18	54.5%	299	122,507	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 59.5%
2016	19	58.6%	232	120,568	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 57.8%
2017	20	53.1%	179	118,663	Suspension — 65.9%
2018	21	54.2%	96	116,320	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 51.0%
2019	22	63.4%	71	110,799	Suspension — 54.9%
2020	23	68.3%	63	120,560	Suspension — 57.1%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1997 Mercedes E 320, with age trends.

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

43.2%

↓ Decreases with age

Suspension

42.6%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

39.8%

↓ Decreases with age

Brakes

37.1%

↑ Increases with age

Tyres

26.5%

↑ 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	20.3% (12 yrs)	57.1% (23 yrs)	+36.8%	🔴 ↑
Brakes	17.8% (12 yrs)	44.4% (23 yrs)	+26.6%	🔴 ↑
Tyres	19.3% (12 yrs)	23.8% (23 yrs)	+4.5%	🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Mercedes E 320 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes E 320 cars manufactured in 1997 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2020, covering 4,779 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.